Elucidating the pyrolysis mechanism of lincomycin pharmaceutical waste through thermal analysis

Based on thermokinetic methods, the pyrolysis behavior was systematically investigated over a defined temperature range. The variations in apparent activation energy during the decomposition process were analyzed, and the most probable reaction model was determined. The optimal pyrolysis performance was observed at a heating rate of 10 K/min, corresponding to a performance index of 9.13 × 10 −4 . The decomposition process was delineated into three distinct stages. The apparent activation energies, evaluated using isoconversional methods (FWO, KAS, Starink, Friedman, and Popescu), exhibited a characteristic trend across these stages: an initial decrease, followed by an increase, and a subsequent final decrease. The respective average activation energies for the three stages were determined to be 75.79, 237.57, and 188.01 kJ/mol. The reaction stages were closely described by the Mamper equation, indicating a nonlinear reaction progression with reaction orders (n‐values) falling within the range of 0.7–1. This observed complexity in the pyrolysis mechanism suggests a multistep or diffusion‐influenced process, thus pointing to the necessity for further investigation to optimize energy recovery from pharmaceutical waste.