Kinetics of the Thermal Dehydration of Sodium Sulfate Decahydrate Using Model‐Free and Model‐Fitting Approaches

This study investigates the complex dehydration kinetics of sodium sulfate decahydrate (Na 2 SO 4 .10H 2 O). Analysis of TG/DTG data reveals that the dehydration process proceeds via five complex steps. Using isoconversional methods (FR, FWO, and DAEM), the kinetic parameters (E a and ln A) of the individual steps were obtained. The E a − α plots revealed that all deconvoluted processes are driven by a single reaction mechanism identified as a diffusion model (D 3 ). A significant linear relationship between ln A and E a with similar isokinetic temperatures characterized the kinetic compensation effect. Thermodynamic analysis indicates that the entire conversion is an endothermic and non‐spontaneous process.