Pyrolysis and kinetic behavior of banana stem using thermogravimetric analysis

Pyrolysis and kinetic behavior of banana stem (BS) were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The behavior of mass loss demonstrated that pyrolysis process of BS appeared in three stages with a conversion range of 0–0.20, 0.20–0.90, and 0.90–1, respectively. The reaction mechanism of BS pyrolysis followed the 3D diffusion model, with an apparent activation energy range of 130.63–192.10 kJ/mol and a pre-exponential factor range of 2.42×107–4.10 × 1010 s–1. Stages 1, 2, and 3 were mainly attributed to pyrolysis of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin with mean activation energies of 139.09, 155.41, and 188.71 kJ/mol, respectively. The experimental data obeyed the iso-conversional model well with correlation coefficients (R2) over than 0.9928.