Assessing Lemon Peel Waste as a Solid Biofuel: A Study of Its Combustion Behaviour, Kinetics, and Thermodynamics

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of lemon peel (LP) combustion behaviour using combined physicochemical characterization and non-isothermal thermogravimetric kinetics. To achieve this, LP was characterized for its proximate and ultimate composition, with its structure analysed via FTIR, XRD, and SEM. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was then performed at high heating rates (20–80 K min−1) to investigate combustion stages, and kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were determined using six model-free and one model-fitting method. The results revealed a high heating value (23.02 MJ kg−1) and high volatile matter (73.2 wt%), establishing LP’s significant energy potential. TGA displayed four distinct decomposition stages corresponding to dehydration, pectin/hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin/char combustion. Kinetic analysis yielded activation energies that varied with conversion, peaking at approximately 304 kJ mol−1, and a three-dimensional diffusion (D3) mechanism was identified as the rate-limiting step. In conclusion, while its high energy content and low nitrogen (1.26 wt%) and sulphur (0.20 wt%) content make LP an attractive low-emission biofuel, its viability is challenged by a high potassium concentration in the ash (34.8 wt% K2O), posing a severe risk of slagging. This study provides the comprehensive combustion kinetic data for LP at high heating rates, which is essential for designing appropriate energy conversion technologies and ash management strategies.