Pyrolysis Characteristics of Phoenix Dactylifera Date Palm Seeds Using Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA)

Mass losses of Phoenix dactylifera date palm seeds (DPSs) were measured using a thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA). Six-milligram-sample of six varieties of DPSs were pyrolyzed in an inert condition (argon atmosphere) with a constant flow rate of 100 ml/min for the entire range of experiments. The experiments were conducted under non-isothermal conditions and at a heating rate of 20C/min until the furnace wall temperature reached 900C. The moisture (M), ash (ASH), volatile matter (VM) and fixed carbon (FC) of the selected date seeds were determined by means of proximate analysis. The weight percentages of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), sulfur (S) and atomic ratios (H/C and O/C) were determined through the ultimate analysis.