Agave salmiana bagasse as a renewable feedstock for syngas production: TGA-guided Aspen Plus modeling of biomass gasification

This study evaluates the potential of Agave salmiana bagasse as a renewable feedstock for syngas production through a combined thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Aspen Plus simulation approach. Proximate analysis obtained by TGA showed a moisture content of 10.27 ± 0.1%, volatile matter of 78.49 ± 0.4%, ash content of 5.32 ± 0.3%, and fixed carbon of 5.92 ± 0.8%. These experimental data were incorporated into an Aspen Plus gasification model to evaluate the effects of temperature, biomass-to-air ratio, and steam addition on syngas composition. At 750 °C and a biomass-to-air ratio of 1:1 (wt./wt.), the simulated syngas contained 15.6 vol% H 2 and 28.4 vol% CO, with negligible CH 4 formation. Increasing the biomass-to-air ratio to 7.32 enhanced H 2 and CH 4 concentrations to 23.7 and 7.2 vol%, respectively, while CO decreased to 14.4 vol%. Steam addition further modified the equilibrium composition, with a biomass-to-steam ratio of 2.3 producing 18.0 vol% H 2 , 17.1 vol% CH 4 , and 2.9 vol% CO. The results demonstrate that A. salmiana bagasse has favorable characteristics for thermochemical conversion and that syngas composition can be effectively tuned through the gasifying agent ratios. The combined TGA and Aspen Plus methodology provides a useful framework for evaluating the energetic valorization of agave processing residues within circular bioenergy strategies.