title: Thermogravimetric analysis of biowastes during combustion.
abstract: The combustion of sewage sludge (SS), animal manure (AM) and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) was assessed and compared with that of a semianthracite coal (SC) and of a PET waste by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Differences were found in the TG curves obtained for the combustion of these materials accordingly to their respective proximate analysis. Non-isothermal thermogravimetric data were used to assess the kinetics of the combustion of these biowastes. The present paper reports on the application of the Vyazovkin model-free isoconversional method for the evaluation of the activation energy necessary for the combustion of these biowastes. The activation energy related to SS combustion (129.1 kJ/mol) was similar to that corresponding to AM (132.5 kJ/mol) while the OFMSW showed a higher value (159.3 kJ/mol). These values are quite higher than the one determined in the same way for the combustion of SC (49.2 kJ/mol) but lower than that for the combustion of a PET waste (165.6 kJ/mol).
authors.affiliation: CESAM, Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal. marta.otero@ua.pt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Otero
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morán
mesh_terms: D017745:Incineration; D008372:Manure / Q000032:analysis; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis*; D013818:Thermogravimetry; D014866:Waste Products / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D008372:Manure; D012722:Sewage; D014866:Waste Products