Co-gasification study of blends of municipal solid waste with sugarcane bagasse and rice husk using the Coats-Redfern method

• Published in: Journal of the Energy Institute 2024-04, Vol.113, p.101542, Article 101542
• Main Authors: Hameed, Zeeshan, Khan, Zakir, Khurram, Shahzad, Inayat, Abrar, Amin, Naila, Aslam, Muhammad, Watson, Ian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Coats – Redfern method; Gasification; Kinetics; Municipal solid waste; Rice husk; Sugarcane bagasse; TGA/DTA
• ISSN: 1743-9671
• DOI: 10.1016/j.joei.2024.101542

Rapid development in the current economic situation has led to an increase in carbon emissions and to find sustainable solution to deal with this problem. Co-gasification of biomass with municipal solid waste is gaining significant importance to utilize the energy content of both raw materials judiciously and efficiently. This current work includes the study of physico-chemical characterization, thermal decomposition of MSW, sugarcane bagasse, rice husk, and their blends with 30:70, 50:50, and 70:30 ratios. Employing a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) under controlled conditions, the Coats-Redfern approach integrated sixteen reaction models to determine kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. This study intends to interpret the influence of mixtures on activation energy and synergy effect of mixing two different materials to check its market compatibility. The physicochemical properties of the feedstocks showed good agreement and suitability to be utilized for thermal conversion. Thermal degradation mainly appeared in the temperature range of 150–500 °C for all 99.4 % total weight loss for all parent samples as well as their blends. Linear regression coefficients (R2) were in the range of 0.90–0.99 for all sixteen calculated models. The lower activation energies were obtained from the 50:50 blend for sugarcane bagasse and MSW while 70:30 for rice husk with MSW respectively which proved a great affinity to thermal degrading under a gasification environment. [Display omitted] •Thermal decomposition of biomass blend with Municipal Solid Waste (MSW).•TGA utilized to assess the thermo-kinetic characteristics of the blends.•Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters evaluation using Coats-Redfern model.•Synergistic study of blends using TGA.•50:50 (Bagasse: MSW) and 70:30 (Rice Husk: MSW) shows greater reactivity and lesser activation energy.