A Study on the Impact of Temperature Variations on the Pyrolysis of Corn-cob Waste (zea Mays) for Bioenergy Production

Abstract

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) characterized the thermal stability and degradation of corn-cob waste (Zea mays). Results indicate that exposure to temperatures exceeding 240 °C causes approximately 50% mass loss. At this temperature, the drying stage removed traces of moisture and some low molecular weight aromatic molecules. The degradation of corn-cob waste was carried out through pyrolysis in a Nitrogen (N2) atmosphere, with these tests being carried out at 500, 550 and 600 °C, in order to observe how the variation in temperature affects the characteristics of the solid products obtained, to know their stability, tests are carried out on each of the solid products at each indicated temperature; While 550 °C exhibited the highest percentage of weight loss, 600 °C was selected. This choice maintains a gradual progression in the percentage of weight loss, even though 500 °C and 600 °C showed similar mass loss values. Finally, FTIR tests were implemented, which were responsible for decoding the signal, which results in the generation of spectra that are used to identify or quantify the material existing in the samples. According to the results, it is inferred that the pyrolysis of corn-cob waste has caused the elimination of the molecules responsible for the vibrations of the O-H, C-H, and C-O bonds. This loss could be explained by the degradation of polysaccharides; Instead, the bonds CO, CH, C=C, C=O, CO and CH are conserved, the latter being commonly found in ethers and aromatic compounds that include hydroxyl groups.