Pyrolysis of Chilean Southern Lignocellulosic Biomasses: Isoconversional Kinetics Analysis and Pyrolytic Products Distribution

Biomass provides potential benefits for obtaining value-added compounds instead of straight burning; as Chile has forestry potential that supports such benefits, it is crucial to understand the biomasses' properties and their thermochemical behaviour. This research presents a kinetic analysis of thermogravimetry, and pyrolysis of representative species in the biomass of southern Chile, heating biomasses at 5 to 40 °C·min rates before being subjected to thermal volatilisation. The activation energy (Ea) was calculated from conversion using model-free methods (Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), and Friedman (FR)), as well as the Kissinger method based on the maximum reaction rate. The average Ea varied between KAS 117 and 171 kJ·mol , FWO 120-170 kJ·mol , and FR 115-194 kJ·mol for the five biomasses used. (PR) was identified as the most suited wood for producing value-added goods based on the Ea profile for the conversion (α), along with (EN) for its high value of reaction constant (k). Each biomass demonstrated accelerated decomposition (an increase in k relative to α). The highest concentration of bio-oil containing phenolic, ketonic, and furanic compounds was produced by the forestry exploitation biomasses PR and EN, demonstrating the viability of these materials for thermoconversion processes.