Fuel characterization and thermal degradation kinetics of biomass from phytoremediation plants

Abstract Biomass obtained from phytoremediation energy crops Miscanthus x giganteus and Sida hermaphrodita planted on different soils contaminated with heavy metals was thermogravimetrically studied and kinetically analyzed, assuming a three-pseudocomponent model. The results showed that Miscanthus x giganteus was able to uptake more heavy metals than Sida hermaphrodita. Soil influences on the fuel and thermal properties the crops were observed. The ash content of the biomass exhibited a negative effect on its reactivity. The extracted kinetic data are realistic and within reasonable ranges. The activation energies are within 20–103.55 kJ mol−1. The reaction orders are within 1.01–1.99.