Prospection of catole coconut (Syagrus cearensis) as a new bioenergy feedstock: Insights from physicochemical characterization, pyrolysis kinetics, and thermodynamics parameters

Abstract Catole coconut (Syagrus cearensis) is produced in abundance in the Northeastern region of Brazil, but still remains relatively unexploited for bioenergy purposes because of the little relevant scientific information available. In this context, this study aims to investigate the kinetics and thermodynamics that describe the pyrolysis of catole coconut through a multi-component approach, aiming to highlight its bioenergy potential. Thermogravimetric analysis of catole coconut was performed in an inert atmosphere with different heating programs (10, 20 and 30 °C min−1) to establish its pyrolysis behavior. The resulting pyrolysis behavior was subjected to deconvolution by the symmetrical Gaussian function to specify three independent components: pseudo-hemicellulose, pseudo-cellulose, and pseudo-lignin. By using four isoconversional methods, the average activation energy estimated is in the range of 124.2–133.5 kJ mol−1 for pseudo−hemicellulose, 159.7–170.1 kJ mol−1 for pseudo−cellulose, and 151.5–162.8 kJ mol−1 for pseudo−lignin. Based on the kinetic compensation effect, the pre-exponential factors were determined to be in the range of 3.5 × 1011–5.4 × 1014 min−1. Statistical results (R2>0.954 and Fit>0.944) indicate that the proposed summative kinetic expression proved to be valuable in reproducing the experimental pyrolysis behavior. The promising findings acquired from this study justify the interest in exploring catole coconut as a new bioenergy feedstock.