Abstract
The physicochemical characterization and kinetic evaluation of the thermal and co-pyrolysis of groundnut de-oiled cake (GDC) and PET plastic is examined in this present study. A bomb calorimeter, proximate/CHNS analysis, and a thermogravimetric analyzer were used to study the physicochemical characteristics of the biomass and plastic. By using a FTIR analysis, it was found that both samples had distinct functional groups. Iso-conversional models, such as Friedman’s, the Kissinger−Akhaira−Sunose, the Ozawa−Flynn−Wall, Starink’s, and the distributed activation energy models were employed in the calculation of the kinetic parameters. The physicochemical characterization provided valuable insights into the pyrolysis characteristics. The rate at which the feedstock was heated were 10, 20, and 30 °C min−1, and were used to study the thermal breakdown behavior of the GDC and PET by the TGA. The following temperatures are the active pyrolysis zones for the thermal pyrolysis and the co-pyrolysis: for the groundnut de-oiled cake, T = 150−650 °C; for the PET, T = 375−600 °C; and for the co-pyrolysis, T = 175−550 °C. For the thermal pyrolysis (for GDC, E = 127.49 kJ mol−1; PET, E = 201.45 kJ mol−1); and the co-pyrolysis (E = 175.86 kJ mol−1), Kissinger−Akhaira−Sunose revealed low activation energy.