Thermal Degradation of Shredded Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (SOPEFB) Embedded with Cobalt Catalyst by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)

Thermal behavior and decomposition kinetics of shredded oil palm empty fruit bunches (SOPEFB) were investigated in this study by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The SOPEFB were analyzed under conditions of temperature 30 degrees C to 900 degrees C with nitrogen gas flow at 50 ml/min. The SOPEFB were embedded with cobalt (II) nitrate solution with concentration 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The TG/DTG curves shows the degradation behavior of SOPEFB following with char production for each heating rate and each concentration of cobalt catalyst. Thermal degradation occurred in three phases, water drying phase, decomposition of hemicellulose and cellulose phase, and lignin decomposition phase. The kinetic equation with relevant parameters described the activation energy required for thermal degradation at the temperature regions of 200 degrees C to 350 degrees C. Activation energy (E) for different heating rate with SOPEFB embedded with different concentration of cobalt catalyst showing that the lowest E required was at SOPEFB with 20% concentration of cobalt catalyst..