THERMAL-ANALYSIS KINETICS OF BAGASSE AND RICE STRAW

The role of added inorganic salt on the thermal degradation of lignin was studied. The result was compared with the thermal analysis of two types of agricultural residues: rice straw with high silica content an d bagasse with low silica. Thermal decomposition of such materials is faster than that of wood with a dual mechanism concept similar to wood . In general, the activation energy for rice straw is low; about 19.3 Kcal/mole, while that of bagasse is 33.4 Kcal/mole. This proves that t he inorganic material, either inherited or added changed the thermal a ctivities of the lignocellulosic materials.