Determination of kinetic parameters for thermal decomposition of bamboo leaf to extract bio-silica

Bio-silica has many applications due to its high reactivity and pozzolanic properties. The extraction of silica from biomass such as bamboo leaf is usually accomplished by thermal decomposition. Currently, the thermal decomposition requires external heat energy input. In this work, the possibility to reuse the heat released during thermal decomposition to make the process self-sustained is explored. The kinetic parameters of the combustion were determined by fitting thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data to the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa model, where the corresponding activation energy and frequency factor are 211.7 ± 3.8 kJ mol⁻¹ and 4.5 × 10¹⁵ s⁻¹, respectively. The lower heating value of bamboo leaf determined is 8.709 kJ g⁻¹, which is comparable to common wood fuels. Hence, the heat released in the combustion of bamboo leaf can be reused to make the process self-sustainable.