The 3-D Image of The Temperature Integral And Its Self-Similarity

How to derive the accurate value of temperature integral is a vital problem for the non-isothermal kinetic analysis. In the past six decades, researchers provided various methods to solve above problem, but the error usually becomes divergent when the value of x (x=Ea/RT) is too small or too large, no matter whether it is a numerical method or an approximation method. In this paper, we present a new series method and elaborately design a computer program to calculate the value of temperature integral. Finally, we reveal the mysterious relationship between the integral, the temperature and the activation energy, and we find an extremely interesting phenomenon that the 3-D image of the temperature integral is of self-similarity according to the fractal theory.

Comparative Thermogravimetric Assessment on the Combustion of Coal, Microalgae Biomass and Their Blend

In this work, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermogravimetry (DTG), and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) were used to assess the combustion of microalgae biomass, a bituminous coal, and their blend. Furthermore, different correlations were tested for estimating the high heating value of microalgae biomass and coal, with both materials possessing similar values. TGA evidenced differences between the combustion of the studied fuels, but no relevant interaction occurred during their co-combustion, as shown by the DTG and DSC curves. These curves also indicated that the combustion of the blend mostly resembled that of coal in terms of weight loss and heat release. Moreover, non-isothermal kinetic analysis revealed that the apparent activation energies corresponding to the combustion of the blend and coal were quite close. Overall, the obtained results indicated that co-combustion with coal might be a feasible waste to energy management option for the valorization of microalgae biomass resulting from wastewater treatment.