Investigation of the evolved pyrolytic products and energy potential of Bagasse: experimental, kinetic, thermodynamic and boosted regression trees analysis

This study explored bagasse's energy potential grown using treated industrial wastewater through various analyses, experimental, kinetic, thermodynamic, and machine learning boosted regression tree methods. Thermogravimetry was employed to determine thermal degradation characteristics, varying the heating rate from 10 to 30 °C/min. The primary pyrolysis products from bagasse are H₂, CH₄, H₂O, CO₂, and hydrocarbons. Kinetic parameters were estimated using three model-free methods, yielding activation energies of approximately 245.98 kJ mol⁻¹, 247.58 kJ mol⁻¹, and 244.69 kJ mol⁻¹. Thermodynamic parameters demonstrated the feasibility and reactivity of pyrolysis with ΔH ≈ 240.72 kJ mol⁻¹, ΔG ≈ 162.87 kJ mol⁻¹, and ΔS ≈ 165.35 J mol⁻¹ K^-1. The distribution of activation energy was analyzed using the multiple distributed activation energy model. Lastly, boosted regression trees predicted thermal degradation successfully, with an R² of 0.9943. Therefore, bagasse's potential as an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels promotes waste utilization and carbon footprint reduction.