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Kinetics of the thermal decomposition of green alga Ulva by thermogravimetry
Author(s) -
Carrasco F.,
Pagès P.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.20675
Subject(s) - thermogravimetry , thermal decomposition , thermal stability , decomposition , kinetics , materials science , chemical engineering , thermal , pyrolysis , kinetic energy , chemistry , thermodynamics , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
In this article, we present the findings of our study into the thermal decomposition of the alga Ulva, which can cause serious problems due to its proliferation in certain seas. Its use as a human foodstuff or other similar applications is limited; however, it could be used as a filling or reinforcement material in the manufacture of composite materials. Since the production processes of such materials usually require heating, the thermal stability of this polymeric material needs to be known, and this is the objective of this work. For this reason, we have studied the thermal decomposition in an air atmosphere using thermogravimetry (TG). On the one hand, we evaluated the thermal stability temperatures of the seaweed; and on the other, we determined the kinetic parameters of the alga's two main decomposition reactions, using an n ‐order integral kinetic model. It was, therefore, necessary to calculate the best order of reaction. Finally, we determined a series of characteristic temperatures related to the beginning and the end of each of the thermal decomposition reactions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 1913–1922, 2004