LAUSR

Summary The thermal behavior of rice straw, microalgae, and their mixture was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Co-combustion of rice straw and microalgae broadened the temperature range of combustion, facilitated ignition, and promoted burnout. The blend ratio of microalgae should be less than or equal to 10% in a 20%O2/80%N2 atmosphere and 30% in a 20%O2/80%CO2 atmosphere to reach a higher comprehensive combustion index (CCI) value than the individual fuels. The co-combustion with a small ratio of microalgae could remedy partial negative effects on combustion performance caused by the replacement of N2 using CO2. The interaction of blends depended on the atmosphere and temperature range. The prediction of the combustion performance of blends by a weighted sum of individual fuels worked better in an O2/CO2 atmosphere at low temperatures, while better in an O2/N2 atmosphere at high temperatures. The simulation using the model which contained 2 parallel multi-order reactions matched with the thermogravimetric curves well, and blending reduced activation energies of the second stage.