Thermogravimetric Behavior of Three Brazilian Native Woods: Kinetic Approach and Thermogravimetric Curve Prediction Based on Chemical Composition

This study has the objective to determine the thermal behavior of three distinct Brazilian native wood fibers, Araucaria angustifolia (ARA), Dipterix odorata (DOD), and Cedrela odorata (COD), following the International Confederation for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry. Also, the prediction of the thermogravimetric curve based on the chemical composition is presented. COD shows a higher lignin content (50%) compared to ARA and DOD (26.8 and 31.8%, respectively) but a lower cellulose and hemicellulose content (COD = 32 and 4.5%, ARA = 50 and 9%, and DOD = 47 and 7%, respectively). The kinetic results presented an activation energy of ∼180 kJ mol^–1, with the pre-exponential factor ranging from 13 to 50 s^–1 (dependent on the method used). The prediction of TG curves based on the chemical composition shows a good fit compared to the theoretical one and allows one to determine the individual or combined effect of the main components of lignocellulosic fibers regarding their thermal behavior.