Leucaena leucocephala is a fast-growing leguminous biomass with great energetical and valueadded
chemical compounds potential (saccharides, biogas, bio-oil, etc.). Using the thermogravimetric
and derivative thermogravimetric curves, the different trends followed by L. leucocephala
during pyrolysis, 0.25 equivalence ratio (ER) of gasification, 0.50 equivalence ratio of
gasification and combustion were analyzed, and the activation energies were obtained by
Distributed Activation Energy Model (DAEM) method. Gas samples were collected through
adsorption tubes during the gasification at 0.25 ER and 0.50 ER to observe the distribution of the
main chemical products in this process by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and were
compared with pyrolysis products. It was found that small amounts of oxygen have changes in the
kinetics of the process, leading to significant decreases in the activation energy at the beginning of
the degradation of components such as cellulose (from 170 to 135 kJ mol-1 at 0.25 conversion at
0.50 ER gasification). The activation energy of lignin disintegration was also reduced (342 kJ
mol-1), assimilating the beginnings of gasification processes such as the Boudouard reaction. 0.50
ER gasification is potentially an interesting process to obtain quality bio-oil, since a large amount
of hexane is detected (44.96%), and value-added oxygenated intermediates such as alcohols and
glycols. Gasification at 0.25 ER, on the other hand, is much more similar to pyrolysis, obtaining a
wide variety of short-chain compounds resulting from the disintegration of the main lignocellulosic
components, especially ketones such as 1-hydroxypropan-2-one (19.48%), and notable
amount of furans and anhydrosugars like d-allose (5.50%).
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