*Communication* **Kinetic Analysis of Algae Gasification by Distributed Activation Energy Model**

**Guozhao Ji 1,2, Abdul Raheem 3, Xin Wang 1, Weng Fu 4, Boyu Qu 1, Yuan Gao 1,2, Aimin Li 1,2, Ming Zhao 3, Weiguo Dong 5,\* and Zhien Zhang 6,\***


Received: 30 June 2020; Accepted: 21 July 2020; Published: 2 August 2020

**Abstract:** Conversion of algal biomass into energy products via gasification has attracted increasing research interests. A basic understanding of the gasification kinetics of algal biomass is of fundamental importance. Distributed activation energy model (DAEM), which provides the information of energy barrier distribution during the gasification process, is a promising tool to study the kinetic process of algae gasification. In this study, DAEM model was used to investigate *Chlorella vulgaris* and *Spirulina* gasification. The activation energy of *Chlorella vulgaris* gasification was in the range from 370 to 650 kJ mol−1. The range of activation energy for *Spirulina* gasification was a bit wider, spanning from 330 to 670 kJ mol−1. The distribution of activation energy for both *Chlorella vulgaris* and *Spirulina* showed that 500 kJ mol−<sup>1</sup> had the most components, and these components were gasified at around 300 ◦C. The DAEM algorithm was validated by the conversion and conversion rate from experimental measurement, demonstrating that DAEM is accurate to describe the kinetics of algal biomass gasification.

**Keywords:** algal biomass; gasification; kinetics; activation energy distribution
