Thermal and Catalytic kinetics of Charcoal Oxidation Author: F.Lemos; M.A.N.D.A Lemos; A. Saqib H I G H L I G H T S  Charcoal impregnated with 1%V, 1%Cu and their corresponding mix.  Thermogravimetric analysis under air between 400 and 800 o C.  Char conversion with and without catalyst.  Evaluation of char conversion to CO through heat flow data.  Char oxidation modelling A R T I C L E I N F O G R A P H I C A L A B S T R A C T A B S T R A C T History:2016 Key Words: Charcoal Oxidation Effect of catalyst CO evaluation This work reports a thermal and catalytic kinetic study of the activated charcoal air oxidation. The study was performed by atmospheric pressure thermogravimetry over a temperature range of 400 – 800 o C. TG, DTG and DSC data was used to observe the expected catalytic activity. Also, char conversion to fuel gas i.e. carbon monoxide was evaluated through heat flow data curves in exothermic boundaries. Charcoal impregnated with Vanadium showed the maximum CO formation at around 400 o C in comparison to simple charcoal which was found to give maximum conversion to CO at 500 o C. Finally, Langmuir-Hinshelwood type kinetic model was developed for estimation of kinetic parameters. 1. Introduction Char oxidation is a complex heterogeneous process which often governs the overall rate of combustion and gasification [1-2]. Oxidation rates are partially governed by surface properties of the char and reactions catalyzed by minerals within the char matrix. Biomass chars have inherently some alkali and alkaline-earth minerals and their catalytic effects have also been observed during pyrolysis [3-5]. However, the effect of transition metals on char reactivity during combustion had not gathered much attention. Hence, the present effort has been made to look for the expected catalytic effects of transition metal i.e. Vanadium, Copper and their mix on the char reactivity during air gasification at various temperatures. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Sample: Air dried charcoal along with charcoal impregnated with 1% Vanadium, 1% Copper and their corresponding mix were used. Raw charcoal proximate analysis observed through TGA is as follows: Parameter Percentage Moisture 10 Volatile Matter 3.2 Fixed Carbon 83 Ash 4.3 Table 2.1 Proximate Analysis 2.2. Thermogravimetric Analysis STA 6000 instrument by PerkinElmer was used to perform TGA experiments. The study was focused to determine the temperature conditions appropriate for the maximum conversion of char to fuel gas carbon monoxide by using air as gasifying agent. Both samples i.e. charcoal and charcoal impregnated with 1% Charcoal STA TG DTG DSC Model