The potential use of torrefied Nigerian biomass for combustion applications

Many countries are seeking to expand their use of solid biomass for electricity and heat generation. Nigeria, too, is exploring its own potential energy crops and indigenous residues. The use of this biomass for energy production is, however, limited by factors such as high moisture content, low bulk and low energy density. This study examines the torrefaction and combustion properties of four readily available Nigerian woody biomass, Gmelina arborea, Terminalia superba, Nauclea diderrichii, Lophira alata and a residue, palm kernel expeller (PKE). They are considered for their suitability for use in large scale power stations, especially as pulverized fuels.The Fuels were torrefied at 270 and 290 °C for either 30 or 60 min, and assessed for pyrolysis and combustion characteristics in comparison to their untreated counterparts. Energy densities of the woods improved from 19.2 to 21.2 MJ/kg for the raw fuels to 21.5–24.6 MJ/kg for the torrefied fuels. The milling behaviour of the torrefied fuels improved upon torrefaction, especially for Nauclea; however, torrefaction had very little effect on the grindability of PKE. The apparent first order kinetics for pyrolysis were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). After torrefaction, the fuels become less reactive; Nauclea and Gmelina were the most reactive fuels, whilst PKE was the least reactive. The combustion behavior of selected fuels was visually examined in a methane air flame. This showed that torrefaction resulted in shorter ignition delay, shorter duration of volatile combustion and longer duration of char burn out.     

Experimental measurements for torrefied biomass Co-combustion in a 1 MWth pulverized coal-fired furnace

Biogenic residues upgraded by torrefaction are well suited for co-firing in existing thermal power plants due to their increased net calorific value, their improved grindability and their good characteristics regarding storage and transport. In this work, torrefied and pelletized biomass (coniferous wood sawdust) and hard coal (Columbian Calenturitas) were co-combusted in a 1 MW_th pulverized coal-fired furnace. The mixture of both fuels (torrefied biomass and hard coal) was co-grinded at two ratios with a thermal share of biomass of 3.8% and 7.3% using the same coal mill. For comparison purpose, experiments on pure hard coal combustion (only coal) were carried out, too. Despite torrefaction, the throughput of the mill was sharply reduced at higher biomass shares and the average grain size of pulverized fuel was increased. However, both fuel blends were co-combusted without any difficulty. Compared to mono-combustion of the hard coal, no significant differences were detected, neither in the flue gas emissions nor in the char burnout. Gas measurements in the flame profile show higher levels of released volatile matter close to the burner, resulting in a higher oxygen demand.     

A study on torrefaction of various biomass materials and its impact on lignocellulosic structure simulated by a thermogravimetry

Torrefaction processes of four kinds of biomass materials, including bamboo, willow, coconut shell and wood (Ficus benjamina L.), were investigated using the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Particular emphasis is placed on the impact of torrefaction on hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin contained in the biomass. Two different torrefaction processes, consisting of a light torrefaction process at 240 °C and a severe torrefaction process at 275 °C, were considered. From the torrefaction processes, the biomass could be divided into two groups; one was the relatively active biomass such as bamboo and willow, and the other was the relatively inactive biomass composed of coconut shell and wood. When the light torrefaction was performed, the results indicated that the hemicellulose contained in the biomass was destroyed in a significant way, whereas cellulose and lignin were affected only slightly. Once the severe torrefaction was carried out, it further had a noticeable effect on cellulose, especially in the bamboo and willow. The light torrefaction and severe torrefaction were followed by a chemically frozen zone, regardless of what the biomass was. From the viewpoint of torrefaction application, the investigated biomass torrefied in less than 1 h with light torrefaction is an appropriate operation for producing fuels with higher energy density.     

An evaluation on improvement of pulverized biomass property for solid fuel through torrefaction

The improvement on physical and chemical properties of pulverized biomass from torrefaction is investigated to evaluate the potential of biomass as solid fuel used in boilers and blast furnaces. Three biomasses of bamboo, banyan and willow are considered. The results indicate that when the torrefaction temperature is relatively low such as 230 and 260 °C, the weight loss of biomass depends significantly on the temperature, as a result of consumptions of hemicellulose and cellulose. However, once the torrefaction temperature is as high as 290 °C, the weight losses of various biomass materials tend to become uniform. The decreased O/C ratio in biomass from torrefaction can be explained by intensified lignin content in that the O/C ratio in lignin is low compared to that in hemicellulose and cellulose. Furthermore, the enriched element C in torrefied biomass results in an increase in the calorific value of the torrefied materials. However, the enlarged higher heating value (HHV) of biomass from torrefaction cannot keep up with the weight loss; this leads to the decrease in total energy of biomass as the torrefaction temperature rises. The conducted correlation in predicting the HHV of raw biomass can also be utilized for torrefied biomass. The raw pulverized biomasses are characterized by agglomeration in the regime of smaller particle size. Once the biomasses undergo torrefaction, the dispersion of powder is improved, thereby facilitating the injection of biomass powder. This enhances the applications of pulverized biomass in boilers and blast furnaces.     

Reprint of: Pelletizing properties of torrefied wheat straw

Combined torrefaction and pelletization are used to increase the fuel value of biomass by increasing its energy density and improving its handling and combustion properties. However, pelletization of torrefied biomass can be challenging and in this study the torrefaction and pelletizing properties of wheat straw have been analyzed. Laboratory equipment has been used to investigate the pelletizing properties of wheat straw torrefied at temperatures between 150 and 300 °C. IR spectroscopy and chemical analyses have shown that high torrefaction temperatures change the chemical properties of the wheat straw significantly, and the pelletizing analyses have shown that these changes correlate to changes in the pelletizing properties. Torrefaction increase the friction in the press channel and pellet strength and density decrease with an increase in torrefaction temperature.     

Combustion,cofiring and emissions characteristics of torrefied biomass in a drop tube reactor

The study investigates cofiring characteristics of torrefied biomass fuels at 50% thermal shares with coals and 100% combustion cases. Experiments were carried out in a 20 kW, electrically heated, drop-tube reactor. Fuels used include a range of torrefied biomass fuels, non-thermally treated white wood pellets, a high volatile bituminous coal and a lignite coal. The reactor was maintained at 1200 °C while the overall stoichiometric ratio was kept constant at 1.15 for all combustion cases. Measurements were performed to evaluate combustion reactivity, emissions and burn-out.Torrefied biomass fuels in comparison to non-thermally treated wood contain a lower amount of volatiles. For the tests performed at a similar particle size distribution, the reduced volatile content did not impact combustion reactivity significantly. Delay in combustion was only observed for test fuel with a lower amount of fine particles. The particle size distribution of the pulverised grinds therefore impacts combustion reactivity more.Sulphur and nitrogen contents of woody biomass fuels are low. Blending woody biomass with coal lowers the emissions of SO₂ mainly as a result of dilution. NO_X emissions have a more complex dependency on the nitrogen content. Factors such as volatile content of the fuels, fuel type, furnace and burner configurations also impact the final NO_X emissions. In comparison to unstaged combustion, the nitrogen conversion to NO_X declined from 34% to 9% for air-staged co-combustion of torrefied biomass and hard coal. For the air-staged mono-combustion cases, nitrogen conversion to NO_X declined from between 42% and 48% to about 10%–14%.     

Thermal pretreatment of wood (Lauan) block by torrefaction and its influence on the properties of the biomass

The purpose of this study is to investigate the torrefaction behavior of woody biomass (Lauan) blocks and its influence on the properties of the wood. Three different torrefaction temperatures of 220, 250 and 280 °C, corresponding to light, mild and severe torrefactions, and four torrefaction times of 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 h were considered. After analyzing the torrefied woods, it was found that the torrefaction temperature of 280 °C was able to increase the calorific value of the wood up to 40%. However, over 50% of weight was lost from the wood. The grindability of the torrefied wood could be improved in a significant way if the torrefaction temperature was as high as 250 °C and the torrefaction time longer than 1 h. Therefore, the torrefaction temperature of 250 °C along with the torrefaction time longer than 1 h was the recommended operation to intensify the heating value and grindability as well as to avoid too much mass loss of the wood. This study also suggested that over 50% of the reacted wood was converted into condensed liquid. The main components in the liquid were monoaromatics; little amount of heterocyclic hydrocarbons were also obtained from the torrefactions, especially at the torrefaction temperature of 280 °C.     

Explosion characteristics of pulverised torrefied and raw Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Southern pine (Pinus palustris) in comparison to bituminous coal

Pre-treatments, such as torrefaction, can improve biomass fuels properties. Dedicated and coal co-firing plants, in which pulverised biomass and torrefied biomass can be used, are exposed to explosion hazards during handling, storage and transport from the mills to the boiler. Data on the explosion characteristics of biomass and torrefied biomass are scarce. This study presents explosion characteristics (maximum explosion pressure, deflagration index and minimum explosible concentration) of two torrefied wood samples and compares their reactivity to that of their corresponding untreated biomass materials and to a sample of Kellingley coal. Torrefied biomass samples showed higher reactivity, overpressures were around 9 bar (0.9 MPa, 1 bar = 10⁵ Pa) for all biomass samples irrespective of size or sample composition. Derived laminar burning velocities ranged between 0.1–0.12 m s⁻¹, and were therefore similar to that of coal (0.12 m s⁻¹). The differences in explosion reactivity influence the design of explosion protection measures and can be used to introduce suitable modifications for safe operations with torrefied biomass.     

Experimental study on combustion of torrefied palm kernel shell (PKS) in oxy‐fuel environment

Oxy‐combustion of biomass can be a major candidate to achieve negative emission of CO₂ from a pulverized fuel (pf)‐firing power generation plants. Understanding combustion behavior of biomass fuels in oxy‐firing conditions is a key for design of oxy‐combustion retrofit of pulverized fuel power plant. This study aims to investigate a lab‐scale combustion behavior of torrefied palm kernel shell (PKS) in oxy‐combustion environments in comparison with the reference bituminous coal. A 20 kW_th‐scale, down‐firing furnace was used to conduct the experiments using both air (conventional) and O₂/CO₂ (30 vol% for O₂) as an oxidant. A bituminous coal (Sebuku coal) was also combusted in both air‐ and oxy‐firing condition with the same conditions of oxidizers and thermal heat inputs. Distributions of gas temperature, unburned carbon, and NO_x concentration were measured through sampling of gases and particles along axial directions. Moreover, the concentrations of SO_x and HCl were measured at the exit of the furnace. Experimental results showed that burnout rate was enhanced during oxy‐fuel combustion. The unburnt carbon in the flue gas was reduced considerably (~75%) during combustion of torrefied PKS in oxy‐fuel environment as compared with air‐firing condition. In addition, NO emission was reduced by 16.5% during combustion of PKS in oxy‐fuel environment as compared with air‐firing condition.     

Combustion behavior of single particles from three different coal ranks and from sugar cane bagasse in O2/N2 and O2/CO2 atmospheres

The combustion behavior of single fuel particles was assessed in O₂/N₂ and O₂/CO₂ background gases, with oxygen mole fractions in the range of 20–100%. Fuels included four pulverized coals from different ranks (a high-volatile bituminous, a sub-bituminous and two lignites) as well as pulverized sugarcane-bagasse, a biomass residue. Particles of 75–90 μm were injected under laminar flow in a bench-scale, transparent drop-tube furnace (DTF), electrically-heated to 1400 K where, upon experiencing high heating rates, they ignited and burned. The combustion of individual particles was observed with three-color optical pyrometry and high-speed high-resolution cinematography to obtain temperature and burnout time histories. Based on combined observations from these techniques, a comprehensive understanding of the behaviors of these fuels was developed under a variety of conditions, including simulated oxy-fuel combustion. The fuels exhibited distinct combustion behaviors. In air, the bituminous coal particles burned in two distinctive modes; the volatiles burned in bright envelope flames surrounding the devolatilizing char particles followed by heterogeneous char combustion. The volatile matter of sub-bituminous coal particles burned either in subdued envelope flames, surrounding devolatilizing and occasionally fragmenting chars, or heterogeneously at the char surface. Lignite particles typically burned with extensive fragmentation, and their volatiles burned simultaneously with the char fragments. The volatiles of bagasse particles burned in spherical and transparent envelope flames. Increasing the oxygen mole fraction in N₂, increased flame and char surface temperatures, and decreased burnout times; particles of all fuels burned more intensely with an increasing tendency of the volatiles to burn closer to the char surface. When the background gas N₂ was substituted with CO₂, the combustion of all fuels was distinctly less intense; at moderate O₂ mole fractions (<30%) most particles did not ignite under active flow conditions in the furnace (they did ignite under quiescent gas flow conditions in the DTF). Increasing the oxygen mole fraction in CO₂ increased the likelihood of combustion and its intensity. Combustion of volatiles in envelope flames was suppressed in the presence of CO₂, particularly under active gas flow in the DTF.     

Combustion behavior in air of single particles from three different coal ranks and from sugarcane bagasse

Comparative combustion studies were performed on particles of pulverized coal samples from three different ranks: a high-volatile bituminous coal, a sub-bituminous coal, and two lignite coals. The study was augmented to include observations on burning pulverized woody biomass residues, in the form of sugarcane bagasse. Fuel particles, in the range of 75–90 μm, were injected in a bench-scale, transparent drop-tube furnace, electrically-heated to 1400 K, where they experienced high-heating rates, ignited and burned. The combustion of individual particles in air was observed with three-color pyrometry and high-speed high-resolution cinematography to obtain temperature–time–size histories. Based on combined observations from these techniques, in conjunction to morphological examinations of particles, a comprehensive understanding of the combustion behaviors of these fuels was developed. Observed differences among the coals have been striking. Upon pyrolysis, the bituminous coal chars experienced the phenomena of softening, melting, swelling and formation of large blowholes through which volatile matter escaped. Combustion of the volatile matter was sooty and very luminous with large co-tails forming in the wake of the particle trajectories. Only after the volatile matter flames extinguished, the char combustion commenced and was also very luminous. In contrast, upon pyrolysis, lignite coals became fragile and experienced extensive fragmentation, immediately followed by ignition of the char fragments (numbering in the order of 10–100, depending on the origin of the lignite coal) spread apart into a relatively large volume. As no separate volatile matter combustion period was evident, it is likely that volatiles burned on the surface of the chars. The combustion of the sub-bituminous coal was also different. Most particles experienced limited fragmentation, upon pyrolysis, to several char fragments, with or without the presence of brief and low-luminosity volatile flames; other particles did not fragment and directly proceeded to char combustion. Finally combustion of bagasse was once again very distinctive. Upon pyrolysis, long-lasting, low-luminosity, nearly-transparent spherical flames formed around slowly-settling devolatilizing particles. They were followed by bright, short-lived combustion of the chars. Both volatiles and chars experienced shrinking core mode of burning. For all fuels, flame and char temperature profiles were deduced from pyrometric data and burnout times were measured. Combustion rates were calculated from luminous carbon disappearance measurements, and were compared with predictions based on published kinetic expressions.     

Engineered pellets from dry torrefied and HTC biochar blends

Dry torrefaction and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) are two thermal pretreatment processes for making homogenized, carbon rich, hydrophobic, and energy dense solid fuel from lignocellulosic biomass. Pellets made from torrefied biochar have poor durability compared to pellets of raw biomass. Durability, mass density, and energy density of torrefied biochar pellets decrease with increasing dry torrefaction temperature. Durable pellets of torrefied biochar may be engineered for high durability using HTC biochar as a binder. In this study, biomass dry torrefied for 1 h at 250, 275, 300, and 350 °C was pelletized with various proportions of biomass HTC treated at 260 °C for 5 min. During the pelletization of biochar blends, HTC biochar fills the void spaces and makes solid bridges between torrefied biochar particles, thus increasing the durability of the blended pellets. The engineered pellets' durability is increased with increasing HTC biochar fraction. For instance, engineered pellets of 90% Dry 300 and 10% HTC 260 are 82.5% durable, which is 33% more durable than 100% Dry 300 biochar pellets, and also have 7% higher energy density than 100% Dry 300 biochar pellets.     

The study of optimal parameters of oxygen-enriched combustion in fluidized bed with optimal torrefied woody waste

The study explored the oxygen-enriched combustion behavior of torrefied waste wood pellets in a fluidized bed. For biomass torrefaction, three indexes, namely energy yield index (EY), proximate analysis-based index (PA), and effective comprehensive combustion index (S_mix), are used to present the optimal conditions from each viewpoint. Four operating parameters, incorporating torrefaction temperature, residence time and nitrogen flow rate, were taken into consideration in this study. The signal-to-noise ratios of each parameter were evaluated to examine the influencing impact of different factors. The optimal results were employed in the investigation of biochar combustion using a laboratory-scale fluidized-bed reactor with oxygen lancing. Oxygen was injected into different zones of the fluidized bed to investigate its influence on combustion efficiency. The parameters of biochar combustion optimization include torrefied materials, fluidized-bed temperature, oxygen inlet position, and oxygen concentration. The total fluidized-bed efficiency and the volatile combustion ratio were evaluated.     

Biomass to power conversion in a direct carbon fuel cell

Direct carbon fuel cells (DCFC) offer clear advantages over conventional power generation systems including higher conversion efficiency, low emissions and production of a near pure CO₂ exit stream which can be easily captured for storage. When operated on biomass-derived fuels and combined with carbon capture and storage they have the potential to be a carbon negative technology. Currently most studies relating to DCFC's focus on the use of synthetic high purity fuels. Although of significant academic interest, the high energy requirements for the production of such fuels and high cost would negate the advantages offered by DCFCs over conventional combustion technologies that can produce power from lower-grade fuels. A number of industrial processes (such as pyrolysis or gasification) can produce high carbon containing and low cost chars from biomass sources. This paper describes the operation of a novel solid state direct carbon fuel cell operated on two such commercially available bio-mass derived chars, an agricultural waste derived bio-char used for soil enrichment and coconut char used for the processing of ceramics. Chemical analysis (ICP, XRF), X-ray diffraction and thermo-gravimetric analysis have been used to characterise the fuels. Testing on small button cells showed that it is possible to operate fuel cells directly on low grade unprocessed chars. Although initial power densities were low, significant improvements to cell materials and designs can lead to practical devices. Overall the stability of the fuel cell materials in contact with bio-chars appeared to be good with no phase decomposition of any material observed.     

More efficient biomass gasification via torrefaction

Wood torrefaction is a mild pyrolysis process that improves the fuel properties of wood. At temperatures between 230 and 300 °C, the hemicellulose fraction of the wood decomposes, so that torrefied wood and volatiles are formed. Mass and energy balances for torrefaction experiments at 250 and 300 °C are presented. Advantages of torrefaction as a pre-treatment prior to gasification are demonstrated. Three concepts are compared: air-blown gasification of wood, air-blown gasification of torrefied wood (both at a temperature of 950 °C in a circulating fluidized bed) and oxygen-blown gasification of torrefied wood (at a temperature of 1200 °C in an entrained flow gasifier), all at atmospheric pressure. The overall exergetic efficiency of air-blown gasification of torrefied wood was found to be lower than that of wood, because the volatiles produced in the torrefaction step are not utilized. For the entrained flow gasifier, the volatiles can be introduced into the hot product gas stream as a ‘chemical quench’. The overall efficiency of such a process scheme is comparable to direct gasification of wood, but more exergy is conserved in as chemical exergy in the product gas (72.6% versus 68.6%). This novel method to improve the efficiency of biomass gasification is promising; therefore, practical demonstration is recommended.     

Effect of fuel blend composition on hydrogen yield in co-gasification of coal and non-woody biomass

In this study, torrefaction of sunflower seed cake and hydrogen production from torrefied sunflower seed cake via steam gasification were investigated. Torrefaction experiments were performed at 250, 300 and 350 °C for different times (10–30 min). Torrefaction at 300 °C for 30 min was selected to be optimum condition, considering the mass yield and energy densification ratio. Steam gasification of lignite, raw- and torrefied biomass, and their blends at different ratios were conducted at downdraft fixed bed reactor. For comparison, gasification experiments with pyrochar obtained at 500 °C were also performed. The maximum hydrogen yield of 100 mol/kg fuel was obtained steam gasification of pyrochar. The hydrogen yields of 84 and 75 mol/kg fuel were obtained from lignite and torrefied biomass, respectively. Remarkable synergic effect exhibited in co-gasification of lignite with raw biomass or torrefied biomass at a blending ratio of 1:1. In co-gasification, the highest hydrogen yield of 110 mol/kg fuel was obtained from torrefied biomass-lignite (1:1) blend, while a hydrogen yield from pyrochar-lignite (1:1) blend was 98 mol/kg. The overall results showed that in co-gasification of lignite with biomass, the yields of hydrogen depend on the volatiles content of raw biomass/torrefied biomass, besides alkaline earth metals (AAEMs) content.     

Flame characteristics of pulverized torrefied-biomass combusted with high-temperature air

In this work, the flame characteristics of torrefied biomass were studied numerically under high-temperature air conditions to further understand the combustion performances of biomass. Three torrefied biomasses were prepared with different torrefaction degrees after by releasing 10%, 20%, and 30% of volatile matter on a dry basis and characterized in laboratory with standard and high heating rate analyses. The effects of the torrefaction degree, oxygen concentration, transport air velocity, and particle size on the flame position, flame shape, and peak temperature are discussed based on both direct measurements in a laboratory-scale furnace and CFD simulations. The results primarily showed that the enhanced drag force on the biomass particles caused a late release of volatile matter and resulted in a delay in the ignition of the fuel–air mixture, and the maximum flame diameter was mainly affected by the volatile content of the biomass materials. Furthermore, oxidizers with lower oxygen concentrations always resulted in a larger flame volume, a lower peak flame temperature and a lower NO emission. Finally, a longer flame was found when the transport air velocity was lower, and the flame front gradually moved to the furnace exit as the particle size increased. The results could be used as references for designing a new biomass combustion chamber or switching an existing coal-fired boiler to the combustion of biomass.     

Multivariable optimization of reaction order and kinetic parameters for high temperature oxidation of 10 bituminous coal chars

In industrial pulverized fuel combustion, char oxidation is generally limited by the combined effects of chemical reactions and pore diffusion. Under such conditions, char oxidation is frequently predicted by power law models, which despite their simplicity, are widely used in the comprehensive CFD modeling of pulverized coal boilers. However, there is no consensus on the apparent reaction order given by such models. This study developed a systematic approach which gives consistent values over a range of conditions. Apparent reaction orders for 10 bituminous coal chars were investigated with three different oxygen concentrations, ranging from 4 to 12 vol.%, and a gas temperature of 1223 K for each char. Experimental burnout profiles of the chars were obtained by means of an Isothermal Plug Flow Reactor operating at industrially realistic heating rates (10⁴ K/s). For various reaction orders between 0.05 and 2.00, kinetic parameters were independently determined, following numerical procedures recently suggested in the literature. The resulting values were incorporated into an empirical power law model and compared to experimental data for the 10 chars, over a burnout range of 0–75%. The best fit to the experiments occurs with apparent reaction orders of around one for all the chars.     

Effects of torrefaction on the physiochemical properties of oil palm empty fruit bunches,mesocarp fiber and kernel shell

In this work, the effects of torrefaction on the physiochemical properties of empty fruit bunches (EFB), palm mesocarp fiber (PMF) and palm kernel shell (PKS) are investigated. The change of properties of these biomass residues such as CHNS mass fraction, gross calorific value (GCV), mass and energy yields and surface structure when subjected to torrefaction process are studied. In this work, these materials with particle size in the range of 355–500 μm are torrefied under light torrefaction conditions (200, 220 and 240 °C) and severe torrefaction conditions (260, 280 and 300 °C). TGA is used to monitor the mass loss during torrefaction while tube furnace is used to produce significant amount of products for chemical analyses. In general, the study reveals torrefaction process of palm oil biomass can be divided into two main stages through the observation on the mass loss distribution. The first stage is the dehydration process at the temperature below than 105 °C where the mass loss is in the range of 3–5%. In the second stage, the decomposition reaction takes place at temperature of 200–300 °C. Furthermore, the study reveals that carbon mass fraction and gross calorific value (GCV) increase with the increase of torrefaction temperature but the O/C ratio, hydrogen and oxygen mass fractions decrease for all biomass. Among the biomass, torrefied PKS has the highest carbon mass fraction of 55.6% when torrefied at 300 °C while PMF has the highest GCV of 23.73 MJ kg⁻¹ when torrefied at the same temperature. Both EFB and PMF produce lower mass fraction than PKS when subjected to same torrefaction temperature. In terms of energy yield, PKS produces 86–92% yield when torrefied at light to severe torrefaction conditions, until 280 °C. However, both EFB and PMF only produce 70–78% yield at light torrefaction conditions, until 240 °C. Overall, the mass loss of 45–55% of these biomasses is observed when subjected to torrefaction process. Moreover, SEM images reveal that torrefaction has more severe impact on surface structure of EFB and PMF than that of PKS especially under severe torrefaction conditions. The study concludes that the torrefaction process of these biomass has to be optimized based on the type of the biomass in order to offset the mass loss of these materials through the process and increase the energy value of the solid product.