The characteristics of air pollutants from the combustion of biomass pellets

Biomass is renewable clean energy. The aim of this study is to explore the combustion properties and emission characteristics of NO_X, SO₂, PM, and HCl in the combustion process of biomass pellet fuels. In this study, three kinds of fuels (pine sawdust, mixed wood, and corn straw) were selected to be studied by using a tube furnace to simulate industrial boiler. Experiments were conducted under different combustion conditions (combustion temperature and air flow). The results show that pollutant emissions were related to fuel type, combustion temperature, and air flow. The emissions of NO_X were contingent on N content in the fuel and the peak emissions of NO_X appeared in the range of 50~600 mg/m³ at 4 L/min and 700℃. The emissions of SO₂ were related to combustion condition and close to zero under the condition of sufficient combustion. The emissions of HCl and particulate matter (PM) increase with the rise of temperature, but the emission of PM was minimal at 800℃. Average HCl emission was 0.2~0.5 mg/g under steady-state conditions (4 L/min and 700℃). All in all, the pollutant emissions of biomass pellet fuels during combustion are lower than those of the traditional fuel, and the combustion efficiency is relatively higher.     

Modeling fuel NOx formation from combustion of biomass-derived producer gas in a large-scale burner

This study investigates the characteristics of fuel NO_x formation resulting from the combustion of producer gas derived from biomass gasification using different feedstocks. Common industrial burners are optimized for using natural gas or coal-derived syngas. With the increasing demand in using biomass for power generation, it is important to develop burners that can mitigate fuel NO_x emissions due to the combustion of ammonia, which is the major nitrogen-containing species in biomass-derived gas. In this study, the combustion process inside the burner is modeled using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with detailed chemistry. A reduced mechanism (36 species and 198 reactions) is developed from GRI 3.0 in order to reduce the computation time. Combustion simulations are performed for producer gas arising from different feedstocks such as wood gas, wood + 13% DDGS (dried distiller grain soluble) gas and wood + 40% DDGS gas and also at different air equivalence ratios ranging from 1.2 to 2.5. The predicted NO_x emissions are compared with the experimental data and good levels of agreement are obtained. It is found out that NO_x is very sensitive to the ammonia content in the producer gas. Results show that although NO–NO₂ interchanges are the most prominent reactions involving NO, the major NO producing reactions are the oxidation of NH and N at slightly fuel rich conditions and high temperature. Further analysis of results is conducted to determine the conditions favorable for NO_x reduction. The results indicate that NO_x can be reduced by designing combustion conditions which have fuel rich zones in most of the regions. The results of this study can be used to design low NO_x burners for combustion of gas mixtures derived from gasification of biomass. One suggestion to reduce NO_x is to produce a diverging flame using a bluff body in the flame region such that NO generated upstream will pass through the fuel rich flame and be reduced.     

Design and performance of a pressurized cyclone combustor (PCC) for high and low heating value gas combustion

The combustion difficulties for low heating value (LHV) gases derived from biomass fuels via a gasification process have led to more investigations into LHV gas combustors. Cyclone combustors provide good air/fuel mixing with long residence times. In this study, a small-scale pressurized cyclone combustor (PCC) was designed and optimized using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The PCC, along with a turbocharger-based, two-stage microturbine engine, was first characterized experimentally with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fuel and then with both LPG and LHV gas derived from biomass in dual-fuel mode. The combustor achieved ultra-low CO and NO_x emissions of about 5 and 7 ppm, respectively, for LPG fuel and of about 55 and 12 ppm, respectively, in dual-fuel mode at the maximum second-stage turbine speed of 26,000 rpm with stable turbine operation.     

Combustion characteristics of an SI engine fueled with H2–CO blended fuel and diluted by CO2

This paper presents further results of the study on fundamental combustion characteristics of gaseous fuels simulated for a biogas produced through a biomass gasification process with a catalyzer. The main work focuses on combustion characteristics of H₂–CO blended fuel and the effect of CO₂ dilution on it in a spark-ignition engine under the condition of WOT, MBT and a constant speed of 1500 rpm. Equivalence ratio were limited to lower than 0.8 in order to avoid excessive high combustion temperature to damage the engine, and lean conditions were maintained during the experiment to get acceptable economy and emissions. The results show that the BMEP decreases with an increase in dilution rate. The COV of IMEP is lower than 10% under most conditions, while H₂ and CO₂ have the opposite influence on brake thermal efficiency. CO₂ dilution combustion could induce to remarkable decreasing in NO_x emission with little decrease in brake thermal efficiency, which benefits for biomass gaseous fuel application. If 500 ppm of NO_x emission and 26% of brake thermal efficiency could be viewed as accepted level, the accepted operation range of H₂–CO mixture have been obtained.     

Performance analysis of a steady flamelet model for the use in small-scale biomass combustion under extreme air-staged conditions

Small-scale biomass boiler development is often based on empirical methods resulting in high efforts for experimental test runs using several prototypes. CFD simulations are able to reduce both, development time and efforts for tests and prototypes, supposing that the models reliability is high and its computational effort is low. Extreme air-staging with an initial gasification stage and a subsequent fuel gas burnout in a downstream gas-burner is a promising new method to reduce NO_X and PM emissions in small-scale biomass boilers. Gasification conditions in the first combustion stage lead to high accumulation of gaseous tars in the fuel gas contributing challenges for combustion simulation because common CFD models use 2 or 3-step global methane reaction schemes to describe combustion chemistry. In this work, the performance of a computationally inexpensive steady flamelet model (SFM) together with a detailed reaction mechanism (18 species, 42 reactions) was scrutinized. In order to evaluate the performance of the SFM, two furnace designs were examined, running under different load shifts and various excess air ratio. Comparative numerical simulations were performed with classical species transport models. The numerical simulations and the experiments for validation were carried out on a wood-chip boiler with a heat output of 40 kW. Results show that flue gas temperature, flame shape, main flue gas concentrations and NO_X can be quantitatively predicted. The SFM shows also reasonable good predictions for CO variation trends. With the present approach, calculation time can be reduced by 90% compared to commonly used models (EDC). The SFM provides sufficiently accurate results within 24 h using a standard processor consisting of six cores (mesh size 1.5 million elements). Thus, the presented model is a perfectly suitable method for applied science and industrial research.     

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%.     

Comparative study on combustion and oxy-fuel combustion environments using mixtures of coal with sugarcane bagasse and biomass sorghum bagasse by the thermogravimetric analysis

Biomass and coal have different physicochemical properties and thermal behavior. During the co-combustion of coal-biomass mixtures, their thermal behavior varies according to the percentage of each fuel in the mixture. Thereby, this research aims to characterize the thermal behavior of mixtures of coal, sugarcane bagasse, and biomass sorghum bagasse as biomass in simulated combustion (O₂/N₂) and oxy-fuel combustion (O₂/CO₂) environments. Experiments have been performed in duplicate on a thermogravimetric analyzer at heating rate of 10 °C/min. A uniform granulometry was considered for all materials (63 μm) in order to ensure a homogeneous mixture. Four biomass percentages in the mixture (10, 25, 50 and 75%) have been studied. Based on thermogravimetric (TG) and thermogravimetric (DTG) analyses, parameters such as combustion index, synergism, and activation energy have been determined, as well as the combustion environment influence on these parameters. The results indicate that, although sugarcane bagasse has the lowest activation energy, the thermal behavior of both types of biomass is similar. Thus, biomass sorghum bagasse can be used as an alternative biomass to supply the power required during sugarcane off-season. For both mixtures, optimal results were obtained at 25% of biomass. By analyzing the environment influence on combustion behavior, the results indicate that when N₂ is replaced with CO₂, it is observed an increase in reaction reactivity, a higher oxidation rate of materials and an improvement in evaluated parameters.     

Optimum conditions for a natural gas combined cycle power generation system based on available oxygen when using biomass as supplementary fuel

Due to the higher oxygen content and lower heating value, the amount of biomass required in a combined cycle, where it is used as supplementary fuel, to meet a given energy demand is such that the biomass consumes almost all of the oxygen remaining from gas turbine combustion process under certain conditions. This situation requires additional air for biomass combustion thus reducing the cycle efficiency and the net work output rate while increasing CO₂ emissions. Three conditions at which the oxygen is completely consumed are identified based on alterations in net fuel utilization. The first condition is linked to fuel utilization, which is observed to be significantly affected by variations in temperatures at three locations in the combined cycle (air temperature entering the gas turbine combustion chamber, gas turbine inlet temperature and HRSG inlet temperatures). The second condition relates to the characteristics of the feedstock (oxygen content of the biomass and heating value of natural gas). The heat loss due to combustion of natural gas and biomass is the third condition that affects oxygen availability. The current work assesses these conditions in order to identify the proper condition at which no additional air is required for supplementary firing of biomass.     

Dendrometric characterization of corn cane residues and drying models in natural conditions in Bolivar Province (Ecuador)

The use of biomass raw material from agricultural areas is a challenge for Ecuatorian government. However there is lack information about surveying systems and processing in its height and weather conditions. The objective of this work was to develop methods to quantify straw residues, easily applicable in corn areas of Guaranda (Ecuador), and model the drying process at different air conditions. Two dendrometric equations were obtained for predicting dry available biomass by stem and cultivated area respectively, from corn mean height and radius of the stem. High coefficients of determination were obtained (0.94 and 0.97 respectively). Straw chips with initial moisture content ranging from 70 to 80% with an average moisture content of 76.7% wet basis were dried until they reached constant moisture content. Traditional models used to describe the drying process of agricultural products were employed to fit the observed data of the drying process of straw corn chips. Among the tested models, the Midili, Page, and sigmoid model were those that best fit the observed data representing the drying process. The effective diffusion (D_ef) was determined by means of an analytical solution of Fick's second law. Effective moisture diffusivity values obtained at natural outdoor drying conditions were 2.443E-11 and 2.035E-10 m²/s, for the first and second falling periods, respectively.     

Integrated drying and gasification of wet microalgae biomass to produce H2 rich syngas – A thermodynamic approach by considering in-situ energy supply

A novel integrated drying and gasification of microalgae wet biomass process, involving a chemical-looping combustion (CLC) option to supply energy, is developed using Aspen Plus. The integrated gasification system consists of four primary units, including (i) a wet biomass drying unit, (ii) the gasification system, (iii) the CLC section, and (iv) the gas purification process. The model shows a good accuracy (relative error < 10%) in predicting the product compositions as compared to the experimental results under consistent operating conditions. The performance of the integrated gasification system is evaluated using Spirulina microalgae at various moisture contents (0–45 wt%). The effect of gasifying agents O₂/steam and the fraction of the produced char used in the CLC section on the gasification performance is also evaluated. The tar is successfully reformed into syngas in the pyrolysis stage by adjusting the O₂ flow rate. The C (char) to CLC provides to a positive effect on the syngas composition, particularly for gasification of wet biomass, but brings an adverse impact on the yield of the syngas product. The integration of the CLC process and CO₂ absorber in the gasification system provides high-quality syngas by removing CO₂. The separated pure CO₂ can be used as a feedstock for other chemical industries.     

THE USE OF BIOMASS RESIDUES IN THE BRAZILIAN SOLUBLE COFFEE INDUSTRY

The objective of this paper is to discuss the use of coffee grounds in the Brazilian soluble coffee industry. This residue is used as a fuel in the boilers of the same industry; so, data about their utilization are presented and analysed, discussing the actual technology and the advantages of improving the drying of the biomass with the exhaust combustion gases. After that, an experimental study is reported on the characteristics of this material, which are important for the combustion process, including the transport, storage and drying, the mean diameter of the particles, talus angle, apparent and real density, sphericity, surface area, terminal velocity, spontaneous ignition temperature and heat of combustion.     

Comparative study of semi-industrial-scale flames of pulverized coals and biomass

Three p.f. flames have been studied in a semi-industrial furnace, using different fuels: a bituminous coal, a lignite, and a biomass (oak sawdust). The operating conditions were exactly the same for the two coals, and very similar to those for the biomass flame. The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of differences in fuel composition on flame characteristics, through measurement of the spatial distribution of the main parameters: temperature and concentrations of O₂, CO, NO_x, unburnt hydrocarbons, and N₂O. The higher volatiles content in the lignite leads to higher temperatures and more intense combustion than the bituminous coal. Nevertheless, as might be expected, more marked differences are observed between the flames from the biomass and coals. The much higher volatiles content of the wood results in a more intense flame close to the burner, as indicated by visual observations and by concentrations of unburnt gases (CO and unburnt hydrocarbons) in that zone. It is remarkable that the combustion zone extends further for the biomass; while unburnt species were very low for the coals at an axial distance of 1 m, high values were detected for the pulverized oak. The measurements suggest that two stages can be distinguished in the biomass flame: a zone of intense combustion close to the burner, followed by a second region where the large biomass particles gradually devolatilize and are consumed.     

Nitrogen oxide formation from australian coals

The evolution of fuel nitrogen during devolatilization and the formation of NO_x during combustion were studied for two Australian coals in crucible, thermobalance, and rapid heating (drop-tube furnace) experiments. The evolution of coal nitrogen during devolatilization was dependent on both temperature and mode of heating. Under near stoichiometric combustion, 20–30% of coal nitrogen was converted to NO_x, Conversion increased markedly with increased fuel-lean conditions. The NO_x formed from volatiles was proportional to the fraction of coal nitrogen evolved as HCN and NH₃. The combustion of char at various temperatures and stoichiometries showed that the conversion of char nitrogen to NO_x depended primarily on char burnout. The contribution of char nitrogen to NO_x formation was greater than that of volatile nitrogen under fuel-rich conditions.     

Experimental studies on cofiring of coal and biomass blends in India

Concerns regarding the potential global environmental impacts of fossil fuels used in power generation and other energy supplies are increasing worldwide. One of the methods of mitigating these environmental impacts is increasing the fraction of renewable and sustainable energy in the national energy usage. A number of techniques and methods have been proposed for reducing gaseous emissions of NO_x,SO₂ and CO₂ from fossil fuel combustion and for reducing costs associated with these mitigation techniques. Some of the control methods are expensive and therefore increase production costs. Among the less expensive alternatives, cofiring has gained popularity with the electric utility producers. This paper discusses the ‘gaseous emission characteristics namely NO_x,SO₂, suspended particulate matter and other characteristics like specific fuel consumption, total fuel required, actual and equivalent evaporation, total cost of fuel, etc. from a 18.68 MW power plant with a travelling grate boiler, when biomass was cofired with bituminous coal in three proportions of 20%, 40% and 60% by mass. Bagasse, wood chips (Julia flora), sugarcane trash and coconut shell are the biomass fuels cofired with coal in this study.     

The study of methods of NOx inhibition during fuel combustion at power plants with allowance for the use of hydrogen additions

The paper considers methods of NO_x inhibition by affecting the process of NO_x formation. The dependences for the degree of NO_x concentration reduction while intensifying the flame cooling, during water spray to the furnace, and while using flue gases recirculation as well as during fuel emulsification or nonstoichiometric fuel combustion have been obtained. The obtained formulas include a set of parameters which could affect the final value of NO_x concentration. The effect of a given factor could be evaluated on the basis of these dependencies. The calculated degrees of NO_x inhibition display good agreement with full-scale experimental data. The authors study the effect of NO_x concentration on ignition of the alternative hydrogen fuel during co-combustion in the furnace volume. The analysis of experimental data on hydrogen ignition delay in the presence of nitrogen oxides has been carried out. It is shown that depending on NO_x concentration, minimum ignition delay could occur, i.e. minimum effect of additives on the quality of alternative hydrogen fuel combustion may be allowable.The results of the study could be used for design engineering of power plants with the reduced NO_x environmental effect.     

NOx emissions and thermal efficiencies of small scale biomass-fuelled combustion plant with reference to process industries in a developing country

Solid biomass materials are an important industrial fuel in many developing countries and also show good potential for usage in Europe within a future mix of renewable energy resources. The sustainable use of wood fuels for combustion relies on operation of plant with acceptable thermal efficiency. There is a clear link between plant efficiency and environmental impacts due to air pollution and deforestation. To supplement a somewhat sparse literature on thermal efficiencies and nitrogen oxide emissions from biomass-fuelled plants in developing countries, this paper presents results for tests carried out on 14 combustion units obtained during field trials in Sri Lanka. The plants tested comprised steam boilers and process air heaters. Biomass fuels included: rubber-wood, fuelwood from natural forests; coconut shells; rice husks; and sugar cane bagasse. Average NO_x (NO and NO₂) emissions for the plants were found to be 47 gNO₂ GJ⁻¹ with 18% conversion of fuel nitrogen. The former value is the range of NO_x emission values quoted for combustion of coal in grate-fired systems; some oil-fired systems and systems operating on natural gas, but is less than the emission levels for the combustion of pulverized fuel and heavy fuel oil. This value is significantly within current European standards for NO_x emission from large combustion plants. Average thermal efficiency of the plants was found to be 50%. Observations made on operational practices demonstrated that there is considerable scope for the improvement of this thermal efficiency value by plant supervisor training, drying of fuelwood and the use of simple instruments for monitoring plant performance.     

Organic solid waste originating from the meat processing industry as an alternative energy source

The biosolids originating from the wastewater treatment process of two meat processing plants (LFP and LFG) were characterized as a fuel and their potential for utilization as alternative energy sources was assessed through the combustion of LFP in a pilot scale cyclone combustor. A comparative evaluation of the LFP, LFG and SD (sawdust) properties as well as the emissions during the combustion test was performed. The high energy content of LFP (LHV (lower heating value) equal to 25.77 MJ kg⁻¹) and LFG (LHV = 25.89 MJ kg⁻¹), both dry and ash free (daf), combined with the high volatile matter content (85.29 and 85.61 wt%, daf, respectively) improve the ignition and burning of the solids. Also, the fouling and slagging tendencies of the ashes were predicted based on the fuel ash composition and ash fusibility correlations. The emissions of CO, SO₂, and NO_x and total organic carbon (TOC) were compared to guideline limits established by Brazilian and international legislation. The TOC concentrations were below the emission limits. The high level of nitrogen in LFP (9.24 wt%, daf) led to high levels of NO_x. In this regard, further combustion tests are being performed by the authors.     

Photochemical hydrocarbon fuel regeneration: Hydrogen-rich fuel from CO2

This paper presents the concept of photochemical hydrocarbon fuel regeneration by CO₂ transformation to hydrogen-rich fuel. The first stage of this system is CO₂ capture and algae (Chlorella vulgaris) growing. The second stage is the gasification of algae biomass to produce hydrogen-rich gas and its combustion. To compile the heat and mass balance, the thermodynamic analysis was performed under various operating parameters: temperature 400–800 °C, pressure 1–10 bar 1 kg of biomass was gasified with 1.2 kg of water. The heat of combustion of hydrogen-rich gas after gasification is up to 43% higher than the heat of combustion of initial biomass. The fuel regeneration degree is up to 0.9 when 30% of CO₂ is captured by water and proceded by algae. Moreover, the analyzed photochemical fuel regeneration system allows heat recuperation. The heat regeneration degree is calculated and the maximum value is about 0.9 is reached at 600 °C.     

Performance of a domestic pellet boiler as a function of operational loads: Part-2

Emissions and efficiency of a pellet boiler (40 kW) at nominal load were compared with emissions and efficiency at reduced load, while fired with six biomass pellets. The pellets include reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), pectin waste from citrus shells (Citrus reticulata), sunflower husk (Helianthus annuus), peat, wheat straw (Triticum aestivum) and wood pellets. The measurements of emissions comprised of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), sulphur oxides (SO_x) and flue dust mass concentrations (using DINplus and isokinetic sampling techniques). Emissions varied as a function of operational loads, for each type of pellets.The CO emissions were insignificant with reed canary grass (RCG), citrus pectin waste (CPW) and straw pellets at nominal load, however, at reduced load same pellets emitted 1.9, 4.0 and 7.4 times higher CO than wood pellets, respectively. Peat pellets emitted maximum CO at nominal load (4221.1 mgNm⁻³, 12.6 times higher than wood pellets) however; at reduced load CO emission was insignificant. The highest NO_x emissions were reported with CPW, which were 3.4 and 4.6 times higher than wood pellets at nominal load and reduced load, respectively. Dust emissions were highest with sunflower husk and lowest with RCG pellets, at both operational modes. The best performance was reported with wood pellets, followed by RCG and pectin pellets, however, wood pellets combustion emitted 1.7 and 2.0 times higher dust_DINplus than RCG at nominal and reduced loads, respectively. Not only fuel specific combustion optimization but also operational load specific optimization is essential for efficient use of agro-pellets in this type of boilers.     

Simulation study of improved biomass drying efficiency for biomass gasification plants by integration of the water gas shift section in the drying process

This paper examines thermochemical biomass conversion plants that produce synthesis gas that can be converted into synthetic fuels. Biomass requires forced drying before torrefaction or gasification to increase the heating value of the feed, an energy consuming step that weighs heavy in the energy balance of the plant. This paper shows that decreasing the humidity of the admitted drying air greatly improves the efficiency of the biomass drying. It is possible to reduce the humidity of the air by passing the air on a water adsorbent solid such as activated alumina. The alumina loaded with water can then be regenerated with waste heat, but more efficiently by using synthesis gas and convert the adsorbed water to hydrogen in the water gas shift section. The energy saved in the improved drying step amounts to 2–8% of the total fuel consumption of the plant, depending on the ambient conditions.