The fate of main gaseous and nitrogen species during fast heating rate devolatilization of coal and secondary fuels using a heated wire mesh reactor

Fast devolatilization experiments of coal and biomass fuels have been carried out using a heated wire mesh setup integrated within an FTIR spectrophotometer for in-situ gas analysis. A bituminous coal and slaughter/poultry biomass residues, currently utilized in the Dutch power sector as secondary fuels in coal-fired utilities, have been studied. The influence of peak temperature (500–1300 °C), heating rate (600–1000 K/s) and hold time at peak temperature on the devolatilization has been investigated. Particular emphasis was given to characterize the fuel-bound nitrogen partitioning of these fuels as a function of the various operating parameters. The results suggest that, for combustion applications, the effectiveness of primary measures for NO_x control can be enhanced when biomass fuels are co-fired with coal if a complete devolatilization is ensured in the fuel-rich zone of the furnace.