Ashing Temperature’s Impact on the Characteristics of Biomass Ash

Abstract

Currently, GB(T212—1996), the coal industrial analysis standard, and ASTM(E870-82) , the American Society for Testing Material, are two main methods of studying basic characteristics of biomass in China. In this work, nine kinds of biomass are burned to ash under two standard temperatures, 815°C(GB) and 590°C(ASTM), whose contents are then measured , composition analysed through XRF(X-ray fluorescence)and fusion temperatures tested by 5E-AFⅢ intelligent ash fusion temperature tester. As can be seen in the tests, biomass produced under different ashing temperatures differs in ash content and composition, and the variation of ash composition further contributes to the variation of ash fusion temperatures. The results of the experiments indicate that, ashing temperatures have a significant influence on ash content. The effect of ashing temperatures on ash composition tends to be higher in biomass with higher content of the element K. As with biomass with high contents of K and Ca, ash fusion temperatures are sensitive to the variation of ashing temperatures. As a result, when dealing with biomass of this kind, lower ashing temperatures should be chosen.