Comparison of PM10 emission from co-combustion of Platanus orientalis leaf and wood in different seasons with coal

Abstract

Platanus orientalis is widely planted in southern Eurasia, accounts for almost 30% of the avenue trees in China. This work aims to research the effects of seasonal change on mineral elements in the green leaf (GL), yellow leaf (YL) and wood (Wood) of P. orientalis, including their effects on PM10 emissions during co-combustion with coal. Fuels were combusted in a drop tube furnace at 1500 °C to collect PM10. Results show that seasonal change does affect the element contents in leaf. Higher elemental contents, including K, Na, Cl, S and P, are found in GL than those in YL; YL contains more HCl-soluble and less water-soluble Ca. The elemental content in Wood is significantly lower than that in leaf. In terms of PM10, the particle size distributions from pure combustion of three biomass follow a bimodal distribution; GL combustion generates more particulate pollutants than YL does, both PM1 and PM1–10; the combustion of Wood produces the least PM10. The most notable interaction occurs in the case of SF-GL during co-combustion, where the yield of PM10 is only approximately 40% of the calculated value. Overall, the co-combustion of P. orientalis biomass and coal effectively reduced the generation of PM10.