Effect of air staging and porous inert material on the emission of volatile organic compounds in solid biomass combustion

Abstract

The present paper delves into experimental data to assess the effects of the inclusion of a zirconium porous medium in the emissions of a laboratory-scale biomass combustor, with a focus on particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. While other studies have focused on the effects of the material on solid particulate matter or gaseous emissions, this research is focused on volatiles, their capture and storage. A novel sampling train for the capture of volatiles has been designed based on active carbon adsorption on a refrigerated environment, and its performance was evaluated through thermogravimetric analysis, showing the affinity of this porous medium towards lighter organic compounds. The retention time of the sample was also studied, and the data revealed that after three to six hours the sample had degraded significantly when stored in airtight plastic bags inside a glass desiccator at 22 °C. An analysis of the particulate matter emitted was also carried out. Volatile organic compounds were also found to follow the behavior of particulate matter, with the scenarios where low solid particles were emitted being also those in which volatiles release was minimized.