Abstract
This study presents the effects of torrefaction on the basic characteristics of corn stalks. Corn stalks were torrefied in a horizontal tubular reactor at temperatures ranging from 150 °C to 400 °C, for torrefaction periods varying from 0 min to 50 min. The torrefied corn stalk products were characterized in terms of their elemental composition, energy yield, ash content, and volatile fraction. The gaseous products were also analyzed. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the samples was carried out in order to obtain the apparent activation energy for the torrefaction of corn stalks. The weight loss data according to the degradation temperature were analyzed using three different methods. The energy and mass yield were found to decrease with an increase in the temperature, whereas the higher heating value (HHV) increased. From this work, it was found that the compounds with oxygen were emitted at a temperature lower than that for hydrocarbon gases and the temperatures of 290–330 °C were the optimum torrefaction temperatures for corn stalks.
Highlights
Owing to the increasing impact of traditional energy usage on global climate patterns and the environment, stakeholders are turning their attention to renewable energy sources
The inception of torrefaction can be observed at temperatures around 250 °C upon the thermal degradation of the organic ingredients contained within the corn stalk
The torrefaction of corn stalks was studied here in an effort to investigate the effects of the torrefaction temperature and time on the thermal and physical properties of the torrefied products
Summary
Owing to the increasing impact of traditional energy usage on global climate patterns and the environment, stakeholders are turning their attention to renewable energy sources. The treatment of biomass at low temperatures ranging from 200 °C to 300 °C under an inert atmosphere was known to be effective for improving the energy density and shelf life of the biomass [2,6,7,8]. This treatment is referred to as “torrefaction”, and it has been widely applied to wood and grass biomass over the past few years
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