Abstract
Various recently proposed biomass fuels are reviewed from the point of view of their safety. Many biomass materials are proposed for use as fuels, such as refuse derived fuel (RDF), wood chips, coal-wood mixtures, etc. However, these fuels have high energy potentials and can cause fires and explosions. We have experienced many such incidents. It is very difficult to extinguish fires in huge piles of biomass fuel or storage facilities. Here current studies on heat generation for these materials and proposed evaluation methods for these new developing materials in Japan are introduced, which are consistent with measurements using highly sensitive calorimeters such as C80, or TAM, and gas emission tests. The highly sensitive calorimeters can detect small heat generation between room temperature and 80 °C, due to fermentation or other causes. This heat generation sometimes initiates real fires, and also produces combustible gases which can explode if fuel is stored in silos or indoor storage facilities.
Highlights
Because of increasing crude oil prices and environment aspects, such as reduction of CO2 emissions, various biomass solid materials have recently been proposed for use as fuel [1,2]
The second step was more complicated, and Shimizu et al [4] explained that peroxides were produced from fatty acid esters which might exist in refuse derived fuel (RDF) or another biomass fuels
The results of the gas emission tests and the calculation results with the Frank-Kammenetskii equation can be used for evaluation when the fuels are stored in silos or indoor storage facilities
Summary
Because of increasing crude oil prices and environment aspects, such as reduction of CO2 emissions, various biomass solid materials have recently been proposed for use as fuel [1,2] These potential fuels include RDF (= refuse derived fuel), RPF (= refuse paper & plastic fuel), wood chips, coal-wood mixtures, chicken dung, etc. The method involves the use of highly sensitive calorimeters such as C80, MS80 or TAM which can detect small heat generation between room temperature and 80 °C, caused with fermentation or other reasons This heat generation sometimes initiates real fires, and can produce some combustible gases which may explode when fuel was stored inside silos, indoor storage or during indoor treating processes [7]. These tests have some advantages because they do not need large amounts of fuel [8]
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