Abstract
In Korea, oil-palm empty fruit bunches (EFBs), which are byproducts of the crude palm-oil milling process, are among the most promising potential energy sources for power plants. However, the slagging and fouling characteristics of EFBs during combustion have not yet been fully studied. Accordingly, in this study, we investigated the fundamental ash behavior of EFBs in comparison to that of wood pellets (WPs) using a thermomechanical analyzer (TMA) and a drop-tube furnace (DTF). Ash melting and the deposition of ash particles were investigated with traditional prediction indices at several biomass blending ratios. The results demonstrated that, as the ratio of WPs to EFBs increases, the melting temperature decreases and the slagging propensity increases because of the increased biomass alkali content. Moreover, the penetration derived using the TMA shows a higher melting peak at which rapid melting occurs, and the melting temperature distribution is decreased with increased biomass blending. Conversely, the DTF results show different phenomena for ash deposition under the same blending conditions. Blend ratios approaching 10% WP and 15% EFB result in gradual decreases in ash deposition tendencies because of the lower ash contents of the co-combusted mass compared to that of the single coal ash. Further biomass addition increases ash deposition, which is attributable to ash agglomeration from the biomass. Thus, this study demonstrates that blending ratios of 10% WP and 15% EFB provide optimal conditions for co-combustion with the selected bituminous coal. In addition, it is shown that the slagging propensity of EFB is higher than that of WP owing to its ash content and simultaneous agglomeration.
Highlights
The burning of fossil fuels is a major cause of climate change owing to the massive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions it entails
To prevent the volatilization of the minerals generated from the initial biomass combustion process, separate analyses were conducted for the laboratory ash fabricated at a low temperature
(WP) and (b) T coal + empty fruit bunches (EFB) (B/A ratio, Si_R, TA, and Fu refer to base/acid ratio, (WP) and (b) T coal + empty fruit bunches (EFB) (B/A ratio, Si_R, TA, and Fu refer to base/acid ratio, silica percentage, total alkali, and fouling factor, respectively)
Summary
The burning of fossil fuels is a major cause of climate change owing to the massive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions it entails. Conference in 2015 with the aim of reducing GHG emissions These countries are developing alternative and renewable energy sources for fossil fuel replacement [1]. The South Korean government has announced its intention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 37% before 2030 [3]. To achieve this target, the South Korean government has recommended the use of new and renewable energies for power generation, such as biomass, by the relevant companies at the national level through the renewable portfolio standard (RPS). The government plans to increase the supply of new and renewable energy fuels from 3% in 2015 to 10% by 2023 [4]
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