Fluidization Characteristics of Bagasse in a Gas-Fluidized Bed

Abstract

Bagasse, a by-product of sugar cane processing and an important potential energy resource, could be used as a fuel in fluidized bed combustors for energy generation. Bagasse can not be fluidized alone because of its nature, which has many fibrous, low density and high moisture content. These properties make it an unsuitable material to fluidize under normal circumstances. Thus, for its thermochemical processing (such as combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, etc.) in fluidized bed it has to be mixed with some other inert fluidizing solid, so that it is effectively suspended in the emulsion phase of the admixed materials. Hence, with a correct choice of the inert fluidizing solid, the successful fluidization of bagasse is possible. This paper reports the fluidization characteristics of bagasse using spent fluid cracking catalyst (FCC) and pumice powder as candidate admix materials. Several problems and characteristics which were exhibited during fluidization are discussed. The limiting bagasse contents in the mixture in order to distinguish between fluidizable and non-fluidizable mixture is presented. This study explore the conditions giving stable and satisfactory fluidization of bagasse, which may be selected as an operating condition to promote and improve its thermochemical processing in fluidized bed.