Fly Ash Formation and Characteristics from (co-)Combustion of an Herbaceous Biomass and a Greek Lignite (Low-Rank Coal) in a Pulverized Fuel Pilot-Scale Test Facility

Aaron Fuller,Jana Kalivodova,Jörg Maier,Günter Scheffknecht,Emmanouil Karampinis,Panagiotis Grammelis,Emmanuel Kakaras

doi:10.3390/en11061581

Aaron Fuller, Jana Kalivodova + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/en11061581

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Abstract

The lignite boilers are designed for lower quality fuels, and often the ash is not utilized. This work assessed the impact of combustion of an herbaceous biomass with a low-quality Greek lignite on the quality of the resulting fly ash. Test results were compared with those of fly ash samples from an industrial facility using the same fuel qualities. Inductively coupled plasma-optical (ICP) emission spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses were performed on the collected samples. Despite the significantly higher contents of K, Na and S in the biomass, at a 50% co-firing thermal share, the major and minor oxides in the fly ash were comparable to the lignite fly ash quality. This is attributed to the high ash content of the lignite, the low ash content of the biomass, and the much higher heating value of the biomass. There were improvements in fly ash performance characteristics with the herbaceous biomass in the fuel blend. The initial setting time and volume stability evaluations were improved with the biomass in the fuel blend. The work supports efforts of good practices in ash management, social responsibility, a circular economy, power plant renewable energy operations, and co-firing herbaceous biomass fuels in lignite power plants.

Highlights

Over the last decades there has been increased interest in developing bioenergy technologies worldwide due to declining energy supplies and severe environmental constraints associated with fossil fuel use [1]
With increases in the co-firing share of Cynara, the results show that there is qualitatively a high potential of K being available for uptake as a nutrient in soils, and along with no negative impact from the majority of heavy metal leaching results, this soluble salt levels in a green fly ash could limit its use, as an increase in the ground salinity is harmful to a successful re-vegetation goal [58]
With increases in the co-firing share of Cynara, the results show that there is qualitatively a15high potential of K being available for uptake as a nutrient in soils, and along with no negative impact from the value majority heavy metal leaching results, basis

Summary

Introduction

Over the last decades there has been increased interest in developing bioenergy technologies worldwide due to declining energy supplies and severe environmental constraints associated with fossil fuel use [1]. The goal of the European Union is to increase the percentage of biomass fuels used in the primary energy consumption, offering a reasonable, acceptable option to reduce greenhouse. There are still concerns regarding the acceptability of coal and biomass fuel blends’ ash materials, i.e., by-product quality, current utilization, and disposal routes. Not possible possible to material generated from combustion of aof fuel. ItItisisnot to correctly correctlypredict predictproperties propertiesofofash ash material generated from combustion a mixture from known characteristics of ash produced from each fuel [1]. The interactions between fuels fuel mixture from known characteristics of ash produced from each fuel [1]. The interactions between are poorly understood, and unanticipated ash properties may arisemay whenarise combusting fuel mixtures [1], fuels are poorly understood, and unanticipated ash properties when combusting fuel so, it is important to important fully characterize ashes produced from burningfrom and co-firing any relatively mixtures [1], so, it is to fully the characterize the ashes produced burning and co-firing new biomass fuel.

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