Abstract
To understand the fuel characteristics of a waste shiitake mushroom bed derived from hardwood chips, the moisture content at the time of disposal and after 1 month, as well as its calorific value, ash content, and elemental composition, were investigated. The moisture content on a wet basis (MCw) was 78% at the time of disposal and was as high as 63% even 1 month after disposal. It is considered that the slow drying process is caused by the low moisture permeability of the skin of mushroom bed, and therefore, it is preferable to crush the waste mushroom bed before drying. Comparing the gross calorific value on a dry basis of the waste mushroom bed with that of the cultivation bed wood chips, the value inside of the waste mushroom bed was similar, while that of its skin was significantly lower (by 11%). The reason for this lies in the significantly higher ash content and nitrogen content compared to those of wood. When analyzed from the combustion heat of the contained elements, it was found that both the cultivation bed wood chips and the waste mushroom bed had almost no hydrogen contributing to combustion due to their high oxygen content, and they were dependent on the heat generation of carbon. As a result of finding the relationship between the net calorific value that can be used as a boiler fuel and MCw, for example, the value at an MCw of 50% was calculated to be 7.6 MJ/kg, which was almost the same as that of sugi (Cryptomeria Japonica) sapwood and bark. The ash content of the waste mushroom bed was about 7%, which is close to that of bark and about ten times that of the wood used for the cultivation bed. When the waste mushroom bed is used as boiler fuel, appropriate ash treatment is required as in the case of using bark.
Highlights
Mushroom production in each country is on the rise due to the recent boom in health foods
The Gross calorific value on a dry basis (Hho) of the skin of the waste mushroom bed was significantly lower by 11% than that of the cultivation bed wood chips
The Hho of the whole waste mushroom bed was 18.8 MJ/kg, which was 4–5% lower than that of the cultivation bed wood chips
Summary
Mushroom production in each country is on the rise due to the recent boom in health foods. At this shiitake farm, hardwood logs collected from a nearby area are chipped to form a cultivation bed, which is disposed of after about 11 months through six times of harvesting. There are many things to be clarified, such as the characteristics of the waste mushroom bed as a fuel, which are namely the moisture content, ash content, calorific value, and so on. It may be used as a material by taking advantage of the morphological characteristics of the waste mushroom bed. When the waste mushroom bed is dried, the mycelia play a role of an adhesive and the decaying chips are bonded to each other, resulting in a structure similar to a lightweight particleboard or an insulation fiberboard, and after removing the skin, a rectangular block-shaped material can be obtained
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