Testing and Evaluation of an Updraft Gasifier Using Saba Banana Peel as Feedstock

Abstract

Saba bananas are widely produced in the Philippines, mainly for food production. The peel of saba was characterized, and some physical properties of it were measured. The heating value, fixed carbon, volatile matter, ash, and moisture content of the peel were also determined. In predicting the elemental composition, the equation of Parikh et al. (2007) was used, yielding an air-to-fuel ratio of 6.92 kgair/ kgbiomass for combustion. A laboratory-scale prototype updraft gasifier was fabricated and tested for efficiency by boiling water on it. The size of the peel affects the ignition time of the syngas and the burning rate of the biomass. Flow rate affects the amount of heat produced and the equivalence ratio during gasification. Thermal efficiencies in different settings are less than 20% due to system heat loss. The highest efficiency was obtained with a low airflow setting, while the lowest efficiency was yielded at a high airflow setting. At an equivalence ratio of 0.208, about 500g of saba peel produced around 1562.63 kJ of heat with a thermal efficiency of 17.46%. For higher efficiency of the peel, it is recommended to design a gasifier that would decrease the system heat loss and process the biomass into briquettes or pellets for a more uniform mass and size distribution.