Abstract
Rice husks are a by-product that is generated in large quantities in Spain. However, they are not used efficiently. One of their possible applications is its thermal use in power generation equipment. For that purpose, it is important to know the characteristics of rice husks and their thermal behavior, as well as their possible pollutant emission to the atmosphere with respect to its thermal use as a biofuel. In this work, the thermal characteristics of rice husks and their thermal behavior were studied by using thermogravimetry and mass spectroscopy for two different atmospheres (oxidizing and inert). This way, the thermal profiles and the main characteristics were studied, as well as the emission of possible pollutants to the atmosphere, such as CO2, CH4, NO2, NH3, SO2, and H2S. Moreover, three different methods (FWO, KAS, and Starink) were used to carry out a thermal analysis, in order to obtain the main thermal parameters such as activation energy. The results of the analysis predicted that rice husks could be used as biofuel in industrial thermal equipment based on its acceptable calorific value, good thermal characteristics, and low gas emissions both in oxidizing and inert atmosphere (although they have a high ash content).
Highlights
This study was carried out through two ways: determining the thermal profiles of the by-product through thermogravimetry, followed by the kinetic analysis through FWO, KAS, and Starink methods; and determining the gas emissions that could be problematic for the environment by using mass spectrometry in two different atmospheres
The weight used for the experiments was 10.0 ± 0.1 mg, and the particle size was below 250 μm, in order to assure that the experiments would be carried out in the kinetic regime, eliminating heat and mass transfer effects on the results [33,34]
The results confirmed that rice husks can be used as a biofuel due to their suitable thermal characteristics and its low gas emission
Summary
Spain is a country with a high agricultural production, large cultivation areas, and a considerable number of agro-food industries, wherein large amounts of waste are generated due to the normal development of their activities. This study was carried out through two ways: determining the thermal profiles of the by-product through thermogravimetry, followed by the kinetic analysis through FWO, KAS, and Starink methods; and determining the gas emissions that could be problematic for the environment by using mass spectrometry in two different atmospheres (oxidizing and inert). This way, it would be possible to obtain a wide knowledge about thermal properties and environmental aspects, establishing the foundations for a possible thermal use of this by-product
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