Pennisetum giganteum (P. giganteum) is a popular biomass raw material with a fast growth rate and high yield. Herein, a tube furnace device is used to analyze the effects of temperature, oxygen concentration, and type and mass fraction of metal oxide, upon the combustion of P. giganteum in order to determine the optimal conditions for controlling the release of nitrogen oxides (NOx). The results demonstrate a 261.17% increase in NOx emissions from 1.03 × 10-4 L/g to 3.72 × 10-4 L/g as the temperature is increased from 600 to 900 °C. Meanwhile, as the oxygen concentration is increased, the NOx emissions initially increase, and eventually stabilize. Finally, The type and mass fraction of metal oxide has a significant impact on NOx emissions. Overall, all the four metal oxides (CaO, Fe2O3, TiO2, and Al2O3) can inhibit NOx emissions, with Fe2O3 having the best effect, giving a 24.3% reduction at a mass fraction of only 5%. Moreover, the composite metal oxides Fe2TiO5, Fe2TiO5-Al2O3, and Fe2TiO5-CaO are shown to significantly reduce NOx emissions, with Fe2TiO5 having the best effect, of emission reduction rate of 29.67%, which is 5.34% and 16.32% higher than single metal oxides Fe2O3 and TiO2, respectively.
Read full abstract