Peat Pellets Research Articles

Study the Еfficiency of the Вoiler Вurning Вiofuels and Рeat

The results of experimental research thermal and environmental performance of the boiler "Firematic 60" burning pellets, bark, pressed wood sanding dust, granulated peat and sod peat and black pellets of hydrolytic lignin are presented. The research identified the heat balance components of the boiler and gaseous emissions during burning solid fuels. The emissions of solid particles and the content of soot particles are studied. Energy survey found boiler provides high thermal and environmental performance during burning biofuels and granulated peat that should be used for buildings heating; especially in the conditions of North-Arctic region. The organization of production of black pellets of hydrolytic lignin allowed to obtain high-quality fuel from biomass wasted 40–60 years ago.

An Improved Bioassay to Study Arabidopsis Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) Against Bacterial Pathogens and Insect Pests.

The plant immune system is essential for plants to perceive and defend against bacterial, fungal and insect pests and pathogens. Induced systemic resistance (ISR) is a systemic immune response that occurs upon root colonization by beneficial microbes. A well-studied model for ISR is the association of specific beneficial strains of Pseudomonas spp. with the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we describe a robust, increased throughput, bioassay to study ISR against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas cannabina pv. alisalensis (formerly called Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola) strain ES4326 and the herbivore Trichoplusia ni by inoculating Pseudomonas simiae strain WCS417 (formerly called Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS417) on Arabidopsis plants grown in Jiffy-7® peat pellets. While most commonly used for Pseudomonas-triggered ISR on Arabidopsis, this assay is effective for diverse rhizosphere bacterial strains, plant species, pathogens and herbivores.

Electric Field Effect on the Thermal Decomposition and Co-Combustion of Straw Pellets with Peat

The main goal of the present study is to obtain a more effective utilization of wheat straw for energy production during a co-combustion with peat. For this purpose, an electric field was applied to the flame produced by the combustion of volatiles. This work combines experimental study and mathematical modelling of the processes developing during the co-combustion of straw pellets with peat pellets. The main gasification/combustion characteristics, the heat output from the device and the composition of the flue gas were analysed by varying separately the bias voltage of the axial electrode and the straw mass load in the mixture with intention to assess the electric field impact. A mathematical model of the electric field impact on the main combustion characteristics (flow velocity, flame temperature and composition) of co-combustion have been built within the MATLAB environment. The numerical simulation was performed for two dominant second order combustion reactions of CO and H2 with account for the electric field effect on the displacement of equilibrium during the thermal decomposition of the biomass.

Thermo-Chemical Conversion of Microwave Activated Biomass Mixtures

Thermo-chemical conversion of microwave activated wheat straw mixtures with wood or peat pellets is studied experimentally with the aim to provide more effective application of wheat straw for heat energy production. Microwave pre-processing of straw pellets is used to provide a partial decomposition of the main constituents of straw and to activate the thermo-chemical conversion of wheat straw mixtures with wood or peat pellets. The experimental study includes complex measurements of the elemental composition of biomass pellets (wheat straw, wood, peat), DTG analysis of their thermal degradation, FTIR analysis of the composition of combustible volatiles entering the combustor, the flame temperature, the heat output of the device and composition of the products by comparing these characteristics for mixtures with unprocessed and mw pre-treated straw pellets. The results of experimental study confirm that mw pre-processing of straw activates the thermal decomposition of mixtures providing enhanced formation of combustible volatiles. This leads to improvement of the combustion conditions in the flame reaction zone, completing thus the combustion of volatiles, increasing the flame temperature, the heat output from the device, the produced heat energy per mass of burned mixture and decreasing at the same time the mass fraction of unburned volatiles in the products.

Experimental Study of Thermophysical Properties of Peat Fuel

A study has been made of thermophysical properties of peat pellets of higher-than-average reactivity due to the pretreatment of the raw material. A synchronous differential analysis of the produced pellets was performed to determine the gaseous products of their decomposition by the mass-spectroscopy method. The parameters of the mass loss rate, the heat-release function, the activation energy, the rate constant of the combustion reaction, and the volatile yield were compared to the properties of pellets compressed by the traditional method on a matrix pelletizer. It has been determined that as a result of the peat pretreatment, the yield of volatile components increases and the activation energy of the combustion reaction decreases by 17 and 30% respectively compared with the raw fuel. This determines its prospects for burning in an atomized state at coal-fired thermal electric power plants.

Reestablishment of Perennial Ryegrass in Lawns Damaged by Diesel and Hydraulic Fluid Spills

Petroleum-based spills on turfgrass often occur during lawn care maintenance. Damage caused by diesel and hydraulic fluid is particularly difficult to correct. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of combining mulching with remediation for reseeding spilled areas in lawns. Diesel and hydraulic fluid were applied to plots at a rate of 15 L·m−2. Immediately after the spill treatments, two liquid humic amendments and an activated flowable charcoal were applied at a volume rate of 8 L·m−2, respectively, with tap water/dishwashing detergent used as a control. Nitrate nitrogen was added to each remediation treatment to facilitate remediation. The spilled areas were reseeded with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and then mulched with biochar, peat pellets, and paper pellets, respectively. At 6 weeks after seeding, humic amendment 1 and activated charcoal showed better turf quality than humic amendment 2. Peat pellet mulching presented better turf quality than other mulching methods. Reseeding perennial ryegrass and mulching with peat pellets after remediation with either humic amendment 1 or activated charcoal resulted in acceptable turf quality 6 weeks after diesel and hydraulic fluid spills. Therefore, this reestablishment method is recommended as a practical way to deal with diesel or hydraulic fluid spills in cool-season turfgrasses.

Supplementation with solutions of lipo-chitooligosacharide Nod Bj V (C18:1, MeFuc) and thuricin 17 regulates leaf arrangement, biomass, and root development of canola (Brassica napus [L.

Recent work has shown that plant-to-microbe signals can enhance the growth of a wide range of crops. Nevertheless, canola (Brassica napus L.), which forms neither arbuscular mycorrhizal nor nitrogen-fixing symbioses, has not been rigorously evaluated for its capacity to perceive and respond to microbe-to-plant signals. It was shown previously that the Bradyrhizobium japonicum lipo-chitooligosaccharide (LCO) and Bacillus thuringiensis bacteriocin thuricin 17 enhance the germination and growth of other crop species. To evaluate canola’s response, B. napus plants were grown in controlled environment chambers, in either peat pellets or large plant culture vessels. In the peat pellet system, plants that were irrigated with 10−6 M LCO, and grown at 30 °C, produced one more leaf than water- or signal-treated plants that were grown at 25/20 °C. The numbers of cotyledons (seed leaves) produced by thuricin 17-treated plants was greater than LCO treated plants and the control treatment. Among the plants grown in vessels, those grown with 0.2 M NaCl and 10−9 M thuricin 17 were taller than either treated or untreated plants that were grown with 10−5 M NaCl. Under 10/4 °C and 4 × 10−5 M NaCl conditions, only seeds treated with thuricin 17 produced roots. Among the plants grown in vessels at 30/30 °C, those treated with 10−11 M thuricin 17 resulted in approximately one more leaf per plant than nM. Root lengths were shortened with 10−5 M NaCl and 10−9 M thuricin 17, compared to lower salinities. At 30/30 °C, plants grown with 10−5 M NaCl and 10−9 M thuricin 17 were heavier than plants grown in nonsaline media without thuricin 17. Where LCO supplementation may stimulate a competitive form, thuricin 17 supplementation triggers a reduction in the plant’s surface area, which may reduce the plant’s vulnerability to prohibitive salinity levels.

Production of Low Emission Pellet from Coco Peat Waste

Study was conducted on coco peat as a low emission pellet form biomass fuel alternative to produce synthetic gas (syngas) through gasification process in use for other processes. Coco peat was first screened and formulated with other materials such as coco peat, starch, and waste cooking oil. These materials were mixed and pelletized using a pelletizer to form coco peat pellet. It was burned on an updraft gasifier to produce synthetic gas (syngas) and then streamed to a stove through a pipe. The syngas was then split and burned and the heat generated was used for boiling water and for drying agricultural products. Air quality around the stove (emission test) was measured and analyzed when gasification took place. The best results of coco peat pellet were made from 85% of coco peat waste, 5% starch (binder), and 10% of waste cooking oil with stronger texture and shiny surface. The experimental gasification using updraft gasifier exhibited better result when half of the volume of gasifier was filled with 5 kg pellet and the syngas produced can be used for 3.5 hours drying and boiling. Air quality surrounding the stove was tested during gasification process. It was done based on the Indonesian Environmental Regulation issued by Indonesian the Ministry of Environment on Standards (KEP-13/MENLH/3/1995 dated March 7th, 1995) regarding standard air quality from static matter and covers NH3, Cl2, HCl, HF, NO2, particles, SO2 and H2S parameters. The result of measurements indicated that all parameters meet the quality standards) including CO and CO2 at 0.0001 mg/kg.

Acclimatization of <i>in Vitro</i> Propagated Pineapple (<i>Ananas comosuss</i> (L.), var. Smooth cayenne) Plantlets to <i>ex Vitro</i> Condition in Ethiopia

Pineapple (Ananas comosuss, var. Smooth cayenne), which is a popular tropical fruit, is propagated vegetatively. Conventional propagation alone does not provide clean and adequate planting material demanded in Ethiopia. Recently, in vitro multiplication has become a promising technique for large-scale production. However, the acclimatization to the external environment procedure impedes the efficiency, which needs carefully optimized acclimatization techniques. We report optimized acclimatization procedures following first- and second-stage hardening methods for in vitro pineapple plantlets. Primarily, Jiffy-7 peat pellet allowed growing plants vigorously and provided above 8% survival rate over soil mix. Nevertheless, in Ethiopia, soil mix is cheaper and locally accessible. The primarily acclimatized plantlets are needed to be hardened further for better establishment and survival in the field. Black polybag and polysleeve pots filled with soil mix were evaluated in the greenhouse. A significant difference was obtained between pots for number of roots and substrate weight. Polybags had higher root number than polysleeves and saved about 27% of substrates per plant, which is a reduction of 25% of total transportation cost. Hence, the soil mix and polybags were found to be preferable over substrates and pots, for subsequent in vitro pineapple acclimatization.

Propagation protocol for bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum Nutt.)

We present our techniques for producing Acer grandidentatum Nutt. ( Aceraceae ) from seeds in a container nursery. Our combination of warm, moist treatment and stratification yields acceptable germination of 50%, and our use of Jiffy peat pellets allows us to reorganize plants by height during the 1-y growing season, which maximizes the number of deliverable seedlings.

Experimental Investigation on NOx Reduction by Primary Measures in Biomass Combustion: Straw, Peat, Sewage Sludge, Forest Residues and Wood Pellets

An experimental investigation was carried out to study the NOx formation and reduction by primary measures for five types of biomass (straw, peat, sewage sludge, forest residues/Grot, and wood pellets) and their mixtures. To minimize the NOx level in biomass-fired boilers, combustion experiments were performed in a laboratory scale multifuel fixed grate reactor using staged air combustion. Flue gas was extracted to measure final levels of CO, CO2, CxHy, O2, NO, NO2, N2O, and other species. The fuel gas compositions between the first and second stage were also monitored. The experiments showed good combustion quality with very low concentrations of unburnt species in the flue gas. Under optimum conditions, a NOx reduction of 50–80% was achieved, where the highest reduction represents the case with the highest fuel-N content. The NOx emission levels were very sensitive to the primary excess air ratio and an optimum value for primary excess air ratio was seen at about 0.9. Conversion of fuel nitrogen to NOx showed great dependency on the initial fuel-N content, where the blend with the highest nitrogen content had lowest conversion rate. Between 1–25% of the fuel-N content is converted to NOx depending on the fuel blend and excess air ratio. Sewage sludge is suggested as a favorable fuel to be blended with straw. It resulted in a higher NOx reduction and low fuel-N conversion to NOx. Tops and branches did not show desirable NOx reduction and made the combustion also more unstable. N2O emissions were very low, typically below 5 ppm at 11% O2 in the dry flue gas, except for mixtures with high nitrogen content, where values up to 20 ppm were observed. The presented results are part of a larger study on problematic fuels, also considering ash content and corrosive compounds which have been discussed elsewhere.

Ash and chlorine deposition during co-combustion of lignite and a chlorine-rich Canadian peat in a fluidized bed – Effects of blending ratio, moisture content and sulfur addition

A Canadian chlorine-rich peat was co-fired with lignite in a bubbling fluidized bed combustor (FBC) in this study. With an air-cooled probe installed in the freeboard of the riser, effects of portion of peat, moisture content and addition of sulfur on ash and chlorine deposition during combustion/co-combustion of lignite–peat blends were investigated. The results indicated that the contents of chlorine element, alkali/alkaline earth metals and SiO2 and Al2O3 of the feed played a key role in the ash deposition in all tests. A higher chlorine concentration in the feed would generally result in a higher tendency of ash deposition. For instance, combustion of 100% peat pellet showed a much higher tendency of ash deposition than combustion of the lignite alone. Nevertheless, co-firing of the lignite–peat blends with 20% or 50% peat resulted in lower relative ash deposition rates (RDA). Combustion of relatively wet solid fuels produced a decreased RDA value and reduced chlorine deposition. Adding sulfur into the fuel of coal or peat could effectively decrease the chloride deposition in the ash deposits via sulfation. The sulfur addition could also reduce the ash deposition rate for the combustion of lignite, while it slightly increased the ash deposition rate for the peat fuel. The deposited Ca, Mg, Al and Si elements were present mostly in the forms of calcium and magnesium sulfates, aluminates and silicates that have relatively lower melting points.

Ash Deposition in Co-firing Three-Fuel Blends Consisting of Woody Biomass, Peat, and Lignite in a Pilot-Scale Fluidized-Bed Reactor

The ash deposition behaviors of co-combustion of three-fuel blends of white pine pellet (WPP), peat pellet (PP), and crushed lignite (CL) coal were studied on a pilot-scale bubbling fluidized-bed combustor operated at 40% excess air ratio. Reference tests with individual fuel (pine, peat, or lignite) and two-fuel blends of lignite and pine or peat were also performed and discussed in this study. Fly ash deposits were collected with an air-cooled probe installed in the freeboard zone of the reactor. The collected deposits were comprehensively characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), ion chromatography (IC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for their chemical compositions, mineralogical compositions, Cl/S concentrations, and morphology, respectively. As a very interesting finding from this work, co-combustion of the three-fuel blends at 50% lignite/25% peat/25% pine resulted in a higher ash deposition rate than co-combustion of two-fuel blends of either 50% lignite/50...

Agro-pellets for domestic heating boilers: Standard laboratory and real life performance

One multi-fuel domestic pellet boiler (40 kW) was tested under standard laboratory conditions while fired with eight different biomass pellets and two boilers (35 kW) were tested in real life conditions while fired with DIN plus certified wood pellets. The agro-pellets include apple pomace ( Malus domestica), reed canary grass ( Phalaris arundinacea), pectin waste from citrus shells ( Citrus reticulata), sunflower husk ( Helianthus annuus), peat, wood and two types of wheat straw pellets ( Triticum aestivum). The measurements comprised of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), sulphur oxides (SO x ), particle mass concentration (by DIN plus sampling methods) and combustion efficiency. Under standard laboratory conditions, wood pellets yielded the highest combustion efficiency (92.4%) followed by apple pellets (91.3%). The CO and dust emissions were the highest with peat and sunflower husk pellet, respectively. Straw pellets emitted the highest NO x and SO x . For agro-pellets, statistical differences in ash contents were significant. High ash contents and low ash melting temperature made straw pellets less suitable for this type of boilers. Reed canary grass, citrus pectin and apple pellets have advantage over others with reasonable less ash contents and less emissions. In the real life conditions, the boilers had around 90% combustion efficiencies. Comparison with the standard laboratory performance showed that the NO x emission was higher in real life condition than standard laboratory conditions; however, lowed CO and particle emissions were reported in real life conditions. In the real life condition, dust emissions were 5.0 and 5.8 mg Nm −3 with RL-1 and RL-2 boilers, respectively. The FE–SEM examination of the particles revealed that most of the dust particle had a tendency to form small clusters of sub-micron size ranging between 300 ηm and 1.2 μm.

Performance of a domestic pellet boiler as a function of operational loads: Part-2

Abstract Emissions and efficiency of a pellet boiler (40 kW) at nominal load were compared with emissions and efficiency at reduced load, while fired with six biomass pellets. The pellets include reed canary grass ( Phalaris arundinacea ), pectin waste from citrus shells ( Citrus reticulata ), sunflower husk ( Helianthus annuus ), peat, wheat straw ( Triticum aestivum ) and wood pellets. The measurements of emissions comprised of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), sulphur oxides (SO x ) and flue dust mass concentrations (using DIN plus and isokinetic sampling techniques). Emissions varied as a function of operational loads, for each type of pellets. The CO emissions were insignificant with reed canary grass (RCG), citrus pectin waste (CPW) and straw pellets at nominal load, however, at reduced load same pellets emitted 1.9, 4.0 and 7.4 times higher CO than wood pellets, respectively. Peat pellets emitted maximum CO at nominal load (4221.1 mgNm −3 , 12.6 times higher than wood pellets) however; at reduced load CO emission was insignificant. The highest NO x emissions were reported with CPW, which were 3.4 and 4.6 times higher than wood pellets at nominal load and reduced load, respectively. Dust emissions were highest with sunflower husk and lowest with RCG pellets, at both operational modes. The best performance was reported with wood pellets, followed by RCG and pectin pellets, however, wood pellets combustion emitted 1.7 and 2.0 times higher dust DIN plus than RCG at nominal and reduced loads, respectively. Not only fuel specific combustion optimization but also operational load specific optimization is essential for efficient use of agro-pellets in this type of boilers.

Evaluation of the performance of a multi-fuel domestic boiler with respect to the existing European standard and quality labels: Part-1

Abstract Emissions from a multi-fuel domestic boiler (40 kW), fired with nine different agro-biomass pellets have been compared. The pellets include apple pomace ( Malus domestica ), reed canary grass ( Phalaris arundinacea ), pectin waste from citrus shells ( Citrus reticulata ), sunflower husk ( Helianthus annuus ), peat, two types of straw pellets and two types of wood pellets. The measurements of emissions comprised carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), unburned hydrocarbons (C x H y ), sulphur oxides (SO x ) and flue dust mass concentration (by DIN plus and isokinetic sampling methods). Comparison of experimental emission values with relevant quality labels (Blue Angel and Swan Mark) and standard (EN-303-5) showed that the boiler satisfied the emissions requirements of Blue Angel, Swan Mark and EN-303-5 when using wood pellets-1 (except CO emission), reed canary grass and citrus pectin waste pellets as fuel at nominal load. The wood pellets-1 yielded the highest boiler efficiency of 92.4%. Dusts emission varied as a function of fine content and elemental constituent of the pellets and was the highest with sunflower husk. CO and C x H y emissions were maximum with peat pellets. NO x emissions were below the concerned permissible values with all experimental pellets. Emissions of NO x and SO x were found maximum with straw pellets. For agro-pellets, statistical differences in ash contents were significant. High ash contents and low ash melting temperature made straw pellets less suitable for domestic applications. Reed canary grass, citrus pectin and apple pellets were the most suitable agro-pellets for small scale boilers with reasonable less ash contents and less emissions as compared to others.

EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT TREATMENTS ON ROOTING OF EUROPEAN CHESTNUT HARDWOOD CUTTINGS

In this study, we examined the influence of hydrogen peroxide, wounding and IBA on the rooting success of chestnut hardwood cuttings. Cuttings of European chestnut genotypes 51111 (Sariaslama Clone -1) and 51205 (Sariaslama Clone -2), were treated with IBA at 0, 12000 ppm and H 2 O 2 (3.5% w/v) solutions. Cuttings were prepared 14-16 cm in length in January, wounding the opposite sides of the base of the cutting. Compressed peat pellet was used as rooting media. Presence of callus and rooting rate were determined.

In vitro propagation of pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh) K. Koch

An efficient method for in vitro propagation has been developed for pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh) K. Koch], a highly recalcitrant but commercially important fruit species. Nodal explants from in vitro grown cultivars, ‘Desirable’ and ‘Cape Fear’, were cultured on modified liquid woody plant medium (WPM) supplemented with 2% glucose and different concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP; 0.44–44.39 μM). At least nine multiple shoots per explants were induced on modified WPM containing 13.32 μM BAP after three weeks of culture. The efficiency of shoot induction was over 95% in both ‘Cape Fear’ and ‘Desirable’ cultivars. The multiple shoots were proliferated and/or elongated on plant growth regulator free liquid WPM. Subsequently, the multiple shoots were separated and successfully rooted in liquid WPM containing 49.20 μM indole-3-butyric acid. The efficiency of rooting was over 90% in both ‘Cape Fear’ and ‘Desirable’ cultivar. The pecan plantlets were initially transferred to peat pellets and subsequently to the greenhouse. This is a simple and efficient protocol that may be used to propagate pecan plants through tissue culture.

A comparison between the behaviors of different raw materials in the course of subjecting them to thermal processing

We present the results of experiments aimed at studying the behavior of samples made of different materials (wood and wooden and peat pellets) in the course of subjecting them to thermal processing for obtaining composite carbon material and gas mixtures enriched with hydrogen.

English

A low temperature carbonization process has been used to convert peat into a hardened ion exchange material. Peat pellets of about 9.5 mm are produced, which are then crushed to form a low-cost ion exchange media. Pellets were tested for their ability to remove copper and cobalt from several different mine drainages in northeastern Minnesota. Drainage pH ranged from around 5 to about 7.5, total Cu ranged from about 0.01 to 3 mg/l, and Co from about 0.008 to 0.02 mg/l. Treatment was most effective for Cu with a removal efficiency of from 80-95%. The total volume treated decreased with increasing concentration, and ranged from 900 bed volumes at a copper input of 3 mg/l to over 7000 bed volumes at low input Cu concentrations. Total Cu removal ranged from 180 to 2900 mg/kg. Cobalt broke through more quickly than copper with total removals ranging from 70 to 95 mg/kg. A modified TCLP test was conducted and showed that Cu and Co were tightly bound to the pellets. The pellets retained over 99.5 % of the Cu and Co.