H Presented

amza Kad byi m

Fuel
 Plan:
1. Introduction

2. Materials and phenomena of (Slagging and fouling)

3. Results and discussion

4. Conclusions

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 1. Introduction

» Biomass can be considered as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels for energy production due to its
advantages such as neutrality concerning CO2 emissions and low NOx and SO2 emissions. However,
biomass combustion generates solid waste, mainly ash, which negatively affects energy efficiency and
maintenance expenses. The article discusses various analytical techniques used to study biomass samples,
including EDXA, PSD. In this topic we will focus on obtaining ash behavior data from different biomass
samples to determine which one is more suitable for further combustion processes.
Whit:
» EDXA:Energy Dispersive X-ray Analyzer.
» PSD: particle size distribution.

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 2. Materials and phenomena of (Slagging and fouling)
» 2.1. Samples:
» In this work, eighteen different biomass samples were tested after air dried and grinded to assure
homogeneity. They were chosen as represent all the classification groups, e.g. as these suggested by
Ávila:
» s (sorghum – S and thistle – THI), agricultural feedstocks (beetroot pellets – BP, straw pellets – SP and rice
husk – RH), industrial sources (almond shell – AS, coffee husk – CH, olive stone – OS, pine kernel shell –
PKS and vine orujillo – VO) and forestry wastes (olive tree pruning – OTP, pine apple leaf – PL, and vine
shoot chips – VSC). In addition to this some of the most common commercial fuels currently available at
the Spanish market were studied (briquette – BRI, charcoal – CC, pine and pine apple leaf pellets – PPLP,
wood chips – WC and wood pellets – WP).
» 2.2. Slagging and fouling:
» Slagging and fouling are two phenomena, directly related to deposition and corrosion, commonly
observed when operating a biomass-powered combustion system. The first of them is produced at high
temperature zones, mainly on grills or chamber walls, whilst the second is typical of low temperature
zones, like the heat exchanger surfaces. They depend on the fuel’s chemical composition, conversion
technology used and operating conditions.

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 3. Results and discussion
» 3.1.PSD Results :
» particle size distribution of ash and its impact on human health. Ash particles can be classified as thin or thick based on
their ability to cross a 400 𝜇𝑚 mesh sieve. The PSD results obtained by laser diffraction are compared and divided into
five ranges. The study shows that ashes with higher thick or bottom ash fractions are easily removed from the bottom of
the chambers, avoiding contamination and health risks. Most of the studied samples have more than 80% of ash particles
thicker than 200 𝜇𝑚, and only charcoal(CC) and pine kernel shell(PKS) samples reaching 1% of PM2.5 detected values.

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 3.2.EDXA Results :

» the results of an EDXA analysis of various organic fuel samples before and after burning at 550 C. The C/O ratio of the
raw fuel structure is between 0.8 and 1 in most cases, indicating higher heating value, with exceptions such as rice
husk having a lower ratio. Burning at 550 C eliminates most of the carbon structure and increases the proportion of
high melting-temperature elements. The text also discusses the presence of various elements in the samples, such as
silicon, K, Ca, Mg, Na, and Cl.

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 3.3.X-ray Results:

» Table 3 presents X-ray fluorescence measurements used to calculate deposition predictive equations, which are then
compared with ternary diagrams and experimental experience. The most referenced equations are proposed and
compared to predict general deposition, with the results presented in (Table 3) using a color criterion. The predictions
from both equations agree in samples with high and low values but contradict each other in intermediate ones. When
compared with ternary diagrams, this tendency is confirmed.

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 SiO2–CaO–K2O Diagram:

» when a sample has more than 50% of CaO or SiO2 combined with over 15% of K2O, it is likely to agglomerate and
cause deposition. Such samples are located to the right of the blue line drawn on the SiO2-CaO-K2O diagram in
Figure 5. The article identifies seven samples, AS, CC, PPLP, PL, PKS, VO, and WP, as high-risk for deposition, which
were also considered high or medium risk using predictive equations. However, there were contradictions noticed, as
fuels with high deposition predictive values such as VSC, THI, or CH were not expected to present a high risk according
to the diagram.

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 4. Conclusions:

» In this work different biomass samples have been characterized, PSD, FRX and in order to establish which
ones are the most desirable for combustion applications.
» PSD study demonstrated that BP and PPLP generate a vast majority of thick ashes, while the selected
brand of WP and AS have more than 35% of fine particles, increasing environmental and health risks with
their use.
» Deposition predictive equations, combined with FRX based ternary diagrams and experimental
experience suggest that AS, PPLP,PL, PKS or VO present high deposition risks, decreasing the energy
yield of the reaction. RH sample has huge corrosion risks due to its acidity which is confirmed by Cl
presence measured by EDXA.

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