Back to Search
Start Over
Application of air classification and formulation to manage feedstock cost, quality and availability for bioenergy
- Source :
- Fuel. 180:497-505
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2016.
-
Abstract
- Biomass such as agricultural residues, energy crops and yard waste has significant potential to be used as renewable feedstocks for production of fuels, chemicals and energy. However, in a given location, biomass availability, cost and quality can vary markedly. Strategies to manage these traits must be identified and implemented so that consistent low-cost and high-quality feedstocks can be delivered to biorefineries year round. In this study, we examine air classification as a method to mitigate high ash concentrations in corn stover, switchgrass, and grass clippings. Formulation techniques were then used to produce blends that met ash quality and biomass quantity specifications at the lowest possible cost for biopower and biochemical conversion applications. It was found that air classification can separate the biomass into light fractions which contain concentrated amounts of elemental ash components introduced through soil contamination such as sodium, alumina, silica, iron and titania; and heavy fractions that are depleted in these components and have relatively lower total ash content. Light fractions of corn stover and grass clippings were found to be suitable for combustion applications since they had less propensity to slag than the whole biomass material. The remaining heavy fractions of corn stover or grass clippings could then be blended with switchgrass to produce blends that met the 5% total ash specifications suggested for biochemical conversions. However, ternary blends of the three feedstocks were not possible due to the high ash content of grass clippings. It was determined that air classification by itself was not suitable to prepare these feedstocks for pyrolysis due to high ash content.
- Subjects :
- business.industry
020209 energy
General Chemical Engineering
Organic Chemistry
Slag
Biomass
Energy Engineering and Power Technology
02 engineering and technology
Raw material
Pulp and paper industry
Soil contamination
Renewable energy
Energy crop
Corn stover
Fuel Technology
Bioenergy
visual_art
0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
visual_art.visual_art_medium
Chemical Engineering(all)
Environmental science
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00162361
- Volume :
- 180
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Fuel
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....d16465c2bbd2d89df7ed240030c4b501
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2016.04.040