PRE-TREATMENT SYSTEM TO IMPROVE BIOMASS FUEL QUALITY
The system consists of a pre-treatment process that reduces chemical elements in biomass that causes operational issues when used as fuel for combustion. The utilization of biomass for combustion may cause several operational issues, such as slagging and fouling, particulate matter emissions, and corrosion.
The operational issues cited are mainly caused by a higher alkali metal content, especially potassium (K) which increases the propensity of fouling and slagging layers and reduces efficiency. The above issues are especially prevalent in the combustion of Empty Fruit Bunches (EFB), a type of biomass from the palm oil industry.
Benefits
To mitigate the operational issues caused by EFB combustion, TNBR, and its industry partners have successfully developed a 1 ton per hour system that reduces the alkali metals.
The pre-treated EFB has a lower potassium and chlorine content by 60 to 90%.
Combustion trials in a 10MW boiler in Malaysia show increased efficiency by 0.67%.
Combustion trials in a 100kW boiler in South Korea showed that the fouling thickness managed to be reduced by 80%.
Potential Application
The innovation is suitable for the production of higher-quality EFB pellets. It effectively mitigates the issues related to the combustion of EFB in boilers.
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