Author(s)

INÉS GUTIÉRREZ, ANA ÁLVAREZ, ALEJANDRO DÍAZ, CONSUELO PIZARRO, ANTONIO G. LAVÍN, JULIO L. BUENO

Abstract

Biomass is known to have low nitrogen and sulphur amounts consequently its polluting emissions are lower than other fossil fuels, additionally, its carbon balance is neutral. The aim of this work is to study the polluting emissions of eight commercial, agricultural waste and energetic biomass samples. A tube furnace reactor was used to carry out the combustion studies under air atmosphere using a gas analyser to identify and quantify the target gases of this work: carbon dioxide, short chain hydrocarbons, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Ultimate analysis of the samples was performed previous to the combustion in tube reactor furnace. Carbon dioxide and short chain hydrocarbons contents of the samples were compared to determine which sample had the highest greenhouse gas emission turning out the beetroot pellet. Regarding the sulphur dioxide emissions, in almost cases the peak emissions were in the range of 370–400°C, while the nitrogen dioxides showed two peaks, which temperature range depends on type of biomass. A possible explanation of these two peaks could be the formation of nitrogen oxides from the nitrogen in the fuel through two different ways: direct reaction or reaction with an intermediate of hydrogen cyanide or ammonia.

Keywords

biomass, combustion, tube furnace reactor, air pollution, emissions, CO₂, C_xH_y, SO₂, NO_x