COMPARISON OF PYROLYTIC BEHAVIOR OF BIOMASS RESOURCES AND OF DERIVED CHARCOAL PROPERTIES

P. BONELLI; M. C. BASSO; E. CERRELLA; E. BUONOMO; A. L. CUKIERMAN

HONG KONG, CHINA

Congreso; Seventh Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Combustion and Energy Utilization; 2004

THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

Physico-chemical properties of an agro-industrial biomass, sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) bagasse, and of the charcoal derived by slow pyrolysis at two different temperatures (600 °C and 800 °C) are determined. Charcoal samples from a mixture of native hardwood species conventionally used as feedstock are also obtained under the same operating conditions and characterized for the sake of comparison, in an attempt to evaluate the potentialities of the bagasse-derived charcoal as solid biofuel and/or for other specific end-uses. The bagasse charcoals are found fairly adequate as solid bio-fuels. Although higher heating values are lower than the ones of the wood-based samples, their quality is comparable to that of charcoals derived from some other agricultural and agro-industrial by-products, reportedly proposed as substitutes. Surface properties of the bagasse charcoal generated at the higher temperature indicate that it is reasonably suited for potential use as low-cost rough adsorbent, soil amender, and/ or for further conversion into activated carbon, showing a relatively greater potentiality than the wood charcoal for these purposes. Moreover, pyrolytic behavior of both bioresources is comparatively assessed by non-isothermal thermogravimetry over a wide range of temperatures (25 – 900 °C). Experimental results are properly represented in the entire degradation range by a model which accounts for the changes taking place in the solids with the process course through an increase in the activation energy with temperature and solid conversion.Saccharum officinarum) bagasse, and of the charcoal derived by slow pyrolysis at two different temperatures (600 °C and 800 °C) are determined. Charcoal samples from a mixture of native hardwood species conventionally used as feedstock are also obtained under the same operating conditions and characterized for the sake of comparison, in an attempt to evaluate the potentialities of the bagasse-derived charcoal as solid biofuel and/or for other specific end-uses. The bagasse charcoals are found fairly adequate as solid bio-fuels. Although higher heating values are lower than the ones of the wood-based samples, their quality is comparable to that of charcoals derived from some other agricultural and agro-industrial by-products, reportedly proposed as substitutes. Surface properties of the bagasse charcoal generated at the higher temperature indicate that it is reasonably suited for potential use as low-cost rough adsorbent, soil amender, and/ or for further conversion into activated carbon, showing a relatively greater potentiality than the wood charcoal for these purposes. Moreover, pyrolytic behavior of both bioresources is comparatively assessed by non-isothermal thermogravimetry over a wide range of temperatures (25 – 900 °C). Experimental results are properly represented in the entire degradation range by a model which accounts for the changes taking place in the solids with the process course through an increase in the activation energy with temperature and solid conversion.