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BiomassBurnCharacteristics
BiomassBurnCharacteristics
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TableofContents
1. Introduction
2. WhatisBiomass?
3. EnergyContentofBiomass
4. Moisture
5. BiomassComposition
6. PropertiesofBiomass
7. ProcessestoReduceAsh,ChlorideandOtherElements
8. Summary
9. AdditionalResources
10. References
11. Acknowledgements
Introduction
Solidbiomasscanbegrownforuseasfuelonfarmsandforsale.ThisFactsheetoutlinesthephysicaland
chemicalcharacteristicsofsolidbiomassfuels,explainstheirsignificanceandincludesatablecontaining
detailedinformationonthepropertiesof22commonbiomassfuelsinOntario.
WhatisBiomass?
Biomassreferstoanyorganicmaterialderivedfromplantsthatusesunlighttogrow.Whenburned,the
energystoredinbiomassisreleasedtoproduceheatorelectricity.Commonformsofsolidbiomassinclude
agriculturalcrops,cropresiduesandforestryproducts.Switchgrass(Figure1)isanexample.
Usingbiomassforenergyofferspotentialadvantages:
Biomassisanabundantandrenewablesourceofenergy.
Usingbiomassforenergywoulddiversifytheenergysupplyandreducedependencyonfossilfuels.
BiomassproductionmaycreatenewjobsforthelocaleconomyinOntario.
EnergyContentofBiomass
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BiomassBurnCharacteristics
TheheatingvalueofafuelindicatestheenergyavailableinthefuelperunitmassMJ/kg(BTU/lb).Thenet
heatingvalueistheactualenergyavailableforheattransfer.Thedifferenceinavailableenergyisexplainedby
thefuel'schemicalcomposition,moistureandashcontent.Forcomparison,theenergycontentoffuelsis
reportedonadrybasis.Forexample,mostagriculturalresidueshaveheatingvaluesthatfallintherangeof
1419MJ/kg(6,0408,200BTU/lb)coalrangesfrom1730MJ/kg(7,3001,3000BTU/lb).
Moisture
Moisturecontentisthekeyfactordeterminingthenetenergycontentofbiomassmaterial.Drybiomasshasa
greaterheatingvalue(ornetenergypotential),asituseslittleofitsenergytoevaporateanymoisture.Figure
2showsthisrelationshipandillustratesthecorrelationbetweenenergyandmoisturecontents.Increased
moisturemeanslessenergyavailablefortheboiler.
Textequivalent
BiomassType
Table1.UltimateanalysisforavarietyofbiomassfuelsinOntario
(allvaluesreportedonadrymatterbasis)
MJ/kg BTU/lb TypicalValues1
Ash Carbon Hydrogen Nitrogen Sulphur Oxygen Total
% %
%
%
%
%2
Chlorine
(g/g)3
Offspec(nonfood)grains
Beans
19
7,996
4.7 45.7
6.3
4.3
0.7
38.8
193
Corn
17
7,350
1.5 42.1
6.5
1.2
0.1
48.9
472
Canola
28
8.3
4.5
0.5
21.4
163
9,450
4.9 50.4
6.7
4.7
0.7
32.6
1,367
Drieddistillersgrain 22
Grass/forages
Bigbluestem
19
8,020
6.1 44.4
6.1
0.8
0.1
42.6
1,880
Miscanthus
19
8,250
2.7 47.9
5.8
0.5
0.1
43.0
1,048
Sorghum
17
7,240
6.6 45.8
5.3
1.0
0.1
42.3
760
Switchgrass
18
7,929
5.7 45.5
6.1
0.9
0.1
41.7
1,980
Alfalfa
17
7,435
9.1 45.9
5.2
2.5
0.2
39.5
3,129
Barleystraw
17
7,480
5.9 46.9
5.3
0.7
0.1
41.0
1,040
Corncobs
18
7,927
1.5 48.1
6.0
0.4
0.1
44.0
2,907
Cornstover
19
7,960
5.1 43.7
6.1
0.5
0.1
44.6
1,380
Flaxstraw
18
7,810
3.7 48.2
5.6
0.9
0.1
41.6
2,594
Wheatstraw
18
7,710
7.7 43.4
6.0
0.8
0.1
44.5
525
Straw/residue
Processingbyproduct
Oathulls
19
7,960
5.1 46.7
6.1
0.9
0.1
41.1
1,065
Soybeanhulls
18
7,720
4.3 43.2
6.2
1.8
0.2
44.3
266
Sunflowerhulls
20
8,530
4.0 47.5
6.2
1.0
0.2
41.2
3,034
19
8,432
1.5 47.8
5.9
0.4
0.1
45.4
257
Wood
Bark
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BiomassBurnCharacteristics
Willow
19
8,550
2.1 50.1
5.8
0.5
0.1
41.4
134
Hardwood
19
8,300
0.4 48.3
6.0
0.2
0.0
45.1
472
Lowsulphursubbit 25
coalPRB4
3.7
0.9
0.4
11.5
35
Lignite
9,350
4.2
0.9
0.5
13.6
25
Coal
22
22.0 58.8
Thecontentlevelofash,chlorineandotherelementscanbeloweredthroughcropselectivity,growing
conditions,plantfractionation,harvesttimeandharvestmethod.
2
Calculatedbydifference.Percentbydifferencereferstothedifferencebetweentwonumbersasapercentof
oneofthem.Forexample,thepercentagedifferencefrom5to3is:2/5=0.4=40%.
3
Amicrogram(g)isaunitofmassequalto1/1,000,000ofagram(1x106),or1/1,000ofamilligram.It
isoneofthesmallestunitsofmasscommonlyused.
4
PRBPowerRiverBasin
DatacompiledfromAURI,2005BIOBIBPreto,2010.
Generally,themoisturecontentofasolidisexpressedasthequantityofwaterperunitmass.Moisture
contentisusuallyreportedonan"asis"orwetbasis(w.b.)inwhichthewatercontentisgivenasafractionof
thetotalweight.Allbiomassmaterialscontainsomemoisture,fromaslowas8%fordriedstrawtoover50%
forfreshcutwood.
Ahighmoisturecontentadverselyaffectsthecollection,storage,preprocessing,handlingandtransportation
ofbiomass.Inaddition,transportingwetmaterialcostsmore.
Themoisturecontentofrawbiomasscanbereducedby:
leavingbiomassinthefieldtodryforseveralweeks
storingbiomass,shelteredfromprecipitation
commercialdrying
BiomassComposition
Thecompositionofbiomassvariessignificantlyamongbiomasstypes.Fuelperformanceisrelatedtothe
compositionofthebiomaterial.Importantfactorsincludeash,carbon,hydrogen,nitrogen,sulphur,oxygen
andchloridecontent.TheelementalcompositionofvariousfuelsinOntarioisindicatedinTable1.Allvalues
arereportedonadrybasis.
Ash
Thenoncombustiblecontentofbiomassisreferredtoasash.Highashcontentleadstofoulingproblems,
especiallyiftheashishighinmetalhalides(e.g.,potassium).Unfortunately,biomassfuels,especially
agriculturalcrops/residuestendtohaveahighashwithhighpotassiumcontent.Asaresult,theashmeltsat
lowertemperatures,resultingin"clinkers"thatcanjamfurnaceelements(Figure3).Alternately,slaggingand
foulingoccurwhenashisvapourizedandcondensedintheboiler,resultingintheproductionofhard
formationsontheheattransfersurfaces(Figure4).
Wood(core,nobark)haslessthan1%ash.Barkcanhaveupto3%ash.Agriculturalcropshavehigherash
content,from3%andhigher(Figure5).Someboilers/stovescannothandlefuelswithhighashcontent.More
ashmeansmoremaintenance.
Carbon
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BiomassBurnCharacteristics
Thecarboncontentofbiomassisaround45%,whilecoalcontains60%orgreater(Demirbas,2007).Ahigher
carboncontentleadstoahigherheatingvalue.
Hydrogen
Thehydrogencontentofbiomassisaround6%(Jenkins,1998).Ahigherhydrogencontentleadstoahigher
heatingvalue.
Nitrogen
Thenitrogencontentofbiomassvariesfrom0.2%tomorethan1%(Jenkins,1998).Fuelboundnitrogenis
responsibleformostnitrogenoxide(NOx)emissionsproducedfrombiomasscombustion.Lowernitrogen
contentinthefuelshouldleadtolowerNOxemissions.
Sulphur
Mostbiomassfuelshaveasulphurcontentbelow0.2%,withafewexceptionsashighas0.5%0.7%.Coals
rangefrom0.5%7.5%(Demirbas2007).Sulphuroxides(SOx)areformedduringcombustionandcontribute
significantlytoparticulatematter(PM)pollutionandacidrain.Sincebiomasshasnegligiblesulphurcontent,
itscombustiondoesnotcontributesignificantlytosulphuremissions.
Chloride
Combustionofbiomasswithhighchlorideconcentrations(over1,000g/g)canleadtoincreasedashfouling.
Highchloridecontentleadstotheformationofhydrochloricacidintheboilertubes,resultingincorrosionthat
canleadtotubefailureandwaterleaksintheboiler.Fuelswherethishasbeenobservedincludecornstover
andcorncobs.
Figure5.Typicalashcontentforselectedbiomassonadrybasis.Source:AURI,2005Preto,2010.
Textequivalent
PropertiesofBiomass
TheultimateanalysesforavarietyofbiomassmaterialsarepresentedinTable1.Allresultsaredisplayedon
adrymatterbasisforcomparison.Usethecompileddataonlyasageneralcomparativeguide.
Itisimportanttonotethatbiomassmaterialsnaturallycontainvariability,whichdependson:
geographicallocation
variety
climateconditions
harvestmethods
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ProcessestoReduceAsh,ChlorideandOtherElements
Variousmanagementstrategiesexisttoreducetheashandprimaryelementsthatinterferewiththe
combustionprocess,includingcropselection,growingconditions,plantfractions,harvestingtimeand
minimizingsoilcontamination.
CropSelection
Ashisfoundinlowerlevelsinwarmseasongrasses,suchasbigbluestem,switchgrassandannualssuchas
corn,comparedtocoolseasongrasses,suchasorchardgrass,fescuesandperennialryegrass(Mehdi&
Samson1998).
GrowingConditions
Soiltypehighlyinfluencestheashlevelsofbiomass.Higherashlevelsarefoundincropsproducedonclay
soilsthanincropsproducedonsandysoils.
PlantFractions
Themajorcomponentsofasharesilicaandpotassium.Thedistributionandcompositionofashvariesamong
differentplantfractions.Ashlevelsarelowestingrassstemsandhighestinleaves(Samsonetal.1999b).
Harvestingbiomasswithhigherstemcontentwillreducetheplant'sashconcentration,thusimprovingthe
biomassqualityforcombustion.SeeTable2.
HarvestTimingtoAllowforLeaching
Ash,chlorideandpotassiumcontentareminimizedbyleavingthecutbiomassinthefieldtooverwinter.
Overwinteringswitchgrassinthefieldreducesashlevelstoaslowas3.5%,duetoleachingandlossofplant
componentsthatarehigherinash(i.e.,leaves).However,harvestinginthespringcomesatacost,with
biomasslossesofbetween20%and50%.
Component
SwitchgrassAshContents(%)
Leaves
7.0
Leafsheaths
3.0
Stems
1.0
Seedheads
2.4
MinimizingSoilContamination
Itisimportanttominimizesoilcontaminationofthecropresidue,sincesoilparticlesgreatlyincreasetheash
concentrationofthebiomass.Selectmechanicalharvestingtechniquesthatavoiddiggingupthesoil(e.g.,cut
thebiomasswithahigherstubbleheight).
Summary
Biomassmaterialsareverydiverse,rangingfromwood,bark,strawandotheragriculturalresidues,grasses
andforages,andoffspecgrains,etc.Despitethisdiversity,thecompositionofmostbiomassmaterialsis
relativelyuniform,especiallyaftermoistureisremoved.Theenergycontent(onamassbasis)ofmostdry
biomassfuelsisinthe1719MJ/kg(7,3008,000BTU/lb)range.Differencesinenergycontentaredueto
differencesindensityandmoisturecontent.
Formostbiomassfuels,nitrogenandsulphurlevelsarequitelow,resultinginrelativelylowSOxandNOx
emissions.Biomassoutsidethenormalrangeofthesecategoriesismostlyintheoffspec,nonfoodgrain
category.
Themajordifferenceinthecompositionofbiomassfuelsisashcontent.Wood,thetraditionalbiomassfuel,
generallycontainslessthan0.5%ash.Withbark,thisincreasesto2%3%andjumpstoabove5%formost
grassesandagriculturalresidues.Theincreasedashcontentcancausesignificantfouling,clinkeringand
handlingissues.
Takecarewhenusingthesefuels.Designconversionsystemsspecificallyforthetargetfuels.Systems
designedforwood(orcoal)maynotbesuitableforotherbiomassfuels.
Conversion:
From
to
Multiplyby
MJ/kg
BTU/lb
430
BTU/lb
GJ/ton
0.00233
AdditionalResources
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BiomassBurnCharacteristics
AmosNationalRenewableEnergyLaboratory.Propertiesofbiomassrelevanttogasification.
BIOBIB,TechnicalUniversityofVienna,Austria.Databaseofbiomassproperties.
CanmetENERGY.Biomasssystems.
InternationalEnergyAgency(IEA).Biomasscombustionandcofiringproperties.
OntarioMinistryofAgriculture,FoodandRuralAffairs.
Phyllis.Databaseonthepropertiesofbiomassandwaste.
TheCommonwealthScientificandIndustrialResearchOrganisation,Australia.Biomassfueldatabase.
USDOE.Feedstockcompositionandpropertydatabase.
References
AURI.(2005).Agriculturalrenewablesolidfuelsdata.RetrievedfromAgriculturalUtilizationResearch
InstituteFuelsInitiativewebsite.
Amos,W.A.,&Bain,R.L.(2003).Highlightsofbiopowertechnicalassessment:Stateoftheindustry
andtechnology.Golden,CO:NationalRenewableEnergyLaboratory.NREL/TP51033502.
Baxter,L.L.,etal.(1998).Combustionpropertiesofbiomass.FuelProcessingTechnology,54(1):17
46.
Cherney,J.H.personalcommunication&(2008).Productionofgrassinthenortheast.GrassEnergy
Symposium,Shelburne,VT.
Ciolkosz,D.(2010).Renewableandalternativeenergyfactsheet.PennsylvaniaStateUniversity,PA,
USA.
Demirbas,A.(2004).Combustioncharacteristicsofbiomassfuels.ProgressEnergyCombustion
Science,30:219230.
Mehdi,B.,&Samson,R.(1998).Strategiestoreducetheashcontentinperennialgrasses.Resource
efficientAgriculturalProductionCanada.Ste.AnnedeBellevue,Quebec.
Pahkala,K.,Mela,T.,Hakkola,H.,Jarvi,A.,&Virkajari,P.(1996).Productionanduseofagrofibrein
Findland.Part1:Productionofagrofibrecrops:Agronomyvarieties.AgriculturalRes.Centreof
Finland,Jokioinen,Finland.
Preto,F.(2010).Propertiesofthe13commonbiomassfuelsinOntario.NaturalResource
Canada(NRCan),Ottawa,ON.
Samson,R.,Girouard,P.,&Mehdi,B.(1999b).Establishementofcommercialswitchgrassplantations.
ResourceefficientAgriculturalProductionCanada.Ste.AnnedeBellevue,Quebec.
Scurlock,J.(2008).Bioenergyfeedstockdevelopmentprograms.OakRidgeNationalLaboratory.Oak
Ridge,TN,USA.
Acknowledgements
SpecialthankstoChantalQuesnelandBenjaminBronsonfortheircontributionsandconscientiousreviewand
toShalinKhosla,GreenhouseSpecialist,OMAFRA,Harrow,forhisconsiderableassistanceinevaluating
alternatefuels.
Formoreinformation:
TollFree:18774241300
Email:ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
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