Production of solid biomass and investigation of optimum thermal properties
Abstract
The sustainability potential of global biomass for energy is widely recognized. The annual global primary production of biomass is equivalent to 4.500 EJ of solar energy captured each year. About 5% of this energy, or 225 EJ, should cover almost 50% of the world’s total primary energy demand at present. The biomass energy in Turkey has a share of 13% in renewable energy sources. Trees with high energy potential and growth rate in Turkey are as follows; poplar, aspen, alder, pine, oak, ash, pine, larch, cedar and cypress. In this study, wild liquorice (Astragalus), great mullein (Verbascum Thapsus) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) have been pelletized to search their burning behaviors according to other fuels. With this aim, plants have been mixed in specific amounts with the use of Taguchi Optimization Method to attain a pelletized fuel with maximum calories, low humidity and low ash. Among these values, the calorie was used as a base and the estimated optimum values for humidity and ash were calculated. The calculated optimum values were obtained as 4526.05 cal for caloric value, 6.93% for humidity and 2.92% for ash, respectively. These values provide that the pellet has low humidity and ash content, and that the calorie is at the same level with the agricultural wastes and more than the calorie of the prina, lignite, wood, sawdust, and animal and plant wastes which are going to be used as the fuel for the present tenements in Turkey.
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