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Feedstock Characterization for Pyrolysis and Gasification

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Coal and Biomass Gasification

Part of the book series: Energy, Environment, and Sustainability ((ENENSU))

Abstract

Gasification and pyrolysis are promising thermochemical processing technologies for the conversion of complex feedstocks like coal, lignocellulosic biomass and refuse-derived fuels (RDF) into energy and fuels. The quality of the products such as syngas and liquid oil and the process efficiencies depend greatly on the operating parameters of the process, which in turn depend on feedstock characteristics. Hence, it is imperative to map the salient properties of the feedstock to the process characteristics. This review highlights the techniques adopted for characterizing different varieties of coal, biomass and RDF. The various physicochemical and thermal properties discussed in this chapter include density, porosity, specific surface area, thermal conductivity, specific heat, calorific value, thermal stability, pyrolysate composition, proximate and elemental composition, and ash composition. A compendium of proximate analysis (moisture, volatile matter, fixed carbon, ash), ultimate analysis (elemental C, H, N, S, O) and higher heating value data for a large number of solid fuels is provided. The implications of these on the process and product characteristics are addressed. As ash is known to act as a catalyst in the pyrolysis process and cause issues like corrosion and deposition in gasifier systems, the effect of its composition on relevant process parameters is discussed. Finally, the existing challenges and requirements in fuel characterization are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank National Center for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD) at IIT Madras for funding. NCCRD is funded by Department of Science and Technology (DST), India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and National Center for Combustion Research and Development, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India

    B. Rajasekhar Reddy & R. Vinu

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  1. B. Rajasekhar Reddy
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  2. R. Vinu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Vinu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Santanu De

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Avinash Kumar Agarwal

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, India

    V. S. Moholkar

  4. Bio-Fuels Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

    Bhaskar Thallada

Appendix A: List of Standard Methods for the Determination of Various Properties of Coal and Biomass

Appendix A: List of Standard Methods for the Determination of Various Properties of Coal and Biomass

ASTM D-121. Standard Terminology of Coal and Coke.

ASTM D-167. Standard Test Method for Apparent and True Specific Gravity and Porosity of Lump Coke.

ASTM C-351. Standard Test Method for Mean Specific Heat of Thermal Insulation.

ASTM D-388. Standard Classification of Coals by Rank.

ASTM E-830. Standard Test Method for Ash in the Analysis Sample of Refuse-Derived Fuel.

ASTM E-871. Standard Test Method for Moisture Analysis of Particulate Wood Fuels.

ASTM E 872. Standard Test Method for Volatile Matter in the Analysis of Particulate Wood Fuels.

ASTM D-1102. Standard Test Method for Determination of Ash in Woody Biomass.

ASTM E-1755. Standard Test Method for Ash in Biomass.

ASTM D-1857. Standard Test Method for Fusibility of Coal and Coke Ash.

ASTM D-2015. Standard Test Method for Gross Calorific Value of Coal and Coke by the Adiabatic Bomb Calorimeter.

ASTM D-3173. Standard Test Method for Moisture in the Analysis Sample of Coal and Coke.

ASTM D-3174. Standard Test Method for Ash in the Analysis Sample of Coal and Coke from Coal.

ASTM D-3176. Standard Practice for Ultimate Analysis of Coal.

ASTM D-3177. Standard Test Methods for Total Sulfur in the Analysis Sample of Coal and Coke.

ASTM D-3178. Standard Test Methods for Carbon and Hydrogen in the Analysis Sample of Coal and Coke.

ASTM D-3179. Standard Test Methods for Nitrogen in the Analysis Sample of Coal and Coke.

ASTM D-3286. Standard Test Methods for Gross Calorific Value of Coal and Coke by the Isoperibol Bomb Calorimeter.

ISO 334. Determination of Total Sulfur: Eschka Method.

ISO 351. Determination of Total Sulfur: High Temperature Combustion Method.

ISO 1928. Determination of Gross Calorific Value and Calculation of Net Calorific Value.

UNE-EN 14774. Standard Test Method for Determination of Moisture content in Biomass.

UNE-EN 14775. Standard Test Method for Determination of Ash Content in the Biomass.

UNE-EN 14918. Standard Test Method for Determination of Higher Heating Value in Biomass.

UNE-EN 15290. Standard Test Method for Determination of Si, Al, Ti, Ca, Mg, K, Na, Fe and P Content of Biomass Ash.

UNE-EN 15297. Standard Test Method for Determination of Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni and Cr Content of Biomass Ash.

UNE-EN 15104. Standard Test Method for Determination of C, H, N Content in Biomass.

UNE-EN 15289. Standard Test Method for Determination of Cl, S Content in Biomass.

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Rajasekhar Reddy, B., Vinu, R. (2018). Feedstock Characterization for Pyrolysis and Gasification. In: De, S., Agarwal, A., Moholkar, V., Thallada, B. (eds) Coal and Biomass Gasification. Energy, Environment, and Sustainability. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7335-9_1

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