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Analysis of Combined Biochar and Torrefied Biomass Fuel Production as Alternative for Residual Biomass Valorization Generated in Small-Scale Palm Oil Mills

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Abstract

From the residual biomass generated by the palm oil sector in Ecuador, kernel shell (KS) is of major importance because it has been demonstrated that its use as solid fuel could replace diesel and LPG currently subsidized by the government to be used in the industrial and commercial sectors to produce thermal energy. The implementation of a torrefaction process could improve the KS handling and transportation operations, thus promoting its domestic use. However, the mesocarp fiber (MF) generated in the mills is 2.5 times the amount of KS generated. Therefore, this work analyzes an energy system that could valorize simultaneously MF and KS by the integration of pyrolysis and torrefaction processes, to produce biochar and torrefied fuel. A numerical model is used to analyze the integration of the pyrolysis and torrefaction processes considering a temperature range between 250 and 550 °C. It is observed that biochar and torrefied fuel could be produced simultaneously from pyrolysis process temperatures of 460 °C. The maximum load capacity of the integrated pyrolysis and torrefaction system corresponds to the highest temperature considered 550 °C (1 kg of KS per each kg of MF). However, the highest energy efficiency is found at lower pyrolysis process temperatures, near the auto-thermal operation temperature. The average efficiency of the analyzed energy system is 59.7%. Thus, the use of an integrated pyrolysis and torrefaction system could be an efficient alterative to be applied in small scale mills, to improve the KS energy density and valorize MF into biochar.

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Abbreviations

db:

Dry basis

wb:

Wet basis

pg:

Pyrolysis gas

tg:

Torrefaction gas

G:

Permanent gas

R:

Reactants

P:

Products

r:

Reaction

L:

Lost

s:

Sensible

l:

Latent

hr:

Heat of reaction

ch:

Char

t:

Tar

F:

Feedstock

g:

Gas

torr:

Torrefaction

@260 °C:

Process occurring at 260 °C

wt%:

Weight percentage (%)

\({W_{C,F}}\) :

Carbon content in the feedstock (kg/kg,F)

\({W_{H,F}}\) :

Hydrogen content in the feedstock (kg/kg,F)

\({W_{S,F}}\) :

Sulfur content in the feedstock (kg/kg,F)

\({W_{O,F}}\) :

Oxygen content in the feedstock (kg/kg,F)

\({W_{N,F}}\) :

Nitrogen content in the feedstock (kg/kg,F)

\({W_{Z,F}}\) :

Ash content in the feedstock (kg/kg,F)

\({h_{wv,T}}\) :

Water enthalpy of vaporization at reference temperature T (J/kgi)

\(\Delta {H_R}\) :

Energy content in the feedstock (MJ/kg,F)

\(\Delta {H_r}\) :

Energy consumed during the carbonization/torrefaction process (MJ/kg,F)

\(\Delta {H_P}\) :

Energy content in the products (MJ/kg,F)

\(\Delta {H_L}\) :

Energy loss during the carbonization/torrefaction process (MJ/kg,F)

\(\Delta {H_{R,s}}\) :

Sensible heat content in the pyrolysis reactants (MJ/kg,F)

\(\Delta {H_{R,l}}\) :

Latent heat content in the pyrolysis reactants (MJ/kg,F)

\(\Delta {H_{R,hr}}\) :

Heat of reaction in the pyrolysis reactants (MJ/kg,F)

\(T\) :

Temperature (°C)

\({W_{W,F}}\) :

Moisture content; mass ratio (kgmoisture/kg,F)

\(\Delta {H_{P,s}}\) :

Sensible heat content in the pyrolysis products (MJ/kg,F)

\(\Delta {H_{P,l}}\) :

Latent heat content in the pyrolysis products (MJ/kg,F)

\(\Delta {H_{P,hr}}\) :

Heat of reaction in the pyrolysis products (MJ/kg,F)

\({Y_j}\) :

Yield of the pyrolytic product “j” (kgj/kg,F)

\({M_j}\) :

Mass of pyrolytic product “j” (kg)

\(c{p_j}\) :

Specific heat of the pyrolytic product “j” (kJ/kg K)

\({T_j}\) :

Temperature of the pyrolytic product “j” (°C)

\({W_{pg}}\) :

Condensable species in pyrolysis gas (kgj/kg,F)

\({Y_{ch}}\) :

Yield of char (kgch/kg,F)

\({Y_G}\) :

Yield of permanent gas (kgG/kg,F)

\({Y_t}\) :

Yield of tar (kgt/kg,F)

\({W_{C,pg}}\) :

Carbon content in the pyrolysis gas (kg/kgpg)

\({W_{H,pg}}\) :

Hydrogen content in the pyrolysis gas (kg/kgpg)

\({W_{O,pg}}\) :

Oxygen content in the pyrolysis gas (kg/kgpg)

\({W_{N,pg}}\) :

Nitrogen content in the pyrolysis gas (kg/kgpg)

\({W_{S,pg}}\) :

Sulfur content in the pyrolysis gas (kg/kgpg)

\({W_{W,pg}}\) :

Pyrolytic water content in the pyrolysis gas (kg/kgpg)

\({M_C}\) :

Molar mass of carbon (kg/mol)

\({M_H}\) :

Molar mass of hydrogen (kg/mol)

\({M_O}\) :

Molar mass of oxygen (kg/mol)

\({M_N}\) :

Molar mass of nitrogen (kg/mol)

\({M_S}\) :

Molar mass of sulfur (kg/mol)

\({M_W}\) :

Molar mass of pyrolytic water (kg/mol)

\({W_{a,A}}\) :

Combustion air (stoichiometric and excess air) (kgair/kgpg)

\({M_{air}}\) :

Molar mass of air (kg/mol)

\({W_{VA}}\) :

Moisture content of combustion air (kgmoisture/kgair)

\({n_{CO2}}\) :

CO2 yield in the flue gas (kmol/kgpg)

\({n_{H2O}}\) :

H2O yield in the flue gas (kmol/kgpg)

\({n_{O2}}\) :

O2 yield in the flue gas (kmol/kgpg)

\({n_{SO2}}\) :

SO2 yield in the flue gas (kmol/kgpg)

\({n_{N2}}\) :

N2 yield in the flue gas (kmol/kgpg)

\(\Delta {H_{R,C~}}\) :

Energy content in the reactants of the combustion process (MJ/kgpg)

\(\Delta {H_{u,C}}\) :

Thermal energy in result of the combustion process (MJ/kgpg)

\(\Delta {H_{P,C}}\) :

Energy content in the products of the combustion process (MJ/kgpg)

\(\Delta {H_{L,C}}\) :

Energy loss during the combustion process (MJ/kgpg)

\(\Delta {H_{av}}\) :

Excess heat (MJ/kg,F)

\(\Delta {H_i}\) :

Heat from external sources (MJ/kg,F)

\({Y_{pg}}\) :

Yield of pyrolysis gas (kg/kg,F)

\({Y_{tg}}\) :

Yield of torrefaction gas (kg/kg,F)

\({\dot {\text{m}}_{{{torr}}}}\) :

Load capacity of the torrefaction process (kg,KS/kg,MF)

\({n_I}\) :

First law efficiency (%)

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Instituto de Fomento al Talento Humano-IFTH and The Republic of Ecuador. The first author acknowledges Gonzalo Mejía from ARMEL-GM for providing data and relevant insights regarding the Ecuadorian palm oil sector. The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology for the financial support through project PTDC/AAC-AMB/116568/2010 (Project no. FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-019346)-BiomAshTech—Ash impacts during thermochemical conversion of biomass and project UID/AMB/50017/2013 (CESAM) through national funds, co-funding by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020.

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  1. Department of Environment and Planning, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitario de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Mario A. Heredia Salgado, Luís A. C. Tarelho & Arlindo Matos

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Salgado, M.A.H., Tarelho, L.A.C. & Matos, A. Analysis of Combined Biochar and Torrefied Biomass Fuel Production as Alternative for Residual Biomass Valorization Generated in Small-Scale Palm Oil Mills. Waste Biomass Valor 11, 343–356 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-018-0467-7

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