Effects of Water Leaching on the Ash Sintering Problems of Wheat Straw

Shibo Wu, Jiannan Chen, Daoping Peng, Zheng Wu, Qin Li and Tao Huang
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Shibo Wu: Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
Jiannan Chen: Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
Daoping Peng: Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
Zheng Wu: Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
Qin Li: Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
Tao Huang: Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Biomass energy has been used for decades in lieu of fossil fuels. However, biomass, such as wheat straw, typically contains a high concentration of alkali elements, which is likely to induce unfavorable conditions during combustion, such as slagging, agglomeration, and corrosion in the boiler. This study investigated the effects of leaching on the chemical compounds and sintering temperatures of wheat straw ash before and after leaching by tap water. Ash melting and sintering degree tests were conducted using hot-stage microscopy and a scanning electron microscope, respectively. The results show that the ash content in wheat straw decreased by 26.09% (from 4.14% to 3.06%) following leaching, as did the chlorine (Cl), sulfur (S), and nitrogen (N). Meanwhile, the ash-related elements such as potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and silicon (Si) reduced after leaching too. Additionally, the higher heating value increased slightly, from 19.25 to 19.53 MJ/kg. At the same time, leaching improved the ash melting temperatures of wheat straw during combustion and minimized the ash sintering degree. Similar results were also shown in scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, which clearly indicated that the leached samples had a lighter sintering degree than the original samples. Overall, the leaching process had a positive effect on the ash sintering problems of wheat straw.

Keywords: leaching process; wheat straw; sintering temperature; scanning electron microscope (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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