Effect of the Pyrolysis Process Applied to Waste Branches Biomass from Fruit Trees on the Calorific Value of the Biochar and Dust Explosivity

Bogdan Saletnik, Marcin Bajcar, Aneta Saletnik, Grzegorz Zaguła and Czesław Puchalski
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Bogdan Saletnik: Department of Bioenergetics, Food Analysis and Microbiology, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, College of Natural Science, Rzeszow University, Ćwiklińskiej 2D, 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland
Marcin Bajcar: Department of Bioenergetics, Food Analysis and Microbiology, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, College of Natural Science, Rzeszow University, Ćwiklińskiej 2D, 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland
Aneta Saletnik: Department of Bioenergetics, Food Analysis and Microbiology, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, College of Natural Science, Rzeszow University, Ćwiklińskiej 2D, 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland
Grzegorz Zaguła: Department of Bioenergetics, Food Analysis and Microbiology, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, College of Natural Science, Rzeszow University, Ćwiklińskiej 2D, 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland
Czesław Puchalski: Department of Bioenergetics, Food Analysis and Microbiology, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, College of Natural Science, Rzeszow University, Ćwiklińskiej 2D, 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-18

Abstract: The article discusses the findings related to the calorific value as well as the explosion and combustion parameters of dust from the raw biomass of fruit trees, i.e., apple, cherry, and pear branches, and from biochars produced using this type of biomass during pyrolysis processes conducted under various conditions. The plant biomass was thermally processed at 400, 450, or 500 °C for a duration of 5, 10, or 15 min. The study aimed to identify the calorific value of the biomass obtained from waste produced in orchards and to estimate the explosion hazard during the processing of such materials and during the storage of the resulting solid fuels. Tests were conducted to assess the total contents of carbon, ash, nitrogen, hydrogen, and volatile substances as well as the calorific value. The findings show a significant effect of the thermal transformation of fruit tree branches on the calorific value of the biochars that were produced. It was found that the mean calorific value of all of the biochars was increased by 62.24% compared to the non-processed biomass. More specifically, the mean calorific values of the biochars produced from apple, cherry, and pear branches amounted to 27.90, 28.75, and 26.84 MJ kg −1 , respectively. The maximum explosion pressure P max measured for the dust from the biomass and for the biochars was in the range 7.56–7.8 and 7.95–11.72 bar, respectively. The maximum rate of pressure rose over time ( dp/dt ) max in the case of the dust from the biomass, which was in the range of 274.77–284.97 bar s −1 , and the dust from biochar amounted to 282.05–353.41 bar s −1 . The explosion index K st max measured for non-processed biomass and biochars was found to range from 74.46 to 77.23 and from 76.447 to 95.77 bar s −1 , respectively. It was also shown that a change in the temperature and duration of the pyrolysis process affected the quality of the biochars that were obtained. The findings show that pyrolysis, as a method of plant biomass processing, positively affects the calorific value of the products and does not lead to an increased risk of explosion during the treatment and storage of such materials. It is necessary, however, to continue research on biomass processing in order to develop practices that adequately ensure safety during the production of novel fuels.

Keywords: fruit tree branches; pyrolysis; calorific value; explosibility; dust (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: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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