Effect of Torrefaction on the Properties of Corn Stalk to Enhance Solid Fuel Qualities

Jeeban Poudel and Sea Cheon Oh
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Jeeban Poudel: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kongju National University, 1223-24 Cheonan-Daero, Seobuk, Chungnam 330-717, Korea
Sea Cheon Oh: Department of Environmental Engineering, Kongju National University, 1223-24 Cheonan-Daero, Seobuk, Chungnam 330-717, Korea

Energies, 2014, vol. 7, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: This study presents the effects of torrefaction on the basic characteristics of corn stalks. Corn stalks were torrefied in a horizontal tubular reactor at temperatures ranging from 150 °C to 400 °C, for torrefaction periods varying from 0 min to 50 min. The torrefied corn stalk products were characterized in terms of their elemental composition, energy yield, ash content, and volatile fraction. The gaseous products were also analyzed. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the samples was carried out in order to obtain the apparent activation energy for the torrefaction of corn stalks. The weight loss data according to the degradation temperature were analyzed using three different methods. The energy and mass yield were found to decrease with an increase in the temperature, whereas the higher heating value (HHV) increased. From this work, it was found that the compounds with oxygen were emitted at a temperature lower than that for hydrocarbon gases and the temperatures of 290–330 °C were the optimum torrefaction temperatures for corn stalks.

Keywords: corn stalk; torrefaction; energy yield; mass yield; elemental analysis (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: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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