Russian synthetic new biomass fuel

Pyrolysis is the process of biomass decomposition, which can be carried out spontaneously. Specifically, the biomass is heated to a certain temperature until the process is carried out in a self-heating mode due to its own heat release. Scientists at Tomsk University of Technology The technology is reported in an article published in 'Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry'. The development of this technology will make biofuel energy production resources more efficient and more feasible.

Scientists report the results of two types of peat, such as pine wood chips, wood chips, straw, and the Arkadievsky and Sukhovskoe deposits in Tomsk State. They are the most common type of biomass in the region and are typical of the whole of Russia. Substance. To generate heat and energy, TPU scientists pyrolyzed these biomass, the process of thermally decomposing organic matter in an oxygen-free environment.

The picture shows the Arkadievsky peat in the Russian state of Somali. Image Source: Tomsk University of Technology

Worldwide, there is a large amount of organic matter that can be used as a biofuel. This fuel is more environmentally friendly than traditional fuels. However, the article's co-author, Butabakov Research Center's researcher Roman Tabakaev said: 'To replace or simply with The competition of fossil organic raw materials should make the production of biomass fuel more feasible.

One of the methods of generating heat from biomass is pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is the basis of many modern technologies. Although pyrolysis has been around for a long time, scientists do not agree whether the technology is energy efficient; some people think this is a An unprofitable and wasteful technology because it consumes energy to decompose organic matter. Studies conducted by TPU researchers have shown that the heat of heat interpretation is sufficient to sustain the process itself.

In the self-heating process, the reaction temperature is maintained by its own heat release. In fact, it reduces the cost of the process and improves the processing efficiency. The self-heating state is a process in which the magnitude of the thermal effect exceeds the heat cost. When the material decomposes, it should release more heat than it needs to heat it. To determine the value of these indicators - the thermal effects and thermal costs of a particular biomass type, the authors performed thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis, and Laboratory biological samples were experimentally processed.

'The experimental and analytical data obtained show that during the pyrolysis of straw, debris, sawdust and peat in the Sukhovskoy deposit, the heat released exceeds the heat required for heating. For peat from the Arkadievsky deposit, the thermal effect is lower than heating. Cost, 'Roman Tabakaev said.

This effect of straw and wood is related to the decomposition process of cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose during pyrolysis. These processes generate additional heat. In the pyrolysis of Sukhovskoy peat, this effect is due to cellulose, rot The decomposition of the acid and fulvic acid. Therefore, the difference between the heat received and the used heat of the dried straw sample is 654.5 kJ/kg, the chip is 282.0 kJ / kg, and the sawdust is 303.6 kJ / kg. , Sukhovskoy peat is 275.3 kg / kg.

'In the article, the calculations show the possibility of organizing this autothermal pyrolysis. This data was confirmed by recent straw physics experiments, which indicates that when the temperature of the straw reaches 365 °C, it continues to rise without additional Heating, independently reaching 430 ° C. The current task is to physically pyrolyze in the self-heating state, while continuously supplying raw materials to the reactor, for which we are now creating an experimental device, ' the scientist said.