Reactivity and Kinetic Analysis of Biomass during Combustion

Abstract

The combustion experiments of four different biomass samples were conducted under different heating rates using the thermogravimetric analyzer. Combustion characteristic curves and combustion characteristic parameters were acquired. The research results showed that the combustion process of biomass can be broadly separated into three stages: evaporation of water, release and combustion of volatile, combustion of fixed carbon. The biomass has an advantage of low ignition and burnout temperature, as well as high combustion rate. The result showed feasibility of using the first order reaction model to solve the kinetic parameters of biomass combustion. The reactivity was evaluated using the reactivity index, and the result showed that cornstalk has a superior reactivity while sawdust has an inferior reactivity. Through comparison of model and experimental reactivity, it gives a farther explanation that Coats-Redfern equation is suitable to analyze the biomass combustion reaction.