Environmental and Economic Aspects of Combustion of Biomass Pellets Containing a Waste Glycerol

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the pine and sunflower husks pellets combustion without and with 5% addition of waste glycerol. Usefulness of pellets contained glycerol additions has been compared in terms of applicable quality standards for biomass pellets. 10 kW domestic biomass boiler has been employed for burning tested pellets. The consumption of analyzed fuels during boiler operation was determined. Effects of waste glycerol addition on CO2, CO, and NOx concentrations in exhaust gases have been also examined. The experimental results show that regardless of the type of raw material, a 5% addition of waste glycerol to pellets has nearly twofold decrease NOx concentration in flue gas and does not significantly affect changes of CO2 and CO concentrations. Therefore, the use of the waste glycerol as a binder for the production of pellets can be a simple and cost-effective solution of its utilization.