Evaluation of PCDD/Fs and metals emission from a circulating fluidized bed incinerator co-combusting sewage sludge with coal

The emission characteristics of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans （PCDD/Fs） and heavy metals were evaluated during co-combustion of sewage sludge with coal from a circulating fluidized bed incinerator. The stack gas, slag and fly ash samples were sampled and analyzed. The gas-cleaning system consisted of electrostatic precipitators and a semi-dry scrubber. Results showed that the stack gas and fly ash exhibited mean dioxin levels of 9.4 pg I-TEQ/Nm3 and 11.65 pg I-TEQ/g, respectively, and showed great similarities in congener profiles. By contrast, the slag presented a mean dioxin level of 0.15 pg I-TEQ/g and a remarkable difference in congener profiles compared with those of the stack gas and fly ash. Co-combusting sewage sludge with coal was able to reduce PCDD/Fs emissions significantly in comparison with sewage sludge mono-combustion. The leaching levels of Hg, Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr, Cu, and As in the fly ash and slag were much lower than the limits of the environmental protection standard in China. These suggest that the co-combustion of sewage sludge and coal is an advisable treatment method from an environmental perspective.

Study of the kinetic behaviour of biomass and coal during oxyfuel co-combustion

In this study,the thermogravimetric analysis(TGA)method has been used to evaluate the kinetic behavior of biomass,coal and its blends during oxyfuel co-combustion.The thermogravimetric results have been evaluated by the Coats-Redfern method and validated by Criado’s method.TG and DTG curves indicate that as the oxygen concentration increases the ignition and burn out temperatures approach a lower temperature region.The combustion characteristic index shows that biomass to coal blends of 28%and 40%respectively can achieve enhanced combustion up to 60%oxygen enrichment.In the devolatilization region,the activation energies for coal and blends reduce while in the char oxidation region,they increase with rise in oxygen concentration.Biomass,however,indicates slightly different combustion characteristic of being degraded in a single step and its activation energies increase with rise in oxygen concentration.It is demonstrated in this work that oxygen enrichment has more positive combustion effect on coal than biomass.At 20%oxygen enrichment,28%and 40%blends indicate activation energy of 132.8 and 125.5 kJ·mol^-1 respectively which are lower than coal at 148.1 kJ·mol^-1 but higher than biomass at 81.5 kJ·mol^-1 demonstrating synergistic effect of fuel blending.Also,at char combustion step,an increase in activation energy for 28%blend is found to be 0.36 kJ·mol^-1 per rise in oxygen concentration which is higher than in 40%blend at 0.28 kJ·mol^-1.

Co-combustion of municipal solid waste and coal gangue in a circulating fluidized bed combustor

Mixed incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) in existing coal gangue power plant is a potentially highefficiency and low-cost MSW disposal way. In this paper, the co-combustion and pollutants emission characteristic of MSW and coal gangue was investigated in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) combustor. The effect of MSW blend ratio, bed temperature and excess air ratio was detailedly studied. The results show the NOX and HC1 emission increases with the increasing MSW blend ratio and the SO2 emission decreases. With the increase of bed temperature, the CO emission decreases while the NOX and SO2 emission increases. The HC1 emission is nearly stable in the temperature range of 850-950℃. The increase of excess air ratio gradually increases the NOX emission but has no significant effect on the SO2 emission. The HC1 emission firstly increases and then decreases with the increase of excess air ratio. For a typical CFB operating condition with excess air ratio of 1.4, bed temperature of 900℃ and MSW blend ratio of 10%, the original CO, NOX, SO2 and HC1 emissions are 52, 181, 3373 and 58 mg/Nm^3 respectively.

Study on Co-combustion Characteristics of Superfine Coal with Conventional Size Coal in O₂/CO₂Atmosphere

The pulverized coal combustion in O2/CO2 atmosphere is one of the promising new technologies which can reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and NOx. In this study, the combustion behaviors of different mixing ratio of Shenhua coal with 20 μm and 74 μm particle size in the O2/CO2 atmosphere and air atmosphere were studied by using a thermal-gravimetric analyzer. The combustion characteristics such as ignition and burnout behavior were investigated in the temperature from 20℃ to 850℃. The influence of mixing ratio on combustion characteristics was conduced. The results obtained showed that the ignition temperature of the two kinds of particle size in O2/CO2 atmosphere is higher than in the air, while the activation energy in O2/CO2 atmosphere is lower. With the increasing ratio of 20 μm superfine pulverized coals, the ignition temperature and the activation energy decreased, while the DTG peak value increased, the maximum burning rate position advanced. There were three trends for the ignition temperature curve with the increasing of superfine coal ratio: the ignition of the mixed coal decreased rapidly, then changed less, at last reduced quickly.

Numerical Simulation of Co-Combustion of Pulverized Coal and Different Proportions of Refused Derived Fuel in TTF Precalciner

Based on the theory of computational fluid dynamics(CFD),pulverized coal combustion alone,and the co-combustion of pulverized coal and refuse-derived fuel(RDF)in a Trinal-sprayed calciner(TTF)precalciner were simulated.The results revealed that when coal was used as a single fuel,the velocity field in the precalciner had good symmetry,and formed three spray effects and multiple recirculation zones.The main combustion zone was distributed in the lower tertiary air and pulverized coal area,and the highest temperature reached up to 1,500 K.According to the simulation results,the predicted decomposing rate of raw meal was 90.12%,which is in good agreement with the actual measured result.In addition,with the increase in RDF content,the average temperature of the furnace,the decomposition rate of the raw meal,and the NO_(x) concentration all exhibited a downward trend.Under the condition of ensuring the normal operation of the precalciner,blending with 20%RDF is the most reasonable strategy,and the NO_(x) emissions decreased by approximately 16%.

Catalytic co-combustion of biomass and brown coal in a fluidized bed:Economic and environmental benefits

The work is devoted to the study of combustion of brown coal,pine sawdust,and their mixtures in a fluidized bed of catalyst at 600-750℃.It is shown that an increase in the content of sawdust in a mixture with brown coal leads to an increase in the burnout degree of solid fuel from 94.4%to 99.9%,while the emission of greenhouse gases in the form of CO_(2)CO and NOxis reduced(CO_(2)from the biomass is not included in the balance).The high content of alkaline earth metal oxides(CaO and MgO)in the mineral part of brown coal,sawdust,and their mixtures eliminates the emission of sulfur oxides and the slagging of heat-exchange surfaces during the combustion in a fluidized bed of catalyst.The optimal temperature,when the highest burnout degree of the above fuels is achieved in the combustion is 750℃.It is also shown that the increase in temperature and the content of sawdust in the composition of the fuel mixtures has a positive effect on the economic and environmental process indicators.

Effect of Limestone on NO Emission during the Co-Combustion of Semi-Coke and Bituminous Coal

When semi-coke is co-combusted with bituminous coal with higher sulfur content in a circulating fluidized bed(CFB)boiler,the necessity of desulfurization in furnace increases.Meanwhile,limestone,which is a widely used desulfurizing agent,also has an effect on NO emission.In order to explore its effect during co-combustion,the combustion experiments were conducted in both a CFB test rig and a fixed bed reactor.The results show that blending semi-coke with bituminous coal will change the occurrence forms of nitrogen in the fuel and more fuel NO is released during the devolatilization stage.During the desulfurization process,CaO will be generated through the calcination reaction.It has catalytic effects on both the oxidation and reduction reactions of NO,and the catalytic strength in these two types of reactions decides the final effect on NO emission.For the blended fuel with 50%semi-coke and 50%bituminous coal(SC50BC50),the NO emission initially increases and then decreases as the Ca/S molar ratio increases from 0 to 4 at 900℃.Compared to the situation of burning semi-coke alone,semi-coke in the blended fuel has more opportunities to contact with CaO under the same Ca/S molar ratio,leading to the heterogeneous reduction reaction of NO enhanced.As the combustion temperature increases from 800℃ to 1000℃,the effect of limestone on NO emission will change from promotion to inhibition.This is because the higher combustion temperature can intensify not only the catalytic reduction of NO precursors in the dense-phase region,but also the reaction between NO and unburnt char in the dilute-phase region in the CFB.Besides,the lower O_(2) concentration in the atmosphere is also favorable for enhancing the catalytic effect of CaO on the NO-char reduction reaction for semi-coke and SC50BC50,so the conversion of fuel-N/NO will be inhibited compared with the cases without limestone.The achievements of this study are beneficial for the coordinated control of NOx and SO_(2) during the co-combustion of semi-coke and bituminous coal.

Emission characteristics of dioxins,furans and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during fluidized-bed combustion of sewage sludge

Pre-dried sewage sludge with high sulfur content was combusted in an electrically heated lab-scale fluidized-bed incinerator. The emission characteristics of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins （PCDDs）, polychlorinated dibenzofurans （PCDFs） and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） were studied. Coal and calcium oxide （CaO） were added during the sewage sludge combustion tests to optimize combustion conditions and control SO2 emission. The results indicated that the flue gases emitted during mono-combustion of sewage sludge were characterized by relatively high concentrations of SO2, NOx and organic pollutants, due to the high sulfur, nitrogen, and volatile matter content of sewage sludge. The total 16 USEPA priority PAHs and 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs produced from sewage sludge combustion were found to be 106.14 μg/m^3 and 8955.93 pg/m^3 in the flue gas, respectively. In the case of cocombustion with coal （msludge/mcoal =1：1）, the 16 PAHs and 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs concentrations were markedly lower than those found during mono-combustion of sewage sludge. During co-combustion, a suppressant effect of CaO on PCDD/Fs formation was observed.

Combustion Characteristics and NO Emissions during Co-Combustion of Coal Gangue and Coal Slime in O_(2)/CO_(2) Atmospheres

Coal slime has low ash content,and adding coal slime during coal gangue combustion may have influence on combustion character;and at this process,NO will emit,and lead to environmental pollution.O_(2)/CO_(2)atmosphere is conducive to NO emission reduction.Thus combustion characteristics and NO emissions during co-combustion of coal gangue and coal slime in O_(2)/CO_(2)atmospheres were studied.The results showed the addition of coal slime increased the combustion activity of the mixed fuels in both air and O_(2)/CO_(2)atmospheres.During co-combustion,there are synergistic effects between them at the fixed carbon combustion stage,and higher blending ratio of coal slime leads to stronger synergistic effect.Furthermore,this study also showed that with the increasing of coal slime blending ratio,the emission concentration of NO increases gradually;with the increase of temperature and O_(2)concentration,the NO emission concentration also gradually increases,and higher O_(2)concentration leads to shorter time required for the complete release of NO.Besides that,the results also demonstrate that the proportion of pyrrole and nitrogen oxide in the ashes increases with the increase of combustion temperature,and pyridine and quaternary nitrogen gradually disappear,while the total nitrogen content in ash decreases with the increase of temperature.The results will contribute to a better understanding of the co-combustion process of coal gangue and coal slime in O_(2)/CO_(2)atmosphere,and provide basic data for the practical industrial application of coal gangue and slime.

Combustion characteristics and synergy behaviors of biomass and coal blending in oxy-fuel conditions: A single particle co-combustion method

Co-combustion biomass and coal can effectively reduce the emission of CO_2. O_2/H_2O combustion is regarded as the next generation of oxy-fuel combustion technology. By co-combustion biomass and coal under oxy-fuel condition, the emission of CO_2 can be minimized. This work investigates the co-combustion characteristics of single particles from pine sawdust(PS) and bituminous coal(BC) in O_2/N2, O_2/CO_2 and O_2/H_2O atmospheres at different O_2 mole fractions(21%, 30% and 40%). The experiments were carried out in a drop tube furnace(DTF), and a high speed camera was used to record the combustion process of fuel particles. The combustion temperature was measured by a two-color method. The experiments in O_2/N2 atmosphere indicate that the particles from pine sawdust and bituminous coal all ignite homogeneously. After replacing H_2O for N2, the combustion temperature of volatiles of blended fuel particles decreases, while the combustion temperature of char increases. The ignition delay time in O_2/H_2O atmosphere is shorter than that in O_2/N2 or O_2/CO_2 atmosphere. The combustion temperature of volatiles of blended fuel particles increases as the mass fraction of bituminous coal increases, while the combustion temperature of char of blended fuel particles is higher than that of biomass or bituminous coal. The ignition delay time of blended fuel particles increases with the increasing mass fraction of bituminous coal, and the experimental ignition delay time of blend fuel particles is shorter than the theoretical one. These reveal a synergy during co-combustion process of pine sawdust and bituminous coal.

Investigation on Co-Combustion Kinetics of Anthracite and Waste Plastics by Thermogravimetric Analysis

In order to effectively recycle resource for the benefit of the global environment, the utilization of waste plastics as auxiliary injectant for blast furnaces is becoming increasingly important. Combustion kinetics of plastics-coal blends with 0, 10%, 20% and 40% waste plastics (WP) are investigated separately by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) from ambient temperature to 900 ℃ in air atmosphere. These blends are combusted at the heating rates of 5, 10 and 20 ℃/min. The results indicate that, with the increase of waste plastics content, the combustion processes of blends could be divided into one stage, two stages and three stages. The waste plastics content and heating rates have important effects on the main combustion processes of blends. With the increase of waste plastics content, the ignition temperature and the final combustion temperature of blends tend to decrease, while the combustion reaction becomes fiercer. With the increase of the heating rate, the ignition temperature, the mass loss rate of the peaks and the final combustion temperature of blends combustion tend to increase. The Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) iso-conversional method is used for the kinetic analysis of the main combustion process. The results indicate that, when the waste plastics content varied from 0 to 40%, the values of activation energy increase from 126.05 to 184.12 kJ /mol.

Atmospheric emission characterization of a novel sludge drying and co-combustion system

A novel system combining sludge drying and co-combustion with coal was applied in disposing sludge and its atmospheric emission characteristics were tested. The system was composed of a hollow blade paddle dryer, a thermal drying exhaust gas control system, a 75 tons/hr circulating fluidized bed and a flue gas cleaning system. The emissions of NH3, SO2, CH4 and some other pollutants released from thermal drying, and pollutants such as NOx, SO2 etc. discharged by the incinerator, were all tested. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans （PCDD/Fs） in the flue gas from the incinerator were investigated as well. The results indicated that the concentrations of NOx and SO2 in the flue gas from the incinerator were 145 and 16 mg/m^3, respectively, and the I-TEQ concentration of 2,3,7,8-substitued PCDD/Fs was 0.023 ng I-TEQ/Nm^3. All these values were greatly lower than the emission standards of China. In addition, there was no obvious odor in the air around the sludge dryer. The results demonstrated that this drying and co-combustion system is efficient in controlling pollutants and is a feasible way for large-scale treatment of industrial sludge and sewage sludge.

Influence of Biomass Co-combustion on Heating Surfaces Thermal Efficiency

Pulverized coal-fired(PCF) boilers were first and foremost intended to fire pulverized hard or brown coal. However, biomass co-firing has become a fairly common practice in the Polish power generation system and many existing boilers have been modernized to serve this purpose. This paper presents calculations of the coefficient of thermal efficiency of the boiler heating surfaces and of the time needed for complete reconstruction of deposits on the second-stage steam reheater(RHII) of an OP-380 boiler with the output of 380×10~3 kg/h. The boiler was equipped with a purpose-designed installation of direct feeding of biomass. The main co-fired fuels were wood and sunflower husk pellets. Intense formation of deposits on the steam reheater tubes and problems related to a reduction in the diameters of the tubes were identified during the power unit operation.

Capture efficiency of coal/biomass co-combustion ash in an electrostatic field

Ash samples from corn stalk and coal co-fired at 0%,5%,10%,15%,20%,and 100%biomass were collected by a 4-stage wire-pipe type electrostatic precipitator (ESP),and the ratio of 14C/12C in ash samples from the 0%,20%,and 100% co-firing scenarios were measured by an accelerator mass spectrometer.The differential capture efficiency in electrostatic fields for coal ash,coal/biomass co-combustion ash (co- ash),and pure biomass ash was studied separately based on the ratio 14C/12C.Other factors that may influence capture efficiency were analyzed,including microscopic morphology,resistivity,dust density, and particle size distribution.The results indicate that co-ash may be efficiently captured by ESP,while pure biomass ash could not.Co-ash capture was mainly concentrated in the first two electrostatic fields in the lab-scale ESP,and the overall capture efficiency exceeded 90%.Biomass addition decreased the resistivity of co-ash,and enhanced its surface adsorption capacity to form agglomerates,facilitating the capture of co-ash.The capture efficiency of coal ash in co-ash was higher than that of pure coal ash in the first electrostatic field of the ESP.Co-firing biomass can aid the removal of both coal ash and biomass ash when using an ESP.

Experimental and Numerical Study on Co-combustion Behaviors and NO_(x) Emission Characteristics of Semi-coke and Coal in a Tangentially Fired Utility Boiler

The utilization of powdery semi-coke as a power fuel in pulverized coal-fired power plants has become a new and potential technique to consume the excess powdery semi-coke.The characteristic of low volatile results in poor combustion performance and high NO_(x) emission,and to co-fire with bituminous coal is a practical strategy to address this problem.However,the co-combustion characteristics and the inherent interaction between semi-coke and coal remain insufficiently understood.In addition,the influences of secondary air arrangement,the boiler operation load,and the fuel type on co-combustion process are still unclear,which is urgent to be further explored.In the present study,experiments and numerical simulations were jointly utilized to inquire into the co-combustion behaviors and NO_(x) emission features of semi-coke and coal.The results demonstrated that the"out-furnace method"was a suitable choice for small-capacity boiler when the proportion of semi-coke was 33%,due to the limited combinations of the semi-coke injection position.It was recommended that semi-coke was preferred to be injected from the middle layers of the furnace under the"in-furnace method"to improve the overall co-combustion performance.The critical value of the separated over fire air ratio in this study was 27.5%,over which a slight drop of carbon content in fly ash could come about.Moreover,the elevation in the proportion of separated over fire air gave rise to the significant decline of NO_(x) concentration.The constricted secondary air arrangement was preferred to be employed due to the high boiler efficiency.The separated over fire air and the surrounding air needed to maintain a wide-open degree to prevent the increase of NO_(x) emissions and the coking of nozzles.For the load reduction regulation method adopted in this study,the NO_(x) concentration first rose and then dropped,while the burnout ratio decreased obviously as the operation load was reduced.Different combinations of coal and semi-coke generated significant influences on co-combustion behaviors within the furnace.The NO_(x )generated by high-volatile fuel (bituminous coal) combustion was mainly affected by volatile-N,while the NO_(x )generated by low-volatile fuel (semi-coke) was mainly impacted by char-N.This study is of guiding significance for the efficient and clean utilization and beneficial to the large-scale application of powder semi-coke in power plants.

Heavy Metal Migration Characteristics of Co-Combustion between Sewage Sludge and High Alkaline Coal on Circulating Fluidized Bed

The migration characteristics of heavy metals in co-combustion of sewage sludge and high alkali coal in circulating fluidized bed were studied by experiments and simulations. Temperature plays a crucial role in thermodynamic equilibrium distribution and migration characteristics of heavy metals. At the temperature range of 700℃-1200℃, Hg is completely gaseous and the proportion of Pb, Ni, and Cd in the gas phase is also high. As is mainly elemental in the system, and the proportion of Cr in the solid phase is large. Zn compounds are diverse and mostly solid materials. The volatility of Cu is not strong, and it will become gaseous when the temperature exceeds 1700℃. The proportion of heavy metals in the gas phase decreases as the excess air ratio increases. In an oxygen-rich atmosphere, most of Zn and Ni are converted to oxides;Pb and Cd are converted to crystalline silicate;Cu is converted to partial aluminate;Cr compound is decomposed to form Cr_(2)O_(3);they are good for the solidification and controlling of heavy metals. The elemental Hg is converted to HgCl_(2) and the elemental As is converted to AsCl_(3). Temperature also has a great influence on the volatilization rate of heavy metals. The higher the temperature, the shorter the time they reach the maximum volatility.

Investigating the co-combustion characteristics of oily sludge and ginkgo leaves through thermogravimetric analysis coupled with an artificial neural network

The co-combustion characteristics of oily sludge and ginkgo leaves(GL) in an oxy-fuel atmosphere are investigated via thermogravimetric analysis coupled with an artificial neural network. The combustion characteristics of blends improve as the GL mass ratio increases. The interaction indices used to evaluate the interaction between the two solid combustibles present a complex nonlinear relationship in different stages. The Flynn-Wall-Ozawa and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose methods are used to calculate the activation energy of the blends, which increases with an increase in the oxygen concentration, in different atmospheres. Compared with the radial basis function, the backpropagation neural network performs better in predicting the combustion curve of the blends.

Forms of potassium and chlorine from oxy-fuel co-combustion of lignite coal and corn stover

In this work,the forms of potassium and chlorine from oxy-fuel co-combustion of lignite coal and corn stover under atmospheric pressure were investigated.In order to check transitional stage,the feedstocks were combusted stepwise,first by pyrolysis to form coke under N2 environment and later by coke combustion into the ash at 850℃ in O_(2)/CO_(2) atmosphere.The results show that an increase in blend ratio from 15%to 40%results in an increase in water-soluble potassium in the feedstock and the ashes from 0.15%to 0.4%and 0.015%to 0.038%in weight respectively.The water-soluble potassium is present mainly as KCl and K2SO4.For ammonium acetate soluble potassium,a similar trend to water-soluble potassium is presented but with a much lower content of potassium.The bound potassium in the fuel matrix exists,likely in the form of AlKSi_(2)O_(6).Chlorides are present mainly in the form of KCl which is the dominant water-soluble compound.

Co-combustion of RDF and biomass mixture with bituminous coal:a case study of clinker production plant in Egypt

Cement clinker production in Egypt till 2013 relied mainly on fossil fuel as a primary energy source.However,with multiple fossil fuel shortages,the utilization of biomass wastes was initiated by multiple cement producers.In the current work,and to present an industrial-scale biomass and coal co-combustion study,the utilization of multiple biomass fuels to substitute a portion of bituminous coal was studied in an Egyptian clinker production plant.Mixtures of biomass fuels were used to reduce the consumption of bituminous coal and to investigate the diminishing of the environmental impact of the clinker production process.The current study was conducted during 8 days of the stable clinker production process by replacing 14%of bituminous coal with biomass mixtures while monitoring the major process control parameters and resulting emissions.Emission results were compared to the nation’s regulations.A conclusion can be made that using biomass mixtures as alternative fuels minimized the dependency on coal as the main fuel and reduced the CO_(2)burden of the cement produc-tion process.In addition,NO_(x)and SO_(2)emissions were declined while CO emissions were increased by utilizing biomass mixtures as alternative fuels;all emissions,however,were below the allowable limits stated by the Egyptian environmental authority.Noticeably,the heavy elements,dioxins,and furans were not changed significantly compared to those produced using coal only.

Behavior of alkali minerals in oxyfuel co-combustion of biomass and coal at elevated pressure

Combustion of biomass or coal is known to yield aerosols and condensed alkali minerals that affect boiler heat transfer performance.In this work,alkali behavior in the pressurized oxyfuel co-combustion of coal and biomass is predicted by thermodynamic and chemical kinetic calculations.Existence of solid minerals is evaluated by X-ray diffraction(XRD)analysis of ashes from pressure thermogravimetric combustion.Results indicate that a rise in pressure affects solid alkali minerals negligibly,but increases their contents in the liquid phase and decreases them in the gas phase,especially below 900℃.Thus,less KCl will condense on the boiler heat transfer surfaces leading to reduced corrosion.Increasing the blend ratio of biomass to coal will raise the content of potassium-based minerals but reduce the sodium-based ones.The alkali-associated slagging in the boiler can be minimized by the synergistic effect of co-combustion of sulphur-rich coal and potassium-rich biomass,forming stable solid K2SO4 at typical fluidized bed combustion temperatures.Kinetics modelling based on reaction mechanisms shows that oxidation of SO2 to SO3 plays a major role in K2SO4 formation but that the contribution of this oxidation decreases with increase in pressure.