[Stoves] Biomass Reactor Systems Was: Re: Fuel Testing

[frank]

Stovers,
I would think it would be hard to determine the char from ash by just 
looking. One would need to determine the organic carbon content. And i 
would think the amount of char left is not only related to the fuel type 
but also to the design of the system.  So if we  had one system, several 
different known 'pure' fuels, same fuel placement and then tested the 
'left overs' for carbonates (fixed carbon?), organic carbon (char?), and 
ash (clay, inorganic minerals and salts) and knowing the fuel make-up 
from the 'list' we could get an idea what component in the fuel (lipids, 
resins, cellulose, protein, lignin) would produce the most char. We 
could do the same for the other components like pyrolysis gases.  With 
different systems the ratios will change but at least if one was 
interested in burning pyrolysis  gases (for example) they could lean 
towards a system design that would burn a type of fuel or configuration 
of the placement of the fuel (air flow around the fuel units)  in the 
'stove box'.

For the test on the left overs: One might take a weight, add HCl to 
dissolve the salts and carbonates (we could measure the carbonates at 
this point-or not), wash, centrifuge or filter to collect the 
non-soluble material (char and stones),  Measure the carbon or determine 
loss in weight after ashing to determine the char left.


Frank

AJH wrote:

>On Mon, 9 Oct 2006 23:44:38 -0400, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott wrote:
>
>  
>
>>It has not been mentioned that during this discussion there are basically
>>two categories of 'paper': 'mechanical paper' like kraft and cardboard boxes
>>and newspaper.  That should yield the 45% figure.  It is basically bashed up
>>wood.
>>    
>>
>
>Yes that was the sort of inference I was suggesting, mechanical pulp
>is used for things like brown paper and newsprint. The mill I supplied
>made the corrugated lining paper for cardboard, this was a semi
>chemical pulp cooked with sulphite liquor. "Good" paper has even more
>of the lignin removed and, as Crispin says, fillers like china clay
>added. So when we talk about yield of fixed carbon in the char we
>would need to refer it back to a dry ash free basis.
>
>Best paper was made from recycled linen, now this all suggests to me
>that for paper a low lignin content is better and this leads to the
>idea that good paper should have a lower char yield at typical
>charcoaling temperatures. Which brings us back to the original point
>that char from different biomass will differ but we haven't definitive
>proof that the char yield is proportional to lignin content, for any
>given temperature.
>
>AJH
>
>
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-- 
Frank Shields
Soil Control Lab
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