TORREFACTION AND ASSESSMENT OF MAHOGANY SAWDUST FOR SOLID FUEL MANUFACTURING

As the interest in converting biomass into combustion fuels continues to grow, the process of torrefaction becomes increasingly significant. Torrefaction aims to enhance energy extraction by eliminating undesirable components (such as water, hemicellulose, and volatile matter) that contribute to poor ignition characteristics, excessive smoke generation, and low combustion efficiency when utilized for energy generation in boilers and blast furnaces. This study investigates the impact of torrefaction on the physiochemical and combustion properties of tropical biomass, specifically Mahogany Sawdust. The research involves conducting proximate and ultimate analyses on the raw tropical biomass and at varying torrefaction temperatures (200°C, 250°C, and 300°C). Thermal degradation testing is performed using Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), while Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) is employed to identify active functional groups present in both the raw biomass and the resulting torrefied biomass. Additionally, Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis is conducted to assess the morphologies of the untreated and torrefied biomass samples.

The findings indicate that biomass weight loss in response to temperature variation is notably pronounced at lower torrefaction temperatures (200°C and 250°C), while weight loss becomes relatively negligible at 300°C. In a fixed bed furnace, the change in sawdust mass yield between 10 minutes and 30 minutes at 200°C is approximately 10.77%, with an increase observed between 200°C and 300°C. The oxygen-carbon ratio derived from the ultimate analysis of torrefied biomass demonstrates a lower and more concentrated distribution on the Van Krevelin plot compared to that of the raw biomass. Thermal stability, as determined by TGA, follows a decreasing order of 300°C > 250°C > 200°C. TGA curves for raw sawdust and torrefied sawdust exhibit three main decomposition stages, with the torrefied sawdust curves shifting to higher temperatures. Energy yield from torrefied sawdust surpasses that of untreated sawdust. The optimal heating value of torrefied Mahogany Sawdust is 28.2 MJ/kg, a 44.62% increase over the raw sawdust’s heating value of 19.5 MJ/kg. FTIR analysis indicates that sawdust torrefied at 300°C possesses more C=C bonds compared to those torrefied at 200°C and 250°C. When employing first-order kinetic analysis, the conversion-temperature plot and ln g (α)-1/T plot for Sawdust exhibit a linear relationship with a regression coefficient (R²) of 0.7442. The strength of torrefied briquettes follows the order: 300°C > 250°C > 200°C. This study’s findings suggest that Mahogany Sawdust can serve as a renewable and environmentally friendly solid fuel alternative or potential substitute for coal.

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