Combustion

Biomass combustion simply means burning organic material. For millennia, humans have used this basic technology to create heat and, later, to generate power through steam. In the process of combustion, two ingredients (biomass and oxygen) are combined in a high temperature environment to form carbon dioxide, water vapor, and heat.

CH1.44O0.66 + 1.03 O2 = 0.72 H2O + CO2 (+Heat)

Note: CH1.44O0.66 is the approximate chemical equation for the combustible portion of biomass.

Benefits:

  1. Provides a relatively cheap fuel source
  2. Reduces reliance on fossil fuels
  3. Provides self-sufficiency, even during blackouts (except for pellet stoves that require electricity to run the auger motors and fans)

Drawbacks:

  1. Fuel quality and consistency can vary significantly
  2. Produces more indoor and outdoor air pollution than conventional heating fuels, even with the use of advanced combustion technology
  3. Creates the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning
  4. Can require cutting wood, as well as the skill to lay fires
  5. Requires regular tending and maintenance
  6. Fuel storage requires a lot of space

Process Flow Diagram

 

Equipment

 

Process videos

 

Glossary

Combustion

 

References

  1. http://www.extension.org/pages/31758/introduction-to-biomass-combustion
  2. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/ge_bib/biomass.htm
  3. http://www.extension.org/pages/31744/processing-biomass-for-combustion
  4. http://www.extension.org/pages/31757/using-combustion-heat-for-energy
  5. http://www.axpo.ch/axpo/en/neue_energien/verantwortung/erneuerbare_energienimueberblick/biomasse_verbrennung.html

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