title: Emissions from the combustion of eucalypt and pine chips in a fluidized bed reactor.
abstract: Interest in renewable energy sources has increased in recent years due to environmental concerns about global warming and air pollution, reduced costs and improved efficiency of technologies. Under the European Union (EU) energy directive, biomass is a suitable renewable source. The aim of this study was to experimentally quantify and characterize the emission of particulate matter (PM2.5) resulting from the combustion of two biomass fuels (chipped residual biomass from pine and eucalypt), in a pilot-scale bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) combustor under distinct operating conditions. The variables evaluated were the stoichiometry and, in the case of eucalypt, the leaching of the fuel. The CO and PM2.5 emission factors were lower when the stoichiometry used in the experiments was higher (0.33±0.1 g CO/kg and 16.8±1.0 mg PM2.5/kg, dry gases). The treatment of the fuel by leaching before its combustion has shown to promote higher PM2.5 emissions (55.2±2.5 mg/kg, as burned). Organic and elemental carbon represented 3.1 to 30 wt.% of the particle mass, while carbonate (CO3(2-)) accounted for between 2.3 and 8.5 wt.%. The particulate mass was mainly composed of inorganic matter (71% to 86% of the PM2.5 mass). Compared to residential stoves, BFB combustion generated very high mass fractions of inorganic elements. Chloride was the water soluble ion in higher concentration in the PM2.5 emitted by the combustion of eucalypt, while calcium was the dominant water soluble ion in the case of pine.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: L A C
authors.initials: LAC
authors.lastname: Tarelho
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.affiliation: Regional Centre for Air Quality Monitoring, Environmental Monitoring Sector ARPA, Lombardia, 20129 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colombi
authors.affiliation: Regional Centre for Air Quality Monitoring, Environmental Monitoring Sector ARPA, Lombardia, 20129 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gianelle
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Bahia, Chemical Institute, 40170-290, Campus de Ondina, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: G O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: da Rocha
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Sustainable Chemistry (CIQSO), Joint Research Unit to CSIC "Atmospheric Pollution", University of Huelva, Campus El Carmen, Huelva, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanchez de la Campa
authors.affiliation: Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. Electronic address: celia.alves@ua.pt.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Alves
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005052:Eucalyptus; D017745:Incineration / Q000379:methods*; D028223:Pinus
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants
keywords: Biomass; Chemical composition; Combustion; Fluidized bed; PM(2.5) emissions