Reactivity characterization of municipal solid waste and biomass

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) Vol. 254; p. 115690
• Main Authors: Nikku, Markku, Deb, Anjan, Sermyagina, Ekaterina, Puro, Liisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15-10-2019; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Biomass; Calorific value; Composition; Fourier transforms; Incineration; Incinerators; Municipal solid waste; Municipal waste management; Nuclear fuels; Oxygen; Reactivity; Reactivity characterization; Reactors; Sewage sludge; Solid waste management; Solid wastes; TGA; Waste materials; Biomass; Reactivity characterization; Sewage sludge; Municipal solid waste; TGA
• ISSN: 0016-2361; 1873-7153
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2019.115690

•Several types of biomass and municipal solid waste sample characterized.•TGA and vertical tube reactor characterization results compared with each other.•The heating rate and particle size of the sample affect the characterization result.
The composition, heating value, and reactivity of different municipal and industrial solid waste materials were studied and compared with biomass and coal samples. Reactivity characterization was performed in a vertical tube reactor by dropping a pelletized sample on a porous grid and monitoring the conversion of the sample by Fourier-transform infrared spetroscopy. Samples were tested in ambient oxygen atmosphere at three temperatures typical to incinerator applications, and in reduced oxygen atmospheres, that better represents conditions near the fuel feeding points in incinerators. Thermogravimetrical analysis was used to analyze selected samples and reactivity information was compared with the vertical tube reactor results. This research provides information on the material composition and reactivity for utilization of munical solid waste and sewage sludge in incineration applications. Comparison of two characterization methods illustrates that the characterization method has a significant effect on the reaction rate results, with the implication that the reaction characterization method should be selected to represent the actual conditions of the application.