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Fuel characteristics of processed, high-fiber sugarcane
A study of treatment methods to improve the fuel characteristics of sugarcane variety B52298 was conducted. Two parent materials, whole cane (WC) and stripped cane (SC), were included in the study. The whole cane material was subjected to three treatments: (1) no treatment, WC-U; (2) a single millin...
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Published in: | Fuel processing technology 2003-04, Vol.81 (1), p.35-55 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
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Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | A study of treatment methods to improve the fuel characteristics of sugarcane variety B52298 was conducted. Two parent materials, whole cane (WC) and stripped cane (SC), were included in the study. The whole cane material was subjected to three treatments: (1) no treatment, WC-U; (2) a single milling, WC-M; and (3) an initial milling followed by leaching and a secondary milling, WC-MLM. Treatments (1) through (3) are in order of increasing severity. The stripped cane material was subjected to treatment (3) and designated as SC-MLM.
Regardless of parent material, milling produced moisture contents of ∼50% wet basis and fiber bulk densities of ∼97 kg m
−3 in the treated fuels and produced a shift in particle distributions toward smaller sizes. Geometric mean diameters (by weight) of the WC-U, WC-M, WC-MLM, and SC-MLM materials were 2.3, 1.8, 1.3, and 1.3 mm, respectively.
Ash generated from the fuel was reduced by roughly 1% (absolute) for each milling operation, resulting in reductions of ∼2% for the WC-MLM and SC-MLM treatments. Ash reduction was primarily due to the removal of K, Cl, and S by the treatment operations. Ash removal, in addition to reductions in the O content of the treated fuels, contributed to an increase in the energy content of the fuels from ∼17.6 MJ kg
−1 in the parent materials to 18.4 and 19.2 MJ kg
−1 for the WC-MLM and SC-MLM treatments, respectively.
K, Cl, S, and N concentrations were all reduced in the fuel by the treatments. K comprised ∼1.3% of the parent materials and Cl accounted for 0.65% and 0.83% of dry matter for the whole cane and stripped cane parent materials, respectively. Reductions in K concentration relative to the parent materials for the WC-M, WC-MLM, and SC-MLM treatments were 50%, 86%, and 91%, respectively. Cl was reduced 62% by the WC-M treatment relative to the unprocessed whole cane, and removal was essentially complete for the two leached treatments. Sulfur in the two parent materials accounted for ∼0.22% of plant dry matter. Compared to the parent materials, the WC-M, WC-MLM, and SC-MLM treatments removed 36%, 82%, and 86% of the S, respectively. Nitrogen concentrations in the stripped cane and whole cane parent materials were 0.48% and 0.37%, respectively. Nitrogen reduction by the WC-M, WC-MLM, and SC-MLM treatments was 12%, 27%, and 57%, respectively.
Ash deformation temperatures (oxidizing atmosphere) increased in the treated fuels compared to parent materials. Ash from the WC-MLM treatment did not a |
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ISSN: | 0378-3820 1873-7188 |
DOI: | 10.1016/S0378-3820(02)00252-7 |