Potential evaluation of thermochemical biomass Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth for operation in a fixed bed gasifier
Alvaro Henrique Lisboa Alécio1; Christiano Santos Rolim Filho1; Lucas Palmoni Medeiros Dantas1; KARLA MIRANDA BARCELLOS1
1 Universidade Federal de Alagoas
doi:10.20906/CPS/COB-2015-0949
Resumo
The unbridled growth of the industrial potential in the world, since the Industrial Revolution, caused a lot of environmental issues and these started a race for sustainable technological development where the scientific community needs to find out sustainable ways of industrial production, and one of those ways can be the use of biomass to support the necessary demand. Gasification is an alternative to the use of biomass, being defined as conversion of any solid fuel into an energy gas by partial oxidation at high temperatures (800ºC - 1000ºC). This conversion can be performed in various types of reactors: fixed bed or fluidized bed. The produced gas has many practical applications, like combustion in engines or turbines for power generation, in boilers and furnaces or as a source for the production of raw material to chemical synthesis. This project proposes a physicochemical evaluation from the biomass Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth, known as wood of "Sabiá", to be used as fuel in the gasification process. This biomass was chosen due to its incidence in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, where the study was conducted. The wood grows naturally in the northeast from the country and after the third year of planted is able to provide stakes for fences which indicates a good development of the same. The wood is also used for energy, since it has specific weight around 0,87 g/cm³ and a carbon content around 10%. Also presents a high lignin content, around 32,40%, and high density which gives to the wood, thrust potential for coal production, in other words, a high calorific potential, about 17kJ/kg, corresponding to 50% of the calorific power of petroleum coke. Then, we can say that the use of this biomass can have a great value to a thermochemical process, minimizing environmental risks and offering an efficient production.
Palavras-chave: gasification; biomass; sustainable