00311 Specific heat and thermal conductivity of softwood bark and softwood char particles

07 A review on technologies for production of ethanol from cellulosic biomass, including chemical or enzymic saccharification and subsequent ethanol fermentation The saccharification is classified into two methods, one employing a concentrated or diluted sulfuric acid, the other employing a yeast strain having cellulolytic enzymes. The topics include an approach for development of a new technology using a yeast having cellulase or xylose isomerase on its cell wall. 04/00311 Specific heat and thermal conductivity of softwood bark and softwood char particles Gupta, M. et al. Fuel, 2003, 82, (8), 919-927. Very few data exist regarding the thermal properties of softwood bark and therein derived softwood chars. This work describes the measurement of specific heat and particle thermal conductivity of softwood (SW), softwood bark (SB) and therein derived softwood char (SC). Differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) was used to measure the specific heat. At 313 Kc theimeasured specific heat was found to be 1172, 1364 and 768 J kg- K- for SW, SB and SC, respectively. The specific heat of SW and SB increased linearly from 1172 to 1726 and 1364 to 1777 J kg-r K-t, respectively, with an increase in temperature from 313 to 413 K. With an increase in temoerature from 313 to 713 K. the specific heat of SC doubled from 76’8 to 1506 J kg-t K-r and followed a ^ polynomial relationship with temperature. A modified Fitch . apparatus was constructed, calibrated and-used for measurement of particle conductivity of SW, SB and SC. The particle thermal conductivity of SB was found to be twice that of SC, i.e. 0.2050 and 0.0946 W m-’ K-l, respectively, at 310 K. The particle thermal conductivity of SW, SB and SC followed a linear increase with temperature. 04/00312 Study on co-firing of biomass with coal. Part (1). Low-temoerature ovrolvsis of biomass Xiao, J. e; al. Meita; .khudnhua, 2003, 26? (l), 61-66. (In Chinese) Based on the co-firing significances of biomass with coal, this paper introduces its research procedures and its primary study methods. Through the study on the changes of the three main agricultural residues (sawdust, rice hull and peanut shell) in weight loss, physical characteristics, proximate analysis, ultimate analysis and heat value during the process of pyrolysis with pyrolysis temperature of 220-300” and pyrolysis duration of 30-60 min, this paper draws a conclusion that the pyrolysis process of biomass is mainly conrolled by pyrolysis temuerature but less bv ovrolvsis duration. As nvrolvsis temoerature rises and pyrolysis duratibn extends, the following ch’anges occur: the weight loss rate of biomass rises by degrees; the biomass grindability improves gradually; in terms of proximate analysis, volatile matter content declines, fixed carbon and ash content ascends and moisture content declines dramatically; concerning ultimate analysis, the content of element oxygen continuously declines and the content of element carbon continuously increases, which leads to the sustaining increment of heat value. The study also reflects that all the properties of biomass approach to coal at the pyrolysis temperature of 270-300”. 04/00313 Synthesis gas production from steam gasification of biomass-derived oil Panigrahi, S. et al. Energy & Fuels, 2003, 17, (3), 637-642. Bioresources comprised of over 220 billion oven-dry tonnes (x4500 EJ) of annual production are potentially the world’s largest sustainable source of energy. At present technologies exist to pyrolyse biomass to produce a liquid product, namely, biomass-derived oil. This biomassderived oil has found a variety of applications. In this investigation, biomass-derived oil (BDO) is gasified to synthesis gas and gaseous fuels. The gasification reaction of BDO was carried out at 800” under atmospheric pressure in an Inconell tubular fixed-bed down-flow microreactor using mixtures of COz and Nz, and H2 and Na. Also, steam gasification was performed by feeding biomass-derived oil at a flow rate of 5 g/h along with steam (2.5-10 g/h) and nitrogen (30 mL/ min) as a carrier gas. The gas product essentially consisted of Hz, CO, CO,. CHd. CT. C? and Cd+ comuonents. Comoosition of various aas components ianged as &gas (Hz + CO) horn 75 to 80 mol-% including 48-52 mol % Ha, and CH4 from 12 to 18 mol %. Heating values of the product gas ranged between 460 and 510 BtuiScf. The present study shows that thereis a strong potential of making syngas, hydrogen, and medium-heating-value Btu gas from the stream gasification of biomass-derived oil. 04/00314 Tar removal from biomass-derived fuel gas by pulsed corona discharges Nair, S. A. et al. Fuel Processing Technology, 2003, 84, (l-3), 161-173. Tar removal from fuel gas obtained from biomass gasification offers a significant challenge in its deployment for power generation as well as for other applications such as production of chemicals by processes such as Fischer-Tropsch. The present investigation focuses on pulsed corona discharges for the mentioned objective. The paper is meant to give an overview of our developments in the area of pulsed power

Alternative

development for large-scale results as well as pilot-scale are presented.

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plasma processing. In addition, lab-scale results for tar removal on an actual gasifier

04/00315 The study of reactions influencing the biomass steam gasification process France, C. et al. Fuel, 2003, 82, (7), 835-842. Steam gasification studies were carried out in an atmospheric fluidized bed. The gasifier was operated over a temperature range of 700-900°C whilst varying a steam/biomass ratio from 0.4 to 0.85 w/w. Three types of forestry biomass were studied: Pinus pinaster (softwood), Eucalyptus globules and holm-oak (hardwood). The energy conversion, gas composition, higher heating value and gas yields were determined and correlated with temperature, steam/biomass ratio, and species of biomass used. The results obtained seemed to suggest that the operating conditions were optimized for a gasification temperature around 830°C and a steam/biomass ratio of 0.6-0.7 w/w. because a gas richer in hydrogen and poorer in hydrocarbons and tars was produced. These conditions also favoured greater energy and carbon conversions, as well the gas yield. The main objective of the present work was to determine what reactions were dominant within the operation limits of experimental parameters studied and what was the effect of biomass type on the gasification process. As biomass wastes usually have a problem of availability because of seasonal variations, this work analysed the possibility of replacing one biomass species by another, without altering the gas quality obtained. 04/00316 Two-step biogas reactor for the fermentation of liquid manure and biogas production Brachthaeuser, B. Ger. Gebrauchsmusterschrift DE 20,219,144 (Cl. C12M1/107), 15 May 2003, Appl. 20,219,144. (In German) The invention concerns a two-step biogas gas reactor for the treatment of vegetable, and animal biomass, in particular of liquid manure, whereby the reactor is provided with a pre-reactor container for the acidification into which the biomass is fed via a supply line and with a second main reactor container closed at the top for methane gasification. The biogas can be discharged from the top of the main reactor container, whereby the pre-reactor is at least partly located in the main reactor container and is provided with a siphon at its lower side meeting the above the substrate level in the main reactor. The twostep biogas reactor is suitable for the fermentation of liquid manure to produce fertilizer. 04/00317 Use of a natural oil byproduct as a reducedemissions enerav source Angelico, P. J. anzkicci, J. E. U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. US 2003 37,537 (Cl. 60-39.461; ClOLl/OO), 27 Feb 2003, Appl. 939,225. A natural oil byproduct,’ typically produced as a distillation residue (‘still bottom’) from distillation of an animal feed composition, is produced as the distillation residues following removal of a high-grade fatty acid composition The distillation residues can include an animal fat, a vegetable oil, free non-distillable fatty acids, unsaponifiable impurities, oxidized and polymerized fatty material, and unhydrolysed fats and oils. Such initial animal feed compositions can include coconut oil, soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil, tallow, and animal greases. When used as an energy source, the natural oil byproduct is burned with a supplemental fuel, such as Number 2 fuel oil, Number 6 residual fuel oil, and coal, with resulting lower emissions of NO,, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and airborne particles. 04/00318 Utilization of biomass as carbon source by using sensible heat of coke Hashimoto, S. Jpn. Kokai Tokkyo Koho JP 2003 129,061 (Cl. ClOB391 02), 8 May 2003, Appl. 20011322,411. (In Japanese) The invention relates to a method for carbonization of biomass by using a coke dry-cooling device by using a bucket car. Biomass is place in the bucket car before or at the same time when the hot coke is placed in the car, for carbonization of the biomass with the sensible heat of the hot coke. Carbon (e.g. coke powder or granules) is obtained from the biomass without deterioration of quality of the coke. The sensible heat of the coke is effectively utilized.

Geothermal energy 04100319 Decarbonation of geothermal waters by seeding with aragonite crystals coupled with air bubbling El Fil, H. et al. Applied Geochemistry, 2003, 18, (8), 1137-1148. During the cooling of the geothermal water of Chott El-Fejjej (Tunisia), considerable scaling occurred in the inlet to the tower. To attempt to resolve this problem, decarbonation (CaCOs precipitation) induced by seeding, with aragonite crystals recovered on site, coupled Fuel

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