Assessment of potential tropical woody biomass for coal co-firing on slagging and fouling aspects

In order to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, woody biomass has been considered as a potential co-firing fuel in coal-fired power plants. However, there is a scarcity of comprehensive studies on the impact of high alkali and alkaline earth metal content in woody biomass, which can trigger ash-related problems. This study aims to address this research gap by conducting a comprehensive investigation of woody biomass as single fuel focusing specifically on ash-related problems and comparing them to coal. The investigation involved various method ologies, including theoretical calculation predictions, drop tube furnace (DTF) combustion experiments, ash morphology observations using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM- EDS), and ash mineralogy observations using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The results revealed that woody biomass ash contains higher level of CaO than coal, which contributes to higher ash fusion and lower ash deposition. However, combustion tests indicated that woody biomass poses a higher risk of slagging and fouling when compared to coal samples. The comprehensive evaluation of biomass combustion characteristics in relation to ash-related problems is important for understanding their potential for co-firing in modern power plants.