Determining co-combustion characteristics, kinetics and synergy behaviors of raw and torrefied forms of two distinct types of biomass and their blends with lignite

In this study, the combustion characteristics and kinetics of various mixtures of both raw and torrefied rose pulp and red pine sawdust with each other and with Elbistan lignite were investigated in the context of lignocellulosic biomasses’ potential use as fuel. Ignition temperatures, peak temperatures, burnout temperatures, and comprehensive combustion indexes of the fuel mixtures were found to rise with the torrefaction process. This finding indicates that the fuel/combustion performance of the waste biomass can be improved by the torrefaction process. Moreover, the combustion behavior of rose processing waste and pine sawdust has been significantly improved by adding lignite to the samples to be torrefied. Average activation energies of raw pine sawdust, rose processing waste, and Elbistan lignite were found to be 178, 187, and 91 kJ mol–1, respectively. However, the activation energies of both raw samples and their mixtures with lignite as well as each other decreased with the torrefaction process. Furthermore, a synergistic effect was also observed during the combustion of the mixtures of both raw and torrefied biomass with Elbistan lignite.