Oxy-combustion of biomass in a circulating fluidized bed

The objective of this study was to investigate combustion characteristics of biomass (willow, Salix viminalis) burnt in air and O₂/CO₂ mixtures in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB). Air and oxy-combustion characteristics of wooden biomass in CFB were supplemented by the thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses (TGA/DTA). The results of conducted CFB and TGA tests show that the composition of the oxidizing atmosphere strongly influences the combustion process of biomass fuels. Replacing N₂ in the combustion environment by CO₂ caused slight delay (higher ignition temperature and lower maximum mass loss rate) in the combustion of wooden biomass. The combustion process in O₂/CO₂ mixtures at 30% and 40% O₂ is faster and shorter than that at lower O₂ concentrations.