Resolving operational problems in fluidised bed boilers
Biomass residues including municipal solid waste, demolition wood, meat and bone meal often result in landfills with environmentally unfriendly consequences. Due to their high heating value, they may be utilised in fluidised bed plants for effective heat and power production. However, for particular biomass material, such as straw, operational problems may arise including superheater corrosion, fouling, slagging and deposition in the furnace. Straw is a very demanding biomass material bringing chlorine to deposits and causing bed agglomeration due to reactions of straw-originated alkalis with silicates in the bed sand. Urged by this the FBCOBIOW project focused on improving this situation for extending the use of biomass residues and thus, reducing environmental hazards from landfills. At the same time, the promotion of biomass material for energy production could significantly reduce the share of fossil fuels in power generation. The project work led to a new bed material that can be derived from a manufacturing process and allows straw combustion without bed agglomeration. In comparison to the commonly used bed sand, it is more resistant to bed agglomeration and it is less expensive than natural sand. This readily available material has already been successfully tested in a pilot plant. License agreements are sought.
