Controlled Batch Leaching Conditions for Optimal Upgrading of Agricultural Biomass

Abstract

Agricultural biomass presents a promising feedstock, which may contribute to a transition to low carbon fuels. A significant amount of research has identified a number of challenges when combusting agricultural feedstock, related primarily to energy value, ash, emissions, corrosion and combustion characteristics. The mitigation of such challenges can be addressed more cost effectively when dealing with large or utility scale combustion. The costs associated with harvesting, conversion, transportation and ultimately, market development all create additional roadblocks for the creation of an agricultural biomass industry. Nova Scotia, an Eastern Canadian province, has significant land resources, however it is prone to wet spring and as yet does not have a supply chain established for such an industry. The main components of supply, processing and conversion and demand simply do not yet exist. This research addresses one aspect of this supply chain by attempting to develop a fuel suitable for a) existing markets (local residential wood and wood pellet stoves and b) a scale that will support industry engagement. The outcomes of this research have determined that such a venture is possible and presents empirical preprocessing conditions to achieve a competitive agricultural fuel.

Leaching as a Pretreatment Process to Complement Torrefaction in Improving Co-firing Characteristics of Jatropha curcas Seed Cake

“…The relative ease of leaching of K and Cl from the untorrefied Jatropha is consistent with results from leaching studies conducted on other types of biomass -wheat straw [13], rice straw [9,12,13], olive-derived biomass [3], grassland herbage [27], switchgrass [15]. The extent to which these elements are removed by leaching is related to the mode in which they occur in the structure of the biomass.…”

“…However, most laboratory-based investigations employ soaking, i.e. submerging the biomass in water for a specific period of time [3,[10][11][12][13][14][15]. This method is favoured in laboratory-scale studies since it is simple to implement and allows variables such as the leaching time and/or water temperature to be controlled and hence their effect on the leaching efficacy investigated.…”