Investigation of the Olive Mill Solid Wastes Pellets Combustion in a Counter-Current Fixed Bed Reactor

Abstract

Combustion tests and gaseous emissions of olive mill solid wastes pellets (olive pomace (OP), and olive pits (OPi)) were carried out in an updraft counter-current fixed bed reactor. Along the combustion chamber axis and under a constant primary air flow rate, the bed temperatures and the mass loss rate were measured as functions of time. Moreover, the gas mixture components such as O2, organic carbon (Corg), CO, CO2, H2O, H2, SO2, and NOx (NO + NO2) were analyzed and measured. The reaction front positions were determined as well as the ignition rate and the reaction front velocity. We have found that the exhaust gases are emitted in acceptable concentrations compared to the combustion of standard wood pellets reported in the literature (EN 303-5). It is shown that the bed temperature increased from the ambient value to a maximum value ranging from 750 to 1000 °C as previously reported in the literature. The results demonstrate the promise of using olive mill solid waste pellets as an alternative biofuel for heat and/or electricity production.

Energetic Valorisation of Olive Biomass: Olive-Tree Pruning, Olive Stones and Pomaces

“…Other authors carried out the combustion of OS pellets in a 40 kW counter-current fixed bed reactor and assessed some combustion parameters. The results achieved with OS pellets were quite similar to those obtained with the standard wood pellets that are used currently in European biomass markets [115].…”

Densification and Combustion of Cherry Stones

“…Wongsiriamnuay and Tippayawong [15] in their work describe the problem of developing post-production maize waste, proposing the production of fuel pellets from them. The tests carried out on a laboratory bench with a closed chamber show that the produced pellet had favorable physical properties, in other words, a density of more than 1000 kg•m −3 (db) if the compaction temperature was higher than 80 • C. Mami et al [16] found that the gaseous emissions from olive waste pellets are produced in acceptable concentrations compared to Germany and European standards and the quality of pellets obtained in their experiment was similar to standard wood pellets, which are used currently in European markets.…”

Gasification of biofuels blended from olive mill solid wastes and pine sawdust under different carbon dioxide/nitrogen atmospheres

“…Note that biomass can be valorized energetically by three routes: physicochemical, biochemical and thermochemical [14] routes. The thermochemical route includes pyrolysis [15,16], combustion [17,18], gasification [19,20] etc. In the present study, two different processes were investigated: an isothermic pyrolysis for producing charcoal in a horizontal furnace, and then a gasification of the prepared charcoal in a Macro-TG.…”