Mineral concentrations in solid fuels from European semi-natural grasslands after hydrothermal conditioning and subsequent mechanical dehydration

Hensgen, Frank; Bühle, Lutz; Donnison, Iain S.; Frasier, Mariecia; Vale, J.S.; Corton, John; Heinsoo, Katrin; Melts, Indrek; Wachendorf, M.

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2012.05.035

Cited by 39 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Compared to other research results from semi-natural grassland biomass [9,10,18,19], the mineral concentration values for the L0 biomass are within the expected range for biomass harvested in June; however, the values for the L100 samples for Ca, Mg and N were considerably higher. This corresponds with previous findings, which likewise found higher mineral content, particularly for Ca, Mg and N [20,21], in legumes and other dicotyledonous plants compared to grasses.…”

Section: Chemical Composition Of Silage and Press Cakecontrasting

confidence: 55%

“…The PF is used in anaerobic digestion for biogas production and the PC is used to produce a solid fuel in the form of briquettes or pellets. The IFBB system has been investigated using semi-natural grassland biomass and has proven useful in the production of a low mineral solid fuel by high mass flows of elements detrimental for combustion into the PF [10]. The resulting PF is an easily degradable input for anaerobic digestion [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effect of the Invasive Plant Species Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. on Energy Recovery Parameters of Semi-Natural Grassland Biomass

Hensgen

Wachendorf

2016

Sustainability

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Biodiversity of semi-natural grasslands is increasingly endangered by successful invasive plant species such as the legume Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. In order to contain the propagation of this plant species, early and regular harvesting needs to be applied. Therefore, a form of utilization for the harvested biomass has to be developed. One opportunity could be the use of the biomass as a feedstock for biogas and solid fuel production. This study investigates the effect of L. polyphyllus on the nutrient and mineral composition in a mixture series with semi-natural grassland biomass and examines the changes in nutrient and mineral content through hydrothermal conditioning and mechanical dewatering of silage. Untreated lupine-invaded biomass has higher N and Mg concentrations, but lower Cl, K and S concentrations compared to the semi-natural grassland biomass. The mineral concentrations in the biomass exceeded recommendations for combustion. However, with the proposed pre-treatment of hydrothermal conditioning and subsequent dewatering, both lupine-containing and lupine-free semi-natural grassland biomass could achieve adequate values for combustion, given that a state-of-the-art combustion technique is used, including measures to reduce emissions of NO x and particulate matter. Thus, solid fuel production through hydrothermal conditioning and mechanical separation may offer a practical solution for the containment of lupine or other invasive species in semi-natural grasslands and may constitute an important element for sustainable bioenergy production.

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Section: Chemical Composition Of Silage and Press Cakecontrasting

confidence: 55%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of the Invasive Plant Species Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. on Energy Recovery Parameters of Semi-Natural Grassland Biomass

Hensgen

Wachendorf

2016

Sustainability

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“…The washing and mechanical dehydration led to a significant improvement with values between 4 and 8. This is due to the high wash out rate of Cl, which is relatively higher than that of S [14].…”

Section: Indicesmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Thereby, a fibre-rich press cake and a press fluid are produced, the press fluid containing the main proportion of minerals. The feasibility of the technique is well investigated for grass of different origins including semi-natural material [14] and mixtures of semi-natural with urban biomass (e.g., lawn cut; [15]). First investigations with leaf litter showed that the effect of IFBB treatment on ash reduction was not as large as for grass material [4], so the authors considered introducing a washing step prior to dehydration to eliminate problems caused by soil particles adhering to leaf litter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Quality Solid Fuel Production from Leaf Litter of Urban Street Trees

et al. 2016

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Leaf litter is a growing concern for cities. Due to adherent dirt such biomass is rarely utilized nowadays but may constitute a renewable energy source for communities or private households. Leaf litter from main roads, residential areas and city centres collected by the vacuum technique or the sweeper technique was sampled and analysed for ash content and chemical composition. Ash content of leaf litter collected by the sweeping technique was higher (21.6%-40.1% dry matter, DM) than in material collected by the vacuum technique (12.0%-21.7% DM). Leaf litter from residential areas had the highest contamination (21.7%-40.1% DM), followed by main roads (20.8%-26.2% DM) and city centres (12.0%-21.6% DM). Ash content was reduced by up to 60% with a washing treatment and reached values comparable to those achieved by multiple manual rinsing, which was conducted as a reference treatment. The chemical composition of washed leaf litter could be further improved by mechanical dehydration treatment due to a reduction in harmful elements for combustion such as K, Cl, Mg and S. Heating value of leaf litter increased and the risk of corrosion and ash melting during combustion were reduced.

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“…Herbaceous material regularly contains considerable amounts of Cl. Hensgen et al [25], for instance, measured Cl concentrations of about 0.4% DM in semi-natural grassland and Aho et al [26] report Cl concentrations of about 0.5% DM in both wheat straw and corn stover.…”

Section: Suitability Of Raw Materials and Press Cakes For Combustionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Generation from Horse Husbandry Residues by Anaerobic Digestion, Combustion, and an Integrated Approach

2017

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Horse-related activities often occur close to urban areas, where acreage for horse manure disposal is scarce, and subsequently alternative recovery options are necessary. Anaerobic digestion, direct combustion, and the integrated generation of solid fuel and biogas from biomass (IFBB) process are potential techniques focusing on energy provision. In this study, samples of horse faeces were analysed for chemical composition as pure feedstock and in mixture with straw or wood shavings, as well as for energy yield by biogas production or from combustion of solid fuel. It was observed that chemical properties of faeces, in a mixture with wood shavings, were promising for direct combustion, but achieved low methane yields. The methane yield of pure faeces and the straw mixture was 222.33 ± 13.60 and 233.01 ± 31.32 l N ·kg −1 volatile solids (VS) added , respectively. The IFBB process divided the biomass into a press cake with reduced mineral concentration and a press fluid. Methane yields of press fluids were low (108.2 l N ·kg −1 VS added , on average). The chemical composition of the press cake allowed for combustion and led to a higher gross energy potential than anaerobic digestion (two-fold higher for pure manure and the mixture with straw, and five-fold higher for the mixture with shavings). Consequently, the gross energy potential of IFBB is higher compared to anaerobic digestion, however it should be noted that local conditions might favour the implementation of anaerobic digestion.

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Mineral concentrations in solid fuels from European semi-natural grasslands after hydrothermal conditioning and subsequent mechanical dehydration

Cited by 39 publications

References 18 publications

The Effect of the Invasive Plant Species Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. on Energy Recovery Parameters of Semi-Natural Grassland Biomass

The Effect of the Invasive Plant Species Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. on Energy Recovery Parameters of Semi-Natural Grassland Biomass

High-Quality Solid Fuel Production from Leaf Litter of Urban Street Trees

Energy Generation from Horse Husbandry Residues by Anaerobic Digestion, Combustion, and an Integrated Approach

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