Comparative Analysis of Brazilian Residual Biomass for Pellet Production - Implementing Environmental and Resource Management - page 11

and transporting the ashes. Nevertheless, the development of a blend using lower
quantities of this material could be feasible.
Fig. 2.3. Ash content (water free) for different types of residues
The lower heating value shown in Figure 2.4 was used to define how much energy
is generated per amount of dried biomass. Rice husks presented the lowest heating
value. This was due not only to its high ash content ( Figure 2.3 ) , but also due to its
low quantity of elementary carbon (36.5%) and hydrogen (6.3%) compared to the
other biomass. In contrast, Eucalyptus sp. wood presented the best heating value.
This was due to its low ash content ( Figure 2.3 ) and high quantity of elementary
carbon (46.9%) and hydrogen (8.1%) in water free conditions.
Fig. 2.4. Lower heating value for different types of residues
The ash melting point has a direct effect on the slag formation. Furthermore, the
melting of ashes at low temperatures may cause corrosion in the furnaces. As
shown in Figure 2.5 , rice husks have a comparably low ash melting point. This al-
lied to its high ash content limited the use of this residue in the biomass mixtures.