Emissions during co-firing of RDF-5 with bituminous coal, paper sludge and waste tires in a commercial circulating fluidized bed co-generation boiler

Biomass fuel is the largest renewable energy resource and the fourth largest primary energy supply in the world. Because of its complex characteristics when compared to fossil fuel, potential problems, such as combustion system stability, the corrosion of heat transfer tubes, the qualities of the ash, and the emission of pollutants, are major concerns when co-firing the biomass fuel with fossil fuel in a traditional boiler. In this study, co-firing of coal with a biomass blend, including fuel derived from densified refuse, sludge, and waste tires, were conducted in a 130 ton/h steam circulating fluidized bed co-generation boiler to investigate the feasibility of utilizing biomass as a complemental fuel in a traditional commercial coal-fired boiler. The properties of the fly ash, bottom ash, and the emission of pollutants for various fuel ratios are analyzed and discussed in this study.