Major gaseous and PAH emissions from a fluidized-bed combustor firing rice husk with high combustion efficiency

This experimental work investigated major gaseous (CO and NOx) and PAH emissions from a 400 kWth fluidized-bed combustor with a cone-shaped bed (referred to as ‘conical FBC’) firing rice husk with high, over 99%, combustion efficiency. Experimental tests were carried out at the fuel feed rate of 80 kg/h for different values of excess air (EA). As revealed by the experimental results, EA had substantial effects on the axial CO and NOx concentration profiles and corresponding emissions from the combustor. The concentration (mg/kg-ash) and specific emission (μg/kW h) of twelve polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), acenaphthylene, fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, were quantified in this work for different size fractions of ash emitted from the conical FBC firing rice husk at EA = 20.9%. The total PAHs emission was found to be predominant for the coarsest ash particles, due to the effects of a highly developed internal surface in a particle volume. The highest emission was shown by acenaphthylene, 4.1 μg/kW h, when the total yield of PAHs via fly ash was about 10 μg/kW h.