Investigation of combustion and co-combustion characteristics of raw and thermal treated bamboo with thermal gravimetric analysis

• The potential of Bambusa multiplex (BM) as a co-fired fuel was tested.
• BM was torrefied and carbonized at temperature between 250 °C and 380 °C.
• The raw bamboo has the highest fuel reactivity and lowest ignition temperature.
• Thermogravimetric test was conducted on all samples along with coalA/bamboo blends.
• The DTG profiles of all samples show a synergistic common single independent peak.

The thermal behaviour and chemical characteristics of the bamboo species, Bambusa multiplex (BM), sourced from South Africa were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Torrefaction and low-temperature carbonization conditions were applied to samples of this plant at temperatures between 250 °C and 380 °C. The burning profiles for the raw and thermally treated bamboo samples co-fired with coal A at different ratios of coal inclusion were examined. The raw BM was found as the easiest to ignite fuel probably due to possessing the highest volatile matter content.Considerable differences in fuel characteristic were found between the raw and thermally treated BM samples. Raw BM was found to have a calorific value of 17.60 MJ/kg, whereas, torrefied and low temperature carbonized BM produced fuels of 23 MJ/kg and 28 MJ/kg, respectively. Further results attained in this investigation on basis of combustibility, has shown the relatively low ignition temperatures and highly reactive potential of torrefied bamboo samples.