Evaluation of Particle Fragmentation of Raw and Torrified Biomass in a Drop Tube Furnace

This study examines the particle fragmentation of raw and torrified biomass in a drop tube furnace (DTF). Biomass fuels studied included pine shells, olive stones and wheat straw. Both the raw and the torrified fuels were burnt in the DTF at 1100 °C. The results reported include burnout profiles and particle matter (PM) concentrations and size distributions measured along the DTF. The results reveal that (i) particle fragmentation does not occur during the combustion of raw and torrified olive stones; and (ii) particle fragmentation occurs during the combustion of raw and torrified pine shells and wheat straw, but torrefaction promotes particle fragmentation only in the case of the straw.