Co-combustion of different sewage sludge and coal: a non-isothermal thermogravimetric kinetic analysis

The kinetics of the combustion of coal, two different sewage sludge and their blends (containing different dried weight percentages of sewage sludge) was studied by simultaneous thermogravimetric analysis. Once the weight percentage of sludge in the blend was 10%, the effects on the combustion of coal were hardly noticeable in terms of weight loss. The Arrhenius activation energy corresponding to the co-combustion of the blends was evaluated by non-isothermal kinetic analysis. This showed that, though differences between coal and sewage sludge, the combustion of their blends kept kinetically alike to that of the coal. This work illustrates how thermogravimetric analysis may be used as an easy rapid tool to asses, not only mass loss, but also kinetics of the co-combustion of sewage sludge and coal blends.     

Investigations into the pyrolytic behaviour of coal/biomass blends using thermogravimetric analysis

Investigations into the pyrolytic behaviour during co-pyrolysis of coal, biomass materials and coal/biomass blends prepared at different ratios (10:90, 20:80, 30:70 and 50:50) have been conducted using a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) apparatus. The coal sample selected was Collie sub-bituminous coal from Western Australia, while wood waste (WW) and wheat straw (WS) were used as biomass samples. Three thermal events were identified during the pyrolysis. The first two were dominated by the biomass pyrolysis, while the third was linked to the coal pyrolysis, which occurred at much higher temperatures. No interactions were seen between the coal and biomass during co-pyrolysis. The pyrolytic characteristics of the blends followed those of the parent fuels in an additive manner. Among the tested blends, 20:80 blends showed the lowest activation energies of 90.9 and 78.7 kJmol(-1) for coal/WW and coal/WS blends respectively. The optimum blend ratio for pyrolysis of coal/WS was 50:50 with a high degradation rate in all the thermal events and a higher mass loss over the course of the co-pyrolysis compared to coal/WW blends examined. The reaction orders in these experiments were in the range of 0.21-1.60, thus having a significant effect on the overall reaction rate. Besides the pyrolysis of coal alone, the 50:50 coal/biomass blends had the highest reaction rate, ranging 1x10(9)-2x10(9) min(-1). The experimental results may provide useful data for power generation industries for the development of co-firing options with biomass.     

Experimental study on effects of moisture content on combustion characteristics of simulated municipal solid wastes in a fixed bed

A fixed-bed experimental reactor was employed to reveal the combustion characteristics in simulated municipal solid waste (MSW) beds. Temperature distributions, ignition front velocity, bed weight were measured during combustion and gas analysis was also performed for O2, CO2, CO, CxHy, NO, HCN. The moisture content in MSW was varied. For higher moisture content, the drying of material was finished much later and the ignition front temperatures, ignition front velocity and overall burning rate were found to drop. The average concentration of CO and CO2 from the bed was inversely proportional to the moisture level, and the highest concentrations of CO and CxHy were observed at middle level of investigated fuel moisture content. Measurements showed that NO and HCN emitted from the bed and reached the peaks simultaneously with the volatile matters, and the conversion ratio of fuel nitrogen to NO and average concentration of NO decreased with increasing moisture content.     

Combustion behaviors of a compression-ignition engine fueled with diesel/methanol blends under various fuel delivery advance angles

A stabilized diesel/methanol blend was described and the basic combustion behaviors based on the cylinder pressure analysis was conducted in a compression-ignition engine. The study showed that increasing methanol mass fraction of the diesel/methanol blends would increase the heat release rate in the premixed burning phase and shorten the combustion duration of the diffusive burning phase. The ignition delay increased with the advancing of the fuel delivery advance angle for both the diesel fuel and the diesel/methanol blends. For a specific fuel delivery advance angle, the ignition delay increased with the increase of the methanol mass fraction (oxygen mass fraction) in the fuel blends and the behaviors were more obvious at low engine load and/or high engine speed. The rapid burn duration and the total combustion duration increased with the advancing of the fuel delivery advance angle. The centre of the heat release curve was close to the top-dead-centre with the advancing of the fuel delivery advance angle. Maximum cylinder gas pressure increased with the advancing of the fuel delivery advance angle, and the maximum cylinder gas pressure of the diesel/methanol blends gave a higher value than that of the diesel fuel. The maximum mean gas temperature remained almost unchanged or had a slight increase with the advancing of the fuel delivery advance angle, and it only slightly increased for the diesel/methanol blends compared to that of the diesel fuel. The maximum rate of pressure rise and the maximum rate of heat release increased with the advancing of the fuel delivery advance angle of the diesel/methanol blends and the value was highest for the diesel/methanol blends.     

Nitrogen conversion under rapid pyrolysis of two types of aquatic biomass and corresponding blends with coal

Rapid pyrolysis of two types of aquatic biomass (blue-green algae and water hyacinth), and their blends with two coals (bituminous and anthracite) was carried out in a high-frequency furnace. Nitrogen conversions during rapid pyrolysis of the two biomass and the interactions between the biomass and coals on nitrogen conversions were investigated. Results show that little nitrogen retained in char after the biomass pyrolysis, and NH₃ yields were higher than HCN. During co-pyrolysis of biomass and coal, interactions between biomass and coal decreased char-N yields and increased volatile-N yields, but the total yields of NH₃ + HCN in volatile-N were decreased in which HCN formations were decreased consistently, while NH₃ formations were only decreased in the high-temperature range but promoted in the low-temperature range. Interactions between blue-green algae and coals are stronger than those between water hyacinth and coal, and interactions between biomass and bituminous are stronger than those between biomass and anthracite.     

Pyrolysis and combustion behaviour of coal-MBM blends

In the present work, thermogravimetric analysis was employed in order to investigate the behaviour of MBM and their blends with Greek brown coal, under pyrolysis and combustion conditions. MBM presented enhanced pyrolysis rates reflecting its high volatile and low ash contents compared to Greek brown coal. Increased conversion rates were observed when MBM was added in the brown coal sample. Significant interactions were detected between the two fuel blend components leading to significant deviations from the expected behaviour. The catalytic effect of mineral matter on the pyrolysis of MBM resulted in reaction rate decrease and DTG curve shift to lower temperatures for the demineralised MBM. Alterations in the combustion process due to the mineral matter were minimal when testing the blends. Interactions maintained during combustion and lower reactivity of MBM was achieved due to the reduced oxygen content.     

Crystallization behavior and environmental biodegradability of the blend films of poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) with chitin and chitosan

Crystallization behavior and environmental biodegradability were investigated for the films of bacterial poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB) blends with chitin and chitosan. The blend films showed X-ray diffractive peaks that arose from the PHB crystalline component. It was suggested that the lamellar thickness of the PHB crystalline component in the blends was large enough to show detectable X-ray diffractive peaks, but this was too small to show observable melting endotherm in the DSC thermogram and the crystalline band absorption in the FT-IR spectrum. In the PHB/chitin and PHB/chitosan blends, thermal transition temperatures of PHB amorphous region observed by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis were almost the same as that of neat PHB. Both the PHB/chitin and the PHB/chitosan blend films biodegraded in an environmental medium. Several blend films showed faster biodegradation than the pure-state component polymers.     

昆明地区15种常见木本植物活枝的燃烧性

为分析比较不同植物活枝的燃烧性,在森林防火戒严期内,对昆明地区15种常见木本植物中小径级的活枝进行了热辐射引燃试验,对小径级的活枝进行了氧指数试验。在测定样品直径、含水率、引燃时间、有焰燃烧时间、试验过程中烟气温度和质量损失变化过程等基础上,提出并计算了表征活枝燃烧性能的综合燃烧特性参数S,根据该参数对15种植物中小径级活枝的燃烧性能进行了排序。结果表明,15种植物小径级的活枝均具有较强的阻燃性,燃烧性能顺序为:云南松<野八角<华山松<滇青冈<地盘松<云南樟<厚皮香<大白花杜鹃<炮状花杜鹃<云南含笑<小白花杜鹃<南烛<光叶石栎<元江栲<云南野山茶。根据氧指数及试验现象将15种植物的小径级活枝分为3类,其中难燃类4种(大白花杜鹃、野八角、厚皮香、南烛)、可燃类7种(云南含笑、云南松、地盘松、华山松、滇青冈、云南樟、云南野山茶)、较易燃类4种(小白花杜鹃、炮状花杜鹃、光叶石栎、元江栲)。分析了造成2种试验结果差异的主要原因。     

Effects of carbonization and solvent-extraction on change in fuel characteristics of sewage sludge

Urban sewage sludge was carbonized at 300-500 °C for 1 h, and combustible components were extracted through the solvent-extraction process. N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) was used as the solvent for extraction, and the extraction temperature was fixed at 360 °C. The atomic ratios of the solvent-extracted sludge of CS300 (ECS300) were shown to be 1.04 for H/C and 0.11 for O/C, which represented the characteristics of its coal band. Thus, its coal band was similar to that of a high-rank fuel such as bituminous coal. FT-IR analysis showed that the absorbance band of ECS300 was considerably different from that of dried sludge (RS) or the carbonized sludge at 300 °C (CS300) but similar to that of coal, although the ash content absorbance band of 800-1200 cm⁻¹ was of very low intensity. The combustion profile showed that combustion of ESC300 occurred at a temperature higher than the ignition temperature (T_i) or maximum weight loss rate (DTG_max) of coal.     

Pyrolysis of ramie residue: kinetic study and fuel gas produced in a cyclone furnace

The thermal decomposition behavior of ramie residue (RR) and the characteristics of fuel gas produced in a cyclone furnace were studied. The pyrolysis kinetics was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at heating rates of 5-20°C/min. The results showed that RR mainly decomposed between 250 and 390°C, and the apparent activation energy ranged from 200 to 258 kJ/mol. In the cyclone furnace, fast pyrolysis, partial combustion and gasification occurred almost simultaneously, and the thermal energy was supplied by partial combustion of RR powder at the hypo stoichiometric amount of air. Higher effect of equivalence ratio (ER) led to higher reaction temperature and fewer contents of tar and char, but too high ER lowered fuel gas content and degraded fuel gas quality. Over the ranges of the experimental conditions, the gas yield varied between 1.07 and 2.08 N m(3)/kg and the LHV was between 3350 and 4798 kJ/Nm(3).     

Effect of gelatinization and additives on morphology and thermal behavior of corn starch/PVA blend films

The blend films of ungelatinized and gelatinized starch/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were prepared with a solution casting method by the introduction of additives (glycerol/urea) or not. The phase morphologies and thermal behaviors of the blends were carefully analyzed. A droplet phase was observed in the blends containing ungelatinized starch and a laminated phase was observed in the blends containing gelatinized starch. For both ungelatinized and gelatinized starch/PVA blends, the melting temperature (T(m)) (210-230°C) of PVA was detected, and the T(m) of gelatinized starch/PVA blends was higher than that of the ungelatinized starch/PVA blends. Blend films containing 16.8wt% of glycerol or urea exhibited a decreased T(m). The introduction of additives (glycerol or urea) reduced the decomposition onset temperature of the blend films. These various morphologies and thermal behaviors could be attributed to the different hydrogen bonding interaction characteristics between starch and polyvinyl alcohol at different conditions.     

Evaluation of bottom ash and composted manure blends as a soil amendment material

The long-term goal of this project was to find alternative uses for bottom ash (BA) and composted dairy manure (CM), by-products of coal combustion and livestock production, respectively. The study discussed in this paper focused on potential water quality impacts associated with using blended BA and CM as a soil amendment. The constituents of BA and CM include heavy metals and other chemicals that, while essential nutrients for plant growth, also pose a potential threat to water quality. Four blends (BA:CM, v/v) namely, B1 (100%:0%), B2 (70%:30%), B3 (50%:50%) and B4 (0%:100%), were subjected to flow-through water table management and two blends, B2 (70%:30%) and B3 (50%:50%), were subjected to constant head water table management using de-ionized water. Leachate and standing water from saturated and flooded blends of BA and CM were examined for total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), COD, pH, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), NO(3)-N, total P, total K as well as selected metals over a 5 and 7 week period for flow-through and constant head watertables, respectively. The results showed that higher CM content resulted in higher TS, VS, TKN, P and K concentrations in the leachate and standing water. Concentrations of these constituents were higher in leachate than in the standing water. Even though, marked reductions of most chemicals in the leachate and standing water were realized within one to three weeks, initially high concentrations of chemicals in leachate and standing water from these particular blends made them unsuitable as soil amendment material. Based upon these results, it was concluded that additional column studies of BA and CM blends with reduced CM content (5%, 10% and 20%) should be performed to further assess the feasibility of BA and CM blends as an environmentally safe soil amendment material.     

Cytogenetic damage in workers from a coal-fired power plant

The aim of this study was to investigate the genotoxic risk to workers occupationally exposed to coal combustion products in Afsin-Elbistan A power plant, located in south-eastern Turkey. We analysed chromosomal aberrations (CAs), polyploidy, sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs), and micronuclei (MN) in 48 male workers without a history of smoking, tobacco chewing, or alcohol consumption. The results were compared with a control group of 30 healthy male individuals without exposure to any known genotoxic agents. The mean frequencies of CA, polyploidy, SCEs (P<0.01), and MN (P<0.05) were significantly higher in workers than in the control group, by the Mann-Whitney U-test. Spearman's rho correlation analysis revealed a significant increase in the frequency of CA and MN with increasing years of exposure (P<0.05). However, there was no significant effect of age on the cytogenetic markers analysed in both groups (P>0.05). The data obtained from this study clearly showed chromosomal hazard in the peripheral lymphocytes of workers exposed to coal combustion products in Afsin-Elbistan A power plant for several years. This cytogenetic damage might be attributed to the cumulative effects of several substances due to chemical complexity of the coal ash and gaseous emissions rather than a specific substance.     

Blends of reverse enteric polymer with Enteric and pH-independent polymers: mechanistic investigations for tailoring drug release

Blends of conventional reverse enteric polymer with enteric polymers result in insoluble polyelectrolyte complexes and hence cannot be used in film coatings. We report a new set of miscible blends of a new reverse enteric polymer (NREP) synthesized by us with enteric and pH-independent polymers. The nature of interactions between polymers in the blends has been established by analyzing Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. The extent of interaction has been investigated by thermal analysis and quantified in terms of parameters K1 and K2 in the Schneider equation. Based on these values, the interactions between NREP and these polymers have been ranked in the order EC (ethylcellulose) < ES (Eudragit S) < HPMCP (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate). The quantification of interactions in blends helps explain the release pattern of cefuroxime axetil (CA) at gastric pH and tailor the release of other drugs according to their pharmacokinetic characteristics. The understanding also provides a more rational approach for selection of polymers and their content in the coating compositions, rather than an empirical approach.     

大柳塔长焰煤中灰分和无机矿物对生物产气的影响

【目的】以不同密度等级大柳塔长焰煤作为产气底物,前期驯化培养厌氧菌群进行生物模拟产气实验,研究不同密度等级煤中的灰分和无机矿物对生物产气的影响。【方法】利用小浮沉将大柳塔长焰煤分成不同密度等级的煤样,采用工业分析、XRD、XRF分析小浮沉处理得到煤样的理化性质,利用这些煤样进行生物产气模拟实验,以甲烷产量作为评价指标,分析不同密度等级煤样中灰分对产气的影响。最后,通过添加几种标准矿物方式比较了煤中无机矿物对生物产气的可能影响。【结果】不同密度等级煤样中灰分对产气量存在一般显著影响(P=0.035),且灰分与甲烷含量呈负相关关系,其灰分中的无机矿物如高岭土、菱铁矿、氧化亚铁镁等的积累对产气有抑制作用。不同矿物配比产气实验证实低含量的粘土矿物促进甲烷的生成,高含量的粘土矿物抑制产气。【结论】不同密度等级煤中的灰分对生物产气存在一般显著的影响,高灰分煤的产气量低,而低灰分煤的产气量高。     

Pyrolysis of olive residue and sugar cane bagasse: non-isothermal thermogravimetric kinetic analysis

Thermal degradation and kinetics for olive residue and sugar cane bagasse have been evaluated under dynamic conditions in the presence of nitrogen atmosphere, using a non-isothermal thermogravimetric method (TGA). The effect of heating rate was evaluated in the range of 2-50 K min(-1) providing significant parameters for the fingerprinting of the biomass. The DTG plot for the olive residue and sugar cane bagasse clearly shows that the bagasse begins to degrade at 473 K and exhibits two major peaks. The initial mass-loss was associated with hemicellulose pyrolysis and responsible for the first peak (538-543 K) whereas cellulose pyrolysis was initiated at higher temperatures and responsible for the second peak (600-607 K). The two biomass mainly devolatilized around 473-673 K, with total volatile yield of about 70-75%. The char in final residue was about 19-26%. Mass loss and mass loss rates were strongly affected by heating rate. It was found that an increase in heating rate resulted in a shift of thermograms to higher temperatures. Ozawa-Flynn-Wall and Vyazovkin methods were applied to determine apparent activation energy to the olive residue and sugar cane bagasse. Two different steps were detected with apparent activation energies in the 10-40% conversion range have a value of 153-162 kJ mol(-1) and 168-180 kJ mol(-1) for the hemicellulose degradation of olive residue and sugar cane bagasse, respectively. In the 50-80% conversion range, this value is 204-215 kJ mol(-1) and 231-240 kJ mol(-1) for the cellulose degradation of olive residue and sugar cane bagasse, respectively.     

DREB1A类转录调控域中对转录激活功能起关键作用的氨基酸

从烟草品种k326中克隆到2个干旱应答元件结合蛋白类(DREB-Like)转录因子基因,命名为NtDREBI和NtDREB1A.序列分析发现,NtDREBI和NtDREB1A编码的蛋白质具有典型的AP2/EREBP转录因子家族EREBP亚族A类特征.酵母单杂交结果显示,NtDREBI具有激活功能, 而NtDREB1A不能激活下游基因,但可以与DRE元件结合.将NtDREBI、NtDREB1A与其它AP2/EREBP类转录因子序列比对,发现在C末端第148位氨基酸有显著差别.采用定点突变方法进一步研究表明,DREB1A类转录因子的第148位氨基酸残基与其邻近氨基酸残基的相互作用对调控转录激活功能起关键作用.     

Experimental study of the ignition of liquid hydrocarbon fuels and stabilization of their combustion by an arc discharge

The ignition of liquid hydrocarbon fuels and stabilization of their combustion by an arc discharge in a supersonic air flow are investigated experimentally. The discharge parameters and flame characteristics (ignition time lag) are determined. It is shown that the average energy deposited in the flow by the igniter is five orders of magnitude less than the kinetic energy of the main gas flow.     

Free Swell Characteristics of PCC Bottom Ash-Bentonite Mixtures with Curing for Use as Fill or Liner Material

Bottom ash is a coal combustion product (CCP) obtained from burning of pulverized coal to produce electricity. Most of the bottom ash from pulverized coal combustion (PCC) plants is disposed of in landfills and/or ash ponds. Over the last decade, there has been increased attention aimed toward the use of PCC bottom ash in geotechnical applications. The particle size distribution of pulverized coal combustion (PCC) bottom ash is similar to that of natural sand. Natural sand is commonly used in the construction industry in place of cohesive soils by adding admixtures to amend its properties. Several studies have been completed to determine the properties of bottom ash amended with bentonite. However, due to significant volume change characteristics of bentonite, soils or similar granular materials amended with it need to be evaluated for their swelling behavior. In addition, studies on bottom ash-bentonite mixtures have shown that strength and stiffness characteristics of these mixtures change significantly with curing. Therefore, in order to evaluate the use of bottom ash as a fill or landfill liner material, this study was initiated to investigate the effect of curing and moisture content on the swelling characteristics of pulverized coal combustion bottom ash amended with bentonite. Bottom ash specimens containing 15 and 20 percent bentonite and prepared at 14, 16 and 18 percent initial moisture content were tested in this investigation. Results presented show the swelling characteristics of bottom ash-bentonite mixtures with curing age up to 60 days.     

Contrasting effects of maize residue,coal gas residue and their biochars on nutrient mineralization,enzyme activities and CO2 emissions in sandy loess soil

Mismanagement of crop straw and coal gas residue threatens the atmosphere and the economy. Nevertheless, thermal-pyrolysis is an option for management that turns bio-waste into biochar; its viability and adoption by the public as soil amendments is dependent on the agronomic and environmental values compared between biochar and the raw materials. We undertook a 60-day short-term analysis to assess the impact of various wastes and biochars, as well as inorganic nutrients (N), on carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes, soil enzyme activities, soil fertility status, and microbial activities. There were eight treatments of soil amendments: without an amendment (CK), Nutrients (N), straw + nutrients (S+N), straw biochar + nutrients (SB+N), coal gas residue + nutrients (C+N), coal gas residue biochar + nutrients (CB+N), straw + straw biochar + nutrients (S+SB+N) and coal gas residue waste + coal gas residue biochar + nutrients (C+ CB +N). The results indicated that soil EC, pH, nitrate N (NO₃^–- N), SOC, TN and available K were significantly (p < 0.05) increased coal gas residue biochar and combined with coal fly ash as compared to maize straw biochar and combined with maize straw and N treatments. The higher concentrations of soil MBC and MBN activities were increased in the maize straw application, while higher soil enzyme activity such as, invertase, urease and catalase were enhanced in the coal fly ash derived biochar treatments. The higher cumulative CO₂ emissions were recorded in the combined applications of maize straw and its biochar as well as coal gas residue and its biochar treatment. Our study concludes, that maize straw and coal fly ash wastes were converted into biochar product could be a feasible substitute way of discarding, since land amendment and decreased CO₂ fluxes and positive changes in soil microbial, and chemical properties, and can be confirmed under long-term conditions for reduction of economical and environment issues.