Co-Firing Ramie Residue with Supplementary Coal in a Cyclone Furnace

Co-firing ramie residue with coal was carried out in a thermogravimetric analyzer and a cyclone furnace to evaluate the effects of coal fraction (0 to 30 wt. %) on combustion performance. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results showed that devolatilisation was the predominant process when the coal percentage in the blend was below 30 wt. %. For pure biomass firing in the cyclone furnace, an optimum equivalence ratio (ER =1.16) was found. Coal additions (0 to 30 wt. %) led to less slagging/fouling problems, higher combustion temperature and higher combustion efficiency along with low pollutant emissions, while the improvement in combustion temperature was weakened as the coal blend ratio exceeded 20 wt.%. The maximum temperature in the cyclone furnace increased from 1215 to 1319°C as the coal fraction increased from 0 to 30 wt.%.