A Critical Investigation of Certificated Industrial Wood Pellet Combustion: Influence of Process Conditions on CO/CO2 Emission

The pollutants emission into the atmosphere is largely related to human activity and health, whereas, of many factors, domestic heating systems greatly impact the emission rate. The measures taken to reduce the emission of harmful compounds to the atmosphere are slowly starting to bring the intended effects and a downward trend in emissions of such gases as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx)(,) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) is noticeable. The conducted tests allowed the determination of the combustion characteristics of individual pellet types available on the European market. During the tests, pellets were supplied to a 25 kW fixed-bed boiler with a constant mass flow of 3 kg center dot h(-1), and the air-flow ratio was manipulated and presented in the form of the excess air coefficient lambda (1.8-3.08). Pellets certificated with the ENPlus as A1 were found not meeting the requirements, mainly in the ash content, which negatively affected their combustion performance gradually and caused exceeded CO emissions up to 1000 mg center dot Nm(-3). Pellets of declared lower classes were more beneficial for combustion in terms of emission factors.

Automated summary

The emission of pollutants into the atmosphere is closely related to human activity and health. Among many factors, domestic heating systems have a significant impact on the emission rate. Measures to reduce harmful compound emissions have shown positive effects, leading to a downward trend in emissions of gases such as CO, NOx, and SO2. Tests on different types of pellets available on the European market revealed that pellets certificated with ENPlus A1 did not meet the requirements, leading to increased CO emissions.