Influence of biomass addition on Jincheng coal ash fusion temperatures

The ash fusion temperatures (AFTs) of Jincheng (JC) coal, two kinds of biomass (cotton stalk (CS) and sargassum natans (SA)) and various coal-biomass mixtures were investigated in this study. Fluid temperatures (FT) were found 1531 degrees C, 1534 degrees C and 1428 degrees C for JC, CS and SA ash respectively, which were higher than the normal operating temperature of entrained bed gasifier. However, the FTs of JC and CS mixture ash were lower than that of either single JC or CS ash, which showed a minimum value of 1292 degrees C with 80% CS, and the FTs of JC and SA mixture ash showed the similar trend with a minimum value of 1258 degrees C when SA proportion was 40%. At high temperature, refractory minerals were presented in three respective ashes, which were mullite of JC ash, lime and periclase of CS ash, merwinite and akermanite of SA ash. And they could support the ash skeleton structure. Interaction between coal and biomass ash occurred during blending ash melting process, which formed co-eutectic and decreased the AFTs. The relationship between the ash fusion temperatures and the ash chemical composition was also discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.