Predicting heating values of lignocellulosics and carbonaceous materials from proximate analysis

A simple equation based on proximate analysis (volatile matter and fixed carbon contents) is presented which allows calculation of the higher heating value of lignocellulosics as well as the charcoals resulting from their carbonization. The equation has been tested with different lignocellulosic wastes and chars obtained from carbonization at different temperatures. Deviations from the experimental heating values fall in most cases below 2%. A comparison is presented with some other equations from the literature based on proximate, ultimate and chemical analysis data. As a general conclusion the equation proposed in this paper leads to comparable and in many cases more accurate predictions of heating values and has the advantage of being applicable to a wide range of carbonaceous materials, requiring only a simple, rapid and cheap proximate analysis of the samples. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.