Combustion characteristics and typical pollutant emissions of corn stalk blending with municipal sewage sludge

The co-combustion of sewage sludge and biomass is a key problem in coal-fired power plants. The combustion characteristics and pollutant emissions of municipal sewage sludge and biomass could result in unpredictable operation and environmental problems. In this study, the combustion experiments of corn stalk (CS), municipal sewage sludge (SS), and their blends were conducted in the thermogravimetric analyzer and muffle furnace, focusing on the combustion characteristics and the pollutants (SO2/NO) emissions with different temperature, proportion, and heating rate. It was found that the combustion characteristics of the mixture are affected by the mix ratio of SS. Compared with those of SS, the SO2 emission amount and S-SO2 conversion rate of CS are lower. The content of N in SS is higher than CS, but the conversion rate of N-NO is lower. Although the emissions of SO2 and NO from CS blending with SS are higher than those from CS combustion alone, the conversion rate of SO2 and NO decreases. This means that the co-combustion of CS and SS will reduce the content of pollutants released by CS combustion alone and effectively solve the environmental problems associated with CS incineration.

Automated summary

The combustion characteristics of the mixture are affected by the mix ratio of SS, with lower SO2 emission amount and S-SO2 conversion rate compared to CS. Despite higher SO2 and NO emissions from CS blending with SS, the conversion rate of SO2 and NO decreases.