Characterising biofuels and selecting the most appropriate burner for their combustion

This article presents the results obtained in the combustion of samples of biofuels using a commercial burner. We first provide the chemical and physical characterisation of the most abundant biofuels in Spain whose combustion we intend to study: glycerine, used vegetable oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, soya oil and Animal By-products Not Intended for Human Consumption (ABNIHC) category 1 and 3 fats. We then classify the technologies used in the combustion of liquid fuels, specifying the main parameters that characterise their working parameters and the physical features of the liquid fuel, as recommended by the leading burner manufacturers. For each biofuel described, we choose the most appropriate burner technology for combustion, adopting two criteria, and we obtain suitable pulverisation as well as stable combustion. Finally, we present the results obtained in the combustion of the samples in a low pressure auxiliary air fluid pulverisation burner, the type of burner able to burn the widest range of biofuels. Published by Elsevier By.