Fluidized Bed Torrefaction of Agro-industrial Residues

169 Pages·2016·8.82 MB·Italian

Fluidized Bed Torrefaction of
Agro-industrial Residues: the Case
Study of Residues from Campania
Region, Italy
Paola Brachi

Department of Industrial Engineering
Ph.D. Course in Chemical Engineering
(XIV Cycle-New Series)
Fluidized Bed Torrefaction of Agro-Industrial
Residues: the Case Study of Residues from
Campania Region, Italy
Supervisor Ph.D. student
Prof. Michele Miccio Paola Brachi
Scientific Referees
Ing. Giovanna Ruoppolo (IRC-CNR)
Dott.ssa. Letizia Magaldi (Magaldi Industrie S.r.l.)
Ph.D. Course Coordinator
Prof. Paolo Ciambelli

To my beloved “Mamma”

List of publications

This thesis includes the work contained in the following papers:

Paola Brachi*, Francesco Miccio, Michele Miccio, Giovanna Ruoppolo, On
the torrefaction of tomato peel residues in fluidized bed of inert particles,
Energy & Fuels, SUBMITTED.

Paola Brachi*, Francesco Miccio, Michele Miccio, Giovanna Ruoppolo,
Non-isothermal decomposition kinetics of tomato peels based on
isoconversional method and deconvolution procedure, Fuel Processing
Technology, SUBMITTED.

Paola Brachi*, Francesco Miccio, Michele Miccio, Giovanna Ruoppolo,
Isoconversional kinetic analysis of olive pomace decomposition under
torrefaction operating conditions. Fuel Processing Technology 130 (2015).
ISSN: 0378-3820 - DOI: 10.1016/j.fuproc.2014.09.04.

Conference contributions included in the thesis:

Paola Brachi*, Francesco Miccio, Michele Miccio, Giovanna Ruoppolo,
Fluidized bed torrefaction of industrial tomato peels: set-up of a new batch
lab-scale test rig and preliminary experimental results. Proceedings of the
22nd International Conference On Fluidized Bed Conversion previously
“International Conference on Fluidized Bed Combustion” - Turku, Finland,
June 14-17, 2015. ISBN: 978-952-12-3222-0.

Publications not included in the thesis:

Giovanna Ruoppolo, Francesco Miccio, Paola Brachi, Antonio Picarelli*,
Riccardo Chirone. In Situ Carbon Dioxide Capture during Biomass
Fluidized Bed Gasification. Chemical Engineering Transactions 43 (2015).
ISBN 978-88-95608-34-1; ISSN 2283-9216.

Paola Brachi*, Francesco Miccio, Michele Miccio, Antonio Picarelli,
Giovanna Ruoppolo. Fluidized bed co-gasification of biomass and polymeric
wastes for a flexible end-use of the syngas: Focus on bio-methanol. Fuel 128
(2014). ISSN: 0016-2361- DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2014.02.070.

Giovanna. Ruoppolo*, Francesco Miccio, Paola Brachi, Antonio Picarelli,
Riccardo Chirone, Fluidized Bed Gasification of Biomass and Biomass/Coal
Pellets in Oxygen and Steam Atmosphere. Chemical Engineering
Transactions 32 (2013). ISSN: 1974-9791- DOI: 10.3303/CET1332100.
Conference contributions not included in the thesis:

Francesco Miccio*, Roberto Solimene, Massimo Urciuolo, Paola Brachi,
Michele Miccio, Fluidized bed combustion of a lignin based slurry,
IConBM2016 2nd International Conference on BIOMASS 19-22 June 2016,
Giardini Naxos-Taormina, Sicily, Italy, SUBMITTED.

Giovanna Ruoppolo*, Paola Brachi, Riccardo Chirone, Francesco Miccio,
Antonio Picarelli, Co-gasification of plastic and biomass in fluidized bed
reactor. Poster Presentation at: 1st International Congress on Advances In
The Packaging Industry Product and Process, Naples (IT), 19-20 November
2015. Best Poster Awards (1st PRIZE).

Bartolomeo Cosenza, Michele Miccio*, Paola. Brachi. Continuity diagram
analysis at open loop and closed loop to improve the operability of a
bioreactor. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on
Instrumentation, Measurement, Circuits and Systems (IMCAS15), 27-29
June 2015 Salerno, Italy. ISSN: 1790-5117, ISBN: 978-1-61804-315-3.

Giovanna Ruoppolo*, Paola Brachi, Antonio Picarelli, Francesco Miccio,
Riccardo Chirone, Primary catalysts for fluidized bed gasification of
biomass and wastes. Proceedings of the XXI International Conference on
Chemical Reactors "CHEMREACTOR-21", 22-25 Sept 2014, Delft,
Netherlands.

P. Brachi, R. Chirone, F. Miccio, M. Miccio, A. Picarelli, G. Ruoppolo*,
Fluidized bed co-gasification of biomass and plastic wastes. Proceedings of
the Joint Meeting: French and Italian Sections – IFRF and The Combustion
Institute, 23-24 April 2014, Pisa, Italy. ISBN:978-88-88104-16-4-
DOI:10.4405/profic2014.D12.

Giovanna Ruoppolo, Riccardo. Chirone, Antonio Picarelli, Paola Brachi,
Francesco Miccio, Michele Miccio, Fluidized bed co-gasification of
industrial wastes for flexible end-use of syngas. Proceedings of the 14th
International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium; 30 Sep – 4 Oct
2013, Santa Margherita di Pula (CA), Italy. ISBN: 978-88-6265-028-1.

Giovanna Ruoppolo, Francesco Miccio, Paola Brachi, Antonio Picarelli*,
Riccardo Chirone, Utilization of oxygen – steam moisture for FB
gasification of fuel pellets, Proceedings of the XXXVI Meeting of the Italian
Section of the Combustion Institute, 2013, Procida, Italy. ISBN: 978-88-
88104-15-7 - DOI: 10.4405/36proci2013.IX2

* Corresponding author
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES VII
LIST OF TABLES XI
ABSTRACT XIII
INTRODUCTION XVII
CHAPTER I THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE
REVIEW 1

I.1 Biomass resources 1
I.1.1 Biomass definition 1
I.1.2 Biomass resources: classification and potential energy recovery 1
I.1.2.1 Virgin Biomass 1
I.1.2.2 Energy Crops 2
I.1.2.3 Residual Biomass 3
I.1.2.3.1 Forest residues 3
I.1.2.3.2 Forest thinning 3
I.1. 2.3.3 Primary mill residues 3
I.1.2.3.4 The crop residues 4
I.1.2.3.5 Wastewater treatment biogas 4
I.1.2.3.6 Manure digester biogas 4
I.1.2.3.7 Landfill gas 5
I.1.2.3.8 Agro-industrial residues 5
I.2 The agro-industrial sector in the Campania region (Italy) 5
I.2.1 Availability and uses of agro-industrial residues in Campania 6
I.2.1.1 Methodology for estimating the amount of residues 6
I.2.1.2 Olive mill residues: availability and current uses 7
I.2.1.3 Winery residues: availability and current uses 10
I.2.1.4 Canning industry residues 12
I.2.1.4.1 Fresh fruit processing residues 12
I.2.1.4.2 Nuts processing residues 14
I
I.2.1.4.3 Tomato processing residues 15
I.2.2 Rationale for the feedstock selection 18
I.3 Classification of biomass according to its composition 18
I.3.1 Composition, structure and properties of lignocellulosic biomass 19
I.4 Biomass conversion technologies 23
I.4.1 Bio-chemical conversion 23
I.4.1.1 Fermentation 23
I.4.1.2 Anaerobic digestion 25
I.4.1.3 Mechanical extraction 25
I.4.2 Thermochemical conversion 25
I.4.2.1 Combustion 25
I.4.2.2 Pyrolysis 26
I.4.2.3 Gasification 27
I.5 Biomass pretreatments: focus on torrefaction 30
I.5.1 Thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass: targets and
challenge 30
I.5.2 Pretreatment technologies for the thermochemical pathway 31
I.5.2.1 Drying 32
I.5.1.2 Size reduction 33
I.5.1.3 Densification 34
I.5.1.4 Torrefaction 34
I.5.1.4.1 Torrefaction mechanism overview 34
I.5.1.4.2 Origin and current state of torrefaction technology 38
I.5.1.4.3 Feedstock flexibility 40
I.5.1.4.4 Rationale for a fluidized bed lab system 41
I.6 Fluidization and multiphase flow phenomena in fluidized beds 43
I.6.1 Fluidization phenomenon 43
I.6.2 Fluidization regimes 45
I.6.3 Determination of the minimum fluidization velocity 47
I.6.3.1 Pressure drop method 48
II