Analysis of the Effect of Fe 2 O 3 Addition in the Combustion of a Wood-Based Fuel.

A comparative study was carried out of emissions from the catalytic combustion of pellets made from furniture board waste and pellets made from wood mixed with Fe 2 O 3 . The mass content of the Fe 2 O 3 catalyst in the fuel was varied from 0% to 5%, 10%, and 15% in relation to the total dry mass weight of the pellets. The average flame temperature in the boiler was between 730 and 800 °C. The effect of the catalyst concentration in the fuel was analysed with respect to the contents of O 2 , CO 2 , CO, H 2, and NO x in the flue gas and the combustion quality of the pellets in the heating boiler. Changes in the CO 2 content and the proportion of unburned combustible components in the combustion residue were assessed. It was established that an increase in the Fe 2 O 3 content of the prepared fuels had a positive effect on reducing NO x , CO, and H 2 emissions. However, the proportion of iron oxide in the tested fuel pellets did not significantly influence changes in their combustion quality. A strong effect of the addition of Fe 2 O 3 on the reduction of the average NOx content in the flue gas occurred with the combustion of furniture board fuel, from 51.4 ppm at 0% Fe 2 O 3 to 7.7 ppm for an additive content of 15%. Based on the analysis of the residue in the boiler ash pan, the amount of unburned combustibles relative to their input amounts was found to be 0.09-0.22% for wood pellets and 0.50-0.31% for furniture board waste pellets.