Article
Biomass quality index: Searching for suitable biomass as an energy source in Chile
Índice de calidad de biomasa: Búsqueda de biomasa adecuada como fuente de energía en Chile
Registro en:
Fuel 264 (2020) 116820
0016-2361
Autor
Rocha, Sebastián
Candia, Óscar
Valdebenito, Fabiola
Espinoza-Monje, J. Flavio
Azócar Ulloa, Laura
Resumen
A Biomass Quality Index (BQI) developed using a previously reported tool was shown to be a promising method
to rank biomass suitable for solid biofuel production. The BQI was developed by selecting 12 chemical parameters to be analyzed among ten available biomasses produced in the north, central and south of Chile.
Furthermore, a Parameter Quality Index (PQI) was calculated to estimate the contribution of each parameter in
the BQI. The sum of all PQIs for each biomass allowed the BQI to be determined, and biomasses with lower BQIs
were more highly ranked. The results showed that the first 3 ranks were dominated by biomasses collected in
central Chile, hazelnut shell, cherry pits and corn cobs (BQI ≤ 16.1). Furthermore, a promising candidate that
was ranked fourth place was wheat straw (BQI = 17.7), which may be able to be used the highly polluted
southern zone. Meanwhile, grass and the microalgae N. gaditana were ranked last (BQI ≥ 69.5). The low BQI
obtained for the studied biomasses were related to their low PQIs regarding moisture content, low trace element
content, low ash percentage and high carbon content and HHV. By contrast, high BQI values were related to high
PQIs for moisture, Cl, Na and K content. K had a high contribution and Cu had a low contribution in the index.
Due to the difficulty of milling the top ranked biomass, further studies should include a grindability analysis or
other physical parameters to complete the BQI methodology.