Particulate matter characterization of the combustion emissions from agricultural waste products

This research study examines the levels of particulate matter (PM) which result when two different unprocessed agricultural waste products were burned in a fixed bed combustor under varied air supply conditions. The properties of the PM emissions obtained are: 1) the overall number/mass concentration along with the emission factors (EFs), 2) the distribution of the number and mass size, and 3) the establishment of the morphology of the particles and the trace elements they contain. The findings indicated a total concentration of 3.1 ± 1.9×10⁴ and 9.6 ± 4.5×10⁴ particles/cm³ (or number EFs = 3.52×10⁹-2.26×10¹⁰ and 1.88-5.65×10¹⁰ particles/kg_fuel), whereas the total particle mass was found to be in the range of 5.51-10.4 and 1.45-6.08 mg/m³ (or mass EFs = 1.58-3.26 g_PM10/kg_fuel and 0.53-3.37 g_PM10/kg_fuel) in the case of rice husk and bagasse combustion, respectively. The distribution of the particle sizes was shown to be bimodal for rice husk combustion, but had only a single mode for bagasse combustion. For both fuel types, the predominant particle size emerging during combustion was 0.07μm. From the gravimetric perspective, the dominant sizes were 3.07, 5.13, and 8.09 μm. PM emissions are also affected by the properties of the fuel involved in the combustion process, with ash content, homogeneity of the fuel, and the mineral content all known to be influential factors. It is also understood that the air staging can affect PM emissions during the combustion of rice husks, so a rise in the ratio of secondary air to total air might reduce nanoparticle formation (PM_0.1) through a shift to the accumulation mode (PM_0.1-1.0). The results of assessment of the particle shapes and the evaluation of trace elements showed that the particles formed by the combustion of rice husks were predominantly spherical, which can be explained by the dominance of carbon. In contrast, irregular shapes of particle were obtained in coarse-sized particles and the most dominant element is calcium (Ca) and silicon (Si).