Biomass energy with CO₂ capture could achieve net negative emissions, vital for meeting carbon budgets and emission targets. However, biomass often has significant quantities of light metals/inorganics that cause issues for boiler operation and downstream processes; including deposition, corrosion, and solvent degradation. This study investigated the pilot-scale combustion of a typical biomass used for power generation (white wood) and assessed the variations in metal aerosol release compared to bituminous coal. Using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, it was found that K aerosol levels were significantly greater for biomass than coal, on average 6.5 times, with peaks up to 10 times higher; deposition could thus be more problematic, although Na emissions were only 20% of those for coal. Transition metals were notably less prevalent in the biomass flue gas; with Fe and V release in particular much lower (3–4% of those for coal). Solvent degradation may therefore be less severe for biomass-generated flue gases. Furthermore, aerosol emissions of toxic/heavy metals (As/Cd/Hg) were absent from biomass combustion, with As/Cd also not detected in the coal flue gas. Negligible Cr aerosol concentrations were found for both. Overall, except for K, metal aerosol release from biomass combustion was considerably reduced compared to coal.

The deployment of post-combustion CO2 capture on large-scale gas-fired power plants is currently progressing, hence the integration of the power and capture plants requires a good understanding of operational requirements and limitations to support this effort. This article aims to assist research in this area, by studying a micro gas turbine (MGT) integrated with an amine-based post-combustion CO2 capture unit. Both processes were simulated using two different software tools –IPSEpro and Aspen Hysys, and validated against experimental tests. The two MGT models were benchmarked at the nominal condition, and then extended to part-loads (50 and 80 kWe), prior to their integration with the capture plant at flue gas CO2 concentrations between 5 and 10 mol%. Further, the performance of the MGT and capture plant when gas turbine exhaust gases were recirculated was assessed. Exhaust gas recirculation increases the CO2 concentration, and reduces the exhaust gas flowrate and specific reboiler duty. The benchmarking of the two models revealed that the IPSEpro model can be easily adapted to new MGT cycle modifications since turbine temperatures and rotational speeds respond to reaching temperature limits; whilst a detailed rate-based approach for the capture plant in Hysys resulted in closely aligned simulation results with experimental data

Biomass combustion equipment is often susceptible to ash deposition due to the relatively significant quantities of potassium, silicon, and other ash-forming elements in biomass. To evaluate the propensity for ash deposition resulting from biomass combustion, a biomass combustion model was integrated with a chemical equilibrium model to predict the fate and occurrence of ash-forming elements in a pilot-scale entrained-flow burner. The integrated model simulated the combustion of white wood (virgin wood) and recycled wood (treated wood) previously combusted in the burner. The key advantage of this model in comparison to a model with general equilibrium assumed is that it was able to consider the rate of release of trace and minor species with time, the local equilibrium in the particles, and separately, that in the continuum phase (which also included any solid or liquid materials nucleating). The simulation generated the fate and occurrence profiles of each ash-forming element along the burner. The qualitative comparisons between the modeled profiles and the previous experimental findings under similar operating conditions show reasonable agreement. The concentrations of ash-forming elements released from the burner were also compared with the experimental online inductively coupled plasma readings. However, the latter comparison shows overestimation using the modeled results and might suggest that further considerations of other parameters such as ash nucleation and coagulation are required. Nonetheless, based on the ongoing performance of the integrated model, future use of the model might be expanded to a broader range of problematic solid fuels such as herbaceous biomass or municipal solid waste.