X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy is a rapid method used to determine the composition of biomass ash, but the accuracy of the method is sensitive to various factors including ash preparation methods. In this study different types of biomass ash were examined by using wet chemical analysis (WCA) and compared with the respective XRF results. The biomass ash was initially prepared in accordance with the European Standard method at 550°C. At this low combustion temperature the amount of residual unburned carbon is significant. To eliminate this, the ashes were heated at higher temperatures: a batch of twenty biomass ashes were heated at 850°C and a batch of five heated to 815°C. At these higher temperatures there may be loss of inorganic components by vaporisation. Variation in these effects may lead to unreliable results. The relationship between XRF and WCA results are given by regression equations. The ashes processed at 815°C show better agreement between the two analysis methods

β-SiC nanoparticles was synthesized using silicon cutting waste (SCW) as silicon source and sucrose as carbon source.

There has been an increase in the use of biomass for power generation by means of co-firing with coal as well as by the combustion of 100% biomass. Despite the advantages of biomass in reducing carbon emissions from the electricity sector, the co-firing of high percentages of biomass can potentially aggravate ash related problems in the boiler. In order to develop mitigation strategies for the formation of deposits, an understanding of the ash behaviour during the combustion of high percentages of biomass is required. In this work, ash samples from El Cerrejon coal and pine biomass were characterised for their inorganic composition by X-ray fluorescence and wet chemical methods. Relationships between these two methods were found. Furthermore, the melting behaviour of ashes from pure coal, pine, and their blends were studied through ash fusion tests (AFT) and via a method using a simultaneous thermal analyser coupled to mass spectrometer (STA-MS) for the evolved gas analysis. Pine ash has lower slagging potential than El Cerrejon coal ash and results show that for 20:80 and 80:20 pine:coal ash belends the characteristic ash fusion temperatures increase with increasing pine ash content. There is unusually higher slagging potential (lower ash fusion temperatures) at a 50:50 blend ratio. Viscosity models produced sensible results for coal and coal/pine blends, but further refinement is required for modelling the viscosity of pure biomass ash. Thermodynamic modelling of slag formation was undertaken using the FactSage model. This model was successful in predicting the changes of gas, solid and liquid phases during pure pine, coal and co-combustion