Physicochemical Properties and Low-Temperature Sulfur Fixation Patterns of Fly Ash from a Biomass Power Plant

Biomass power plants generate a vast amount of biomass ash (BA) and release sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>) and other pollutants. In this study, a new idea of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) using BA was proposed for biomass power plants. The physicochemical properties, surface morphology...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jun Zhang, Peng Zhang, Jie Zhou, Bo Zhao, Ansheng Wei, Liqiang Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Energies
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/6/1466
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Summary:Biomass power plants generate a vast amount of biomass ash (BA) and release sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>) and other pollutants. In this study, a new idea of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) using BA was proposed for biomass power plants. The physicochemical properties, surface morphology, and microstructure of fly ash generated by a typical biomass power plant in the Shandong area of China were characterized using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results indicated that the BA contained alkaline-providing metal oxides, including alkali metal oxides (K<sub>2</sub>O at 7.57% and Na<sub>2</sub>O at 1.47%) and alkaline earth metal oxides (CaO at 10.52% and MgO at 4.52%). SiO<sub>2</sub> constituted the primary crystalline phase, while KCl, CaCO<sub>3</sub>, and CaSiO<sub>3</sub> phases were also identified. BA has diverse morphological characteristics, including irregular angular/acicular, spherical, and flocculent-shaped particles, among which the flocculent-shaped particles were mainly the calcium oxide (CaO)-containing composite of alkaline earth metal oxides and quartz. The potential of BA to absorb SO<sub>2</sub> is attributable to CaO and other alkaline substances. The desulfurization experiment indicated that humidified BA allows for an effective FGD process that generates flaky crystalline solids of calcium sulfate (CaSO<sub>4</sub>). Therefore, this method utilizes the alkalinity of BA for FGD in biomass power plants.
ISSN:1996-1073