If briquettes are to be used efficiently and rationally as fuel, they must be characterized to determine such technological parameters as their reactivity, moisture content, density, ashes, volatile matter, and heat value, along with their major component elements. Traditionally, research has centered on small particles of coal that do not reflect the combustion behavior of briquettes as heterogeneous solids. The objective of this work is to compare experimental data on the reactivity of biomass briquettes and to analyze the results. From the reactivity and the rest of the data available, it will be possible to asses what kind of briquette is suitable for a particular application by matching its behavior to specific requirements, including pollutant emissions.
Acknowledgments
This study has been funded by the General Secretariat for R&D of the Xunta de Galicia (Spain) PGIDT03REM30301PR without whose collaboration the project could not have been carried out.