Demonstration of the Co-firing of Modified Biomass with Pulverized Coal at the Hunter Plant

摘要

The use of biomass to displace some fraction of coal in electric power production (biomass co-firing) has been viewed as one option for reducing the net carbon emissions from a coal-fired power plant. One barrier to the utilization of biomass for power generation is the ease of integration with existing fuel handling systems. Pre-treating the biomass (e.g., torrefaction or steam explosion processes, especially combined with pelletizing) provides a means for addressing this issue. The pretreated biomass fuels have the potential for direct use in existing coal mills with only minor modifications. In addition, the pretreatment of the biomass increases its energy density such that the fuel can be more consistent with the coal feedstock.