Performance Assessment of a Biomass Downdraft Semi-Gasifier Burner with Application to Solid Human Waste Combustion

摘要

It is estimated that 2.4 billion people worldwide do not have access to adequate sanitation, which is currently still one of the major health issue in the world. As a part of Colorado State University, the Center for Energy and Global Health is currently engaged in an effort funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a combustion-based solution to the solid human waste sanitation approach. In the current study, experiments were conducted using a downdraft semi-gasifier burner prototype as a potential solution for portable solid human waste incineration. The purpose of these experiments was to determine the appropriate air flow rates required to obtain the lowest firepower and minimum CO emission. Wood pellets were used as a fuel model for dry human waste after determining that the lower heating value of the wood pellets was comparable (approx. 16 kJ/kg). The burner prototype was instrumented with thermocouples and NDIR gaseous emissions analyzer. Results were obtained on the variation in emissions, temperature, and firepower as a function of the delivered air flow rate. The results suggest that optimum air flow rate exists to minimize emissions and firepower.