Oxidative Torrefaction of Wood Biomass in a Layer of Mineral Filler

Consideration is given to a promising approach to heat treatment of biofuel, viz. oxidative torrefaction in a layer of mineral filler. The key features of the proposed technique are the uniformity of heating up the specimen and the possibility of controlling oxidizing processes in the specimen by changing the height of the mineral filler. Based on design-theoretical analysis, an investigation has been made of the thermal and kinetic processes accompanying torrefaction in a layer of mineral filler. It is shown that the presence of the mineral layer ensures a high degree of uniformity for heating up a biofuel specimen in the process of torrefaction. The influence of the mineral filler layer on the diffusion flows of atmospheric oxygen and volatile compounds released during heating up the specimen is shown.