SAACKE BIOFUELS. Biogenic fuels

BIOFUELS.

Biogenic fuels can be of plant origin or a product of fermentation or digestion of organic material. The chemical and physical properties vary considerably depending on the fuel. Some substances are solid at room temperature, others are liquid or gaseous.

Typical biofuels are:

• Rapeseed oil

• Soybean oil

• Palm oil

• Biodiesel

• Biogas

• Bio natural gas

• Sewage gas

• Gas from biomass gasification

• Wood dust

All of these fuels have a high calorific value of more than 15 MJ/kg (15 MJ/m³) and a neutral CO2 balance when burned. If sewage gas or biogas was previously released uncontrolled, thermal utilization can reduce the impact on the climate even further: these gases contain a lot of climate-damaging methane, which is converted into CO2 during combustion.

Even though the combustion of rapeseed oil, soybean oil, or biodiesel works largely in the same way as the use of light or heavy oil, each individual fuel poses a particular challenge for combustion: All substances differ in terms of calorific value, pour point, viscosity, and ignitability. Because palm oil is solid at room temperature, it must be preheated to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the burner used, in order to be able to convey and atomize it. In addition, most biogenic liquids contain a certain amount of free fatty acids, which are highly corrosive. In this case, all parts that come into contact with the fuel must be made of stainless steel.

Biogenic gases also vary greatly from one another. They contain either predominantly hydrogen or predominantly methane as the combustible component. They also contain nitrogen and can generally vary greatly in their composition. This fluctuating composition, combined with a discontinuous supply of gas, requires precise monitoring of the calorific value and accurate and rapid volume control of air, biogas, and other fuels .

In addition to the SSB swirl burner series, the ROTONOX rotary atomizer series can also be used for the combustion of biogenic fuels. The SAACKE TEMINOX rotary atomizer series is ideal when light fuel oil is to be used as a second fuel alongside biogas.

Incidentally, while wood pellets are now an established biogenic fuel, wood dust is often overlooked in this context. Nevertheless, ground wood can be utilized easily, cleanly, and very efficiently. This is where the SSB-D swirl burner series comes into play: in addition to particularly low emissions and a wide control range, it also offers the possibility of utilizing other fuels.

Whichever burner is used, choosing biogenic fuels always means choosing a balanced CO2 balance and a secure heat supply in times of fluctuating fuel markets.