Combustion Characteristics of Larch Sawmill Wastes and Their Partial Gasification Products

In response to the growing interest in carbon-neutral fuels, the combustion of biofuels in an air flux, with heating at 20°C/min, is studied by thermogravimetric analysis. The goal is to determine the basic combustion characteristics of the following biofuels: larch sawdust, carbonized larch obtained by gasification at 700–800°C, and larch bark. The biofuels are subjected to technical and elemental analysis. The following characteristics are determined from the curves of mass loss, rate of mass loss, and differential scanning calorimetry: the mass loss, the maximum reaction rate, the maximum intensity of the heat flux, and the exothermal and endothermal effects. On the basis of the intersection of the curves, the ignition and burnup temperatures of the biofuels are established. Carbonization of larch doubles its calorific value. On combustion of the carbonized larch, the maximum reaction rate is lower by 3.5%/min than for larch sawdust. We find that the calorific value of the bark is 13% higher than that of the sawdust, while the ignition temperature is 5% lower.