Comprehensive Combustion Performances of Water Hyacinth and Pistia stratiotes Pellet Fuels

For efficient combustion of aquatic biomass, the effects of heating rate on the combustion and dynamic characteristics of two typical aquatic species (water hyacinth, Pistia stratiotes), and the effects of temperature and additives on ash K and Cl concentrations are studied. The two types of pellets have ignition temperatures of 252.7 and 250.3 °C, respectively. At a heating rate of 10 °C min−1, where combustion is most stable, the comprehensive combustion efficiencies reach their maximum at 4.7 × 10−6 and 2.2 × 10−6 mg2min−1°C−2, respectively. The K and Cl concentrations in the ash decrease steadily with increasing temperature, falling to 10.3% and 0.41% for water hyacinth and 11.1% and 1.85% for P. stratiotes, respectively. X‐ray diffraction (XRD)shows that abundant Ca minerals form in the ash after the addition of CaO, which inhibit KCl formation, and K and Al silicates form in the ash after the addition of kaoline, which reserve K in the ash. These findings provide a starting point for the development of efficient aquatic biomass combustion. The influence of the heating rate, as well as, additives on the combustion of two typical aquatic species (water hyacinth, Pistia stratiotes) are investigated. It could be shown that additives can effectively remove K and Cl, slow down the occurrence of slagging, and improve the combustion efficiency to achieve good combustion and utilization.