The following are the results from an evaluation of the combustion characteristics of biomass processed with lowtemperature carbonization and coal, and those of a blend of both. Differential thermo-gravimetric (DTG) analysis has revealed that the number of curves was reduced as a result of carbonization and that the fuel quality was improved due to the increase of initial temperature (IT). It was also confirmed that the carbonized samples consisting only of the biomass required less combustion time (tq), while samples blended with coal burned longer than the weighted average value. The combustion time of a blended sample was shorter at an carbonization temperature of 400oC than at 300oC, and the combustion stability was achieved due to a narrow range of change in the combustion characteristics. The reaction rate constant (k) of the samples blended with coal was found to be smaller for all blend ratios, when compared with that of the unblended samples (raw, carbonized biomass). The combustion reaction models that were applicable for the devolatilization-combustion zone were diffusion (D1, D3) and Reaction order (O3) models; diffusion (D1-D4) model was primarily employed in the char combustion zone. In summary, low-temperature carbonization contributed to minimizing the change in the combustion characteristics of the biomass/coal blend.

• 박상우(충남도립청양대학 환경보건과) | Sang-Woo Park Corresponding author