Experimental study of torrefaction of camellia seed shell for solid fuel production

In this study, the camellia seed shell (CSS) was torrefied at 200°C, 230°C, 260°C, 290°C for 30 minutes in a tubular reactor under a nitrogen atmosphere. The effect of temperature on the fuel quality and combustion characteristics of the torrefaction samples was investigated. The high heat value (HHV) and functional group of the sample were analyzed by elemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The samples after torrefaction ranged from mild to massive increased by 0.33-4.18 MJ/kg in the HHV compared to the raw material and reached 24.21 MJ/kg at 290°C. The mass and energy yield varied from 93.83%-65.22%. The decrease in energy yield was much higher than the increase in HHV. The enhancement factor and energy yield correlated well (R2>0.99). The combustion behavior and kinetics of the torrefaction samples were studied in detail using the First Order Pseudo Bi-component Separate-stage Model (PBSM-O1). From an economic point of view, the best torrefaction temperature for CSS ws 260°C. © 2020, Asian Association for Agricultural Engineering. All rights reserved.