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Abstract Grape pomace is a by-product of the wine making industry with great availability and energetic potential. Torrefaction is a pre-treatment that may enhance the biomass quality as a fuel, and consists in exposing the biomass to an inert atmosphere at a temperature between 200 °C and 300 °C. This study evaluates the combustion characteristics of raw and torrefied grape pomace in a thermogravimetric analyzer and in a drop tube furnace. Initially, the raw grape pomace was torrefied in an argon inert atmosphere at 260 °C. Subsequently, the combustion of the raw and torrefied grape pomace was examined in the thermogravimetric analyzer through non-isothermal runs at a heating rate of 10 °C/min from room temperature to 800 °C. Finally, the combustion of both biomass residues was evaluated in the drop tube furnace at 1100 °C. The data reported includes gas temperature, major gas species concentration and particle burnout measured along the axis of the drop tube furnace. The main conclusions of this study are (i) for the devolatilization stage, the thermogravimetric data yielded apparent activation energy values of 84.9 and 85.2 kJ mol−1, and for the char oxidation stage of 137.5 and 109.2 kJ mol−1 for the raw and torrefied grape pomace, respectively; (ii) the NOx concentrations along the drop tube furnace were always higher for the combustion of the torrefied grape pomace than for the combustion of the raw grape pomace because the former residue has a higher nitrogen content; and (iii) the burnout values along the drop tube furnace were always lower for the combustion of the torrefied grape pomace than for the combustion of the raw grape pomace because the former residue has a lower volatile content and a higher fixed carbon content.

Coal fire is a global catastrophe. Xinjiang suffers the most severe coal fire in China and even in the world. Coal firefighting work has been being conducted for decades in Xinjiang. In this paper, coal fire detection, extinguishing, and monitoring approaches that were derived from coal firefighting experience are introduced in detail by taking the Fifth Fire Area (FFA) of the Heshituoluogai coal fire for instance. We first introduce the geology and fire situation in the FFA. Before developing efficient strategies to extinguish it, magnetic and self-potential methods are adopted to delineate the extent of the fire. A composite index is proposed to better indicate the fire. The comprehensive coal firefighting method is illustrated in detail, which consists of surface cooling, excavation and leveling, borehole drilling, borehole water injection and grouting, and loess backfill. The subsequent temperature and CO monitoring records show that the fire is extinguished successfully without burnback. The methodology presented here provides guidance and reference for putting out other coal fires around the world.

Abstract This paper presents a numerical study of the particle cluster behavior in a riser/downer reactor by means of combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM), in which the motion of discrete particles is obtained by solving Newton's equations of motion and the flow of continuum gas by the Navier–Stokes equations. It is shown that the existence of particle clusters, unique to the solid flow behavior in such a reactor, can be predicted from this first principle approach. The results demonstrate that there are two types of clusters in a riser and downer: one is in the near wall region where the velocities of particles are low; the other is in the center region where the velocities of particles are high. While the extent of particle aggregation appears to be similar, the duration time for the first type in a downer is shorter than in a riser. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the formation of clusters is affected by a range of variables related to operational conditions, particle properties, and bed properties and geometry. The increase of solid volume fraction, sliding and rolling friction between particles or between particles and wall, or damping coefficient can enhance the formation of clusters. The use of multi-sized particles can also promote the formation of clusters. But the increase of gas velocity or use of a wider bed can suppress the formation of clusters. The van der Waals force may enhance the formation of clusters when solid concentration is high but suppress the formation of clusters near the wall region when solid concentration is low.

In this paper, the adsorption characteristics of cationic polyelectrolyte PDADMAC on BGF particles and Zeta potential of BGF particles have been investigated. A new type of composite abrasive slurry was obtained with cationic polyelectrolyte modified BGF particles and its polishing performance was studied. Experimental results showed that the Zeta potential of the modified BGF particles was changed from negative to positive and the maximum value (+35mv) was obtained when the adsorption saturation was achieved, and the adsorption capacity of SiO2 abrasives on BGF particles was improved significantly as well. The material removal rate was 469nm/min with the modified BGF/ SiO2 composite abrasives slurry containing 5% SiO2 and 3% modified BGF particles, increasing by 47% and 89% than those of the unmodified BGF/SiO2 composite abrasives slurry (319nm/min) and the single silica abrasives slurry (248nm/min), respectively.

Abstract γ-Valerolactone (GVL)/water/acid has been developed as a mild solvent system to pretreat biomass. In this study, Eucalyptus was pretreated with 80/20 GVL/water with the addition of H2SO4 (20–100 mM) at 120 °C for 30–60 min, and the resulting cellulose-enriched residual fractions were further enzymatically hydrolyzed. Results showed that the pretreatment of Eucalyptus with GVL/water/acid system led to a significant decrease in the contents of lignin and hemicelluloses, and the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of the pretreated sample was significantly improved. Meanwhile, the removal of lignin and hemicelluloses from the cell walls during the pretreatment process was monitored by the confocal Raman spectra. Under the optimum conditions (50 mM H2SO4 and 60 min), the delignification rate was up to 90.7% and the cellulose content in the residue was reached to 86.1%. The high cellulose content led to a high cellulose conversion rate and the glucose yield was 6.1-fold higher than that of the raw material without pretreatment. In short, this process provided an efficient approach to remove hemicelluloses and lignin from Eucalyptus to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis for bioethanol production.