Renewable energy (mainly hydroelectric power plants) has a significant share in energy generation sector in Brazil. Recent climate changes, however, resulted in lower rainfall indexes and acted as a driving factor for the increasing interest in biomass applications. Therefore, having the land available for forest planting and a critical need for a new source of renewable energy, Brazil has the potential to further increase the energy generation from biomass. Due to the diverse nature of biomass materials, their properties range widely and exhibit different behaviors in thermal processes. To choose the most efficient way for production of energy, it is required to know the energy potential of the biomass samples. This study focuses on the physical-chemical characterization of nine lignocellulosic biomasses widely available in Brazil: five types of eucalyptus wood chips, sugarcane bagasse, elephant grass, bamboo, and coconut husk. Some characteristics regarded as important to thermochemical conversion are evaluated, such as: biomass chemical composition - polisacharides (glucans, xylans, galactans, mannans, arabinans), total uronic acids, acetyl groups, lignin, chloride, elementary analysis of the ash (Cu, Fe, Ca, Mn, Mg and K), silica and extractives, heating value, ultimate and proximate analyses. Moreover, the studied samples were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TG and DTG). The evaluation of these characteristics is important for understanding the processes of the thermochemical conversion of biomasses.

Proceedings of the 23rd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 1-4 June 2015, Vienna, Austria, pp. 294-298