Converting Waste Agricultural Biomass into a Resource - UNEP

Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) Biomass
Pyrolyzer
Philippines, Research
Crop
Residue
Process
Equipment
Main Product
Rice, Coconut, Corn, Coffee
rice hull, shells of pili, peanut and coconut, corn
cobs, coffee bean hull and wood chips
Pyrolysis
biomass pyrolyzer
Combustible gas and carbon producing power
By-Product
Technical Description of Technology
Small-scale biomass pyrolyzer for farm irrigation produces combustible gas
and carbon from agro-forest wastes such as rice hull, shells of pili, peanut and
coconut, corn cobs, coffee bean hull and wood chips. The gas can be used to
fuel an internal combustion to drive irrigation pumps. The system is capable of
pumping about 30,000 gallons of water per hour compared to the traditional
diesel engine pump's 12,000 gallons per hour output. It can supply the water
requirement of a 9.3-hectare farm in eight hours.
To simulate actual application, the unit was operated continuously to supply
process steam for a small pulp and paper plant with an average output of 1.0
ton per 8-hour operation. Optimum operating conditions were obtained using
dry sawdust at 14% moisture content as fuel, with temperature of 920°C.
Justification/Profitability Indicators
Equipment Cost : P 180,000
NPV : P 277,168
BCR : 1.8
Main Products
Combustible gas and carbon producing power
Environmental Considerations
An energy audit on the system showed that the unit had an overall thermal
efficiency of 70% with pollution-free exhaust even when low grade fuels were
used.
232