The proposed research project is aimed at the co-combustion of residual marine raw materials with residual agricultural biomass. On the one hand, spent mushroom compost (Spent Mushroom Compost - SMC) is a biomass derived from agriculture that is very difficult to burn due to its high moisture content. On the other hand, co-firing SMC with residual marine feedstocks would produce interesting interactions, which deserve to be studied. Therefore, SMC has been adopted as the reference biomass in research activities and is considered the fundamental component for preparing and studying biomass mixtures, composed of marine biomass (algae or seagrass) and SMC. Research activities cover all relevant topics to improve specific knowledge and strengthen the scientific community on the combined use of marine and agricultural residual biomass. The investigation is articulated through analysis of biomass mixtures, modeling activities and experimental campaigns on a full-scale fluidized bed combustor, providing insights and technological advances on FBC systems, on the opportunities of biomass mixtures and on the control of polluting species.
In particular, during combustion tests, the institute will take care of sampling and analyzing macropollutants and possible precursors of micropollutants, such as chlorinated organic compounds, possibly emitted by biomass rich in sodium chloride. The emission factors will be determined taking into account the fuel mixtures and the main parameters of the combustion system.
In order to define the efficiency of the abatement systems, sampling will be carried out upstream and downstream of the systems.