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Pellets from fen paludicultures (Typha ssp. and Phalaris arundinacea) were produced, analysed and combusted in a 15 kW pellet boiler at TFZ. Fuels comprised both of pure and kaolin additivated pellets as well as of paludiculture-wood-pellet blendings. Standard ENplus wood pellets (A1 quality) were used as a reference fuel. Gaseous and total particulate matter (TPM) emissions as well as slagging tendencies were measured. Typha ssp. showed high CO and particle emissions while Phalaris arundinacea showed an increased risk of slag formation. Additivation with kaolin did neither improve emission behaviour nor slagging tendencies at the applied additivation levels following the guidelines of the ERA-NET project "BIOFLEX!". Blending with wood pellets strongly reduced NOX, SOX and HCl emissions. Overall, combustion of fen paludicultures in small-scale boilers remains challenging and requires a dedicated boiler technology., Proceedings of the 30th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 9-12 May 2022, Online, pp. 653-656

Fuel quality and combustion behaviour of agricultural pellets from paludiculture straw were tested within the research project “MOORuse”. Pellets were produced from Typha ssp., Phragmites australis, Phalaris arundinacea and Carex ssp..Additivation of pellets with kaolin was applied to reduce particle emissions and slagging. Physical fuel properties of pellets met the requirements of ISO 17225-6. Chemical fuel properties(e.g.K and Na content) indicated high TPM emissions for Typha ssp. Distinct slagging for the other species were predicted (e.g. by Si/K-index). During combustion in a small-scale biomass boiler (30 kW), CO and TPM emissions were high for Typha ssp. (CO: 292 mg/m3, TPM: 115 mg/m3, STC) but were reduced by additivation with 2.3 w-% kaolin (CO: 143 mg/m3, TPM: 94 mg/m3, STC). Slagging was high for Phragmites australis, Phalaris arundinacea and Carex ssp. with >40 w-% of total ash consisting of particles >8 mm. Additivation had no positive effect on slagging. In conclusion, paludiculture pellets are challenging fuels that require sufficient fuel upgrading, e. g. by additivation or fuel blending, and a suitable boiler technique that fulfils the legal requirements for the combustion of agricultural fuels in Germany. These requirements are easier met by medium sized combustions plants >100 kW., Proceedings of the 29th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 26-29 April 2021, Online, pp. 399-407