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Khalid U, Khoja AH, Daood SS, Khan WUH, Din IU, Al-Anazi A, Petrillo A. Experimental and numerical techniques to evaluate coal/biomass fly ash blend characteristics and potentials. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169218. [PMID: 38092215 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Fossil and renewable fuels are used by industrial units that produce energy-intensive products. Competitive fuel pricing encourages these fuel sources' usage globally, particularly in developing nations, which leads to large volumes of byproducts like fly ash among thermal power plant operators. The elements and compounds found in coal fly ash (CFA) and biomass fly ash (BFA) can be utilized through several engineering applications. This study aims to assess typical CFA and BFA samples quantitatively and qualitatively via techniques such as ultimate analysis (CH-S), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) elemental analysis, and ash fusion temperature (AFT), to anticipate the ideal ratios of coal to biomass blends for combustion applications while adhering to environmental regulations. The optimal blend, consisting of 75 % CFA and 25 % BFA, exhibited improved carbon (C%) and hydrogen (H%) percentages, increasing from 2.5 % to 4.67 % and from 0 % to 0.12 %, respectively. These improvements were further confirmed by the observed functional groups in FTIR, indicating a rising trend in both carbon and hydroxyl groups from BFA to CFA. XRF and XRD also confirmed it and TGA also showed optimum mass loss (ML%) behavior of 14.55 % for 75CFA + 25BFA. According to slagging and fouling indices, the values of RB/A, Rs, and Fu indicate a reduction in slagging and fouling issues through the blending of CFA with BFA. Simultaneously, the fusion temperature increased from 1181 °C to 1207 °C. CFA was found to increase the AFT of the BFA from 1197 °C to 1247 °C, mitigating their propensity. This suggests that a blend of 75CFA + 25BFA results in lower to medium range of slagging and fouling. However, AFI and BAI indicate a slightly higher range. AFT analysis further validates the conclusions drawn from the indices. The ternary phase diagram shows that the ash's melting point increases in the optimum blend. This is attributed to a reduced content of K2O (<15 %) and increased proportions of >50 % CaO and SiO2, effectively inhibiting slagging, agglomeration, and deposition. Meanwhile, the blend maintains a medium level of acidity and susceptively to corrosion, as observed in the case of 75CFA + 25BFA. The identification of optimal blend ratios can be anticipated to offer essential solutions for future research, aiming to ensure smooth industrial operations and regulatory compliance in power plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Usman Khalid
- Fossil Fuels Laboratory, Department of Thermal Energy Engineering, U.S.-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Asif Hussain Khoja
- Fossil Fuels Laboratory, Department of Thermal Energy Engineering, U.S.-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
| | - Syed Sheraz Daood
- Institute of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Electrical, Energy & Environmental Engineering, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore, Pakistan; Energy Engineering Research and Development Centre, Faculty of Electrical, Energy & Environmental Engineering, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore, Pakistan.
| | - Waqar Ul Habib Khan
- Fossil Fuels Laboratory, Department of Thermal Energy Engineering, U.S.-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Israf Ud Din
- Faculty of Science and Arts, Department of Chemistry, King Khalid University, Muhayil, Asir, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulaziz Al-Anazi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P. O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Antonella Petrillo
- Department of Engineering, University of Naples "Parthenope", Isola C4, Centro Direzionale Napoli, Napoli, NA 80143, Italy.
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Akram AH, Naeem N, Khoja AH, Shahzad F, Khattak A, Iftikhar M, Imran K, Al-Anazi A, Din IU, Daood SS. Biomass fly ash as nanofiller to improve the dielectric properties of low-density polyethylene for possible high-voltage applications. Heliyon 2024; 10:e23350. [PMID: 38170112 PMCID: PMC10758817 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Flexible capacitive energy storage applications require polymer nanocomposites with high dielectric properties, which can be accomplished by addition of inorganic nanofillers to the polymer matrix. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), known for its good dielectric characteristics and wide use in electrical insulation have been investigated for the desired applications. However, the improvement of its breakdown strength still continues with the use of various nanomaterials employed as nanofillers. In this study, a waste-derived material known as biomass fly ash (BFA) as a nanofiller to improve the dielectric properties of LDPE has been explored. BFA exhibits versatility in its composition with various metal oxides, making it an attractive choice as a nanofiller. The BFA-LDPE sheets were prepared using a conventional solvent mixing and subsequent hot-pressing process, incorporating BFA loadings ranging from 1 % to 4 wt%. The effects of different BFA loadings were carefully examined, and the synthesized nanocomposites were extensively characterized using various characterization methods, such as XRD, SEM, FTIR, TGA and dielectric constant measurements, to investigate the crystallographic properties, morphology, chemical composition, and thermal stability. Among all the nanocomposites, 4 wt%BFA-LDPE exhibited the highest dielectric constant, with a value of 11.58, compared to simple LDPE that had a dielectric constant of 8.33. This improvement is ascribed to the synergistic effects of different inorganic metal oxides (SiO2, MgO, and Fe2O3) present in BFA. The results showed a significant enhancement in dielectric properties, indicating that the waste-derived BFA can be purposefully applied as an effective nanofiller in the LDPE-based composites with even less than 4% loading for electrical insulating applications in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atizaz Hussain Akram
- U.S.-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Sector H-12 Islamabad (44000), Pakistan
| | - Nida Naeem
- U.S.-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Sector H-12 Islamabad (44000), Pakistan
| | - Asif Hussain Khoja
- U.S.-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Sector H-12 Islamabad (44000), Pakistan
| | - Faisal Shahzad
- Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad 45650, Pakistan
| | - Abraiz Khattak
- U.S.-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Sector H-12 Islamabad (44000), Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Iftikhar
- Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad 45650, Pakistan
- Department of Physics and Applied Mathematics, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nilore, Islamabad, 45650, Pakistan
| | - Kashif Imran
- U.S.-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Sector H-12 Islamabad (44000), Pakistan
| | - Abdulaziz Al-Anazi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, P. O. Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
| | - Israf Ud Din
- Chemistry Department, College of Science and Humanities, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 173, Alkharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Syed Sheraz Daood
- Institute of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Electrical, Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
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Thermal steam methane reforming over bimetal-loaded hemp-derived activated carbon-based catalyst for hydrogen production. RESEARCH ON CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11164-022-04924-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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