Physico-chemical Characterization of Forest and Agricultural Residues for Energy Conversion Processes

Abstract

Agricultural and forest residues are potential sources of renewable energy in various countries. However, the difference in characteristics of biomass resources presents challenges for energy conversion processes which often require feedstocks that are physically and chemically consistent. This study presented a complete and comprehensive database of characteristics of a wide range of agricultural and forest residues. Moisture, bulk density, calorific value, proximate and elemental compositions, as well as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin compositions of a wide range of biomass residues were analyzed. The major impacts of the variability in biomass compositions to biochemical and thermochemical processes were also discussed.