Estimation of Fixed Carbon by Ignition of Corn Fruit Residues Treated with Electromagnetic Fields

Abstract

Gasification, coming from combustion processes of lignocellulosic material, is a practical alternative to produce energy; therefore, obtaining non-forestry raw materials becomes a challenge for the energy sector. This is how the quality of the flow of input material plays a key role in the design, process and optimization of a gasifier. For the above reason, this project evaluated the potential of moisture content, ash, volatile material and fixed carbon of agricultural waste of Porva corn given the availability of these, after the harvest. The field and laboratory tests are carried out in the Fundacion Universitaria Agraria de Colombia – UNIAGRARIA, carrying out the harvest until the grain maturation (168 days after sowing). For this, it was taken into account that the seeds, before sowing, had been treated with electromagnetic fields at intensities of L1-23 µT, L2-70 µT and L3-118 µT, artificially created from electronic circuits (voltage sources, capacitors, resistors, coils, switches and semiconductors, etc.) connected together. Humidity was determined with the use of Standard D3173-87, volatile material with Standard D3175-89 (02), ash with Standard D3172-89 (02) and ignition of fixed carbon with the use of Standard 3172- 89 (02); the latter, considered as the part that is not volatile and burns in the solid state of lignocellulosic material, establishing the difference between the sum of the residual moisture, ash and volatile material and 100. The data analysis was performed in the Statgraphics 5.1 Plus statistical package, performing a simple variance analysis and a multiple range test. The comparative analysis of the variables shows a statistically significant increase in the content of Fixed Carbon at the level of corn bracts (elote) higher than 11%, surpassing the control and the rest of the treatments; furthermore, the control of the tusa obtained an atypical value of 0.72% in contrast to all the combinations. The above results are in agreement with what was indicated for the % humidity (the lowest content was presented in the bracts of the cob, in the fruits of plants treated with L1 with 27%), the ash content (the most high were presented in the raw materials of plants treated with L1 and L2 in the bracts of the cob and L2 and L3 in the Tusa, not differing among them but with respect to the rest of the treatments that exceed 3%) and the content of volatile compounds (the highest content was in the Tusa of the plants treated with L1 was present, exceeding 60% and differing significantly with the rest of the treatments).