Siemens tests biomass in energy study

This is the hope of Siemens Energy, which has reported promising results from early stage trials combining the combustion of coal and biomass.

In the company’s pilot-scale tests conducted with US alternative energy firm PetroAlgae, it was shown the biomass/coal fuel mixture burned well and produced 20 per cent lower nitrogen oxide emissions than coal alone.

The tests were conducted in a scaled-down version of Siemens’ pulverized coal burner design and used plant-based micro-crops grown by PetroAlgae. For use in the burner, the biomass was dried and finely ground into a powder. The powder and coal dust were blown into the fuel injector separately and mixed only just before combustion.

Biomass is considered to be a climate-neutral fuel because the amount of carbon dioxide that plants release is equal to the amount that they previously withdrew from the atmosphere for their growth.

According to Siemens, micro-crops such as algae consume around twice their weight in CO₂ while they are growing. Due to this high carbon content, they deliver a great deal of energy relative to their mass.