Approach To Predict Emission of Sulfur Dioxide during Switchgrass Combustion Employing the Discrete Particle Method (DPM)

During the combustion of switchgrass sulfur dioxide is released. Therefore, the
objective of the present study is to evaluate the kinetics of formation of sulphur
dioxide during switchgrass combustion. Experimental data obtained by the National
Renewable Energy Institute in Colorado was used to evaluate the kinetic data.
Conversion of switchgrass was described by the Discrete Particle Method (DPM)
that is an efficient tool to predict all major processes such as heating-up, pyrolysis
and combustion. In conjunction with initial and boundary conditions and a given
set of kinetic parameters allows for prediction of the sulphur dioxide emission.
The rate of sulphur dioxide formation is approximated by an Arrhenius-like ex-
pression. These parameters were determined by a least square method so that the
deviation between the measured data and predictions was minimized. The kinetic
data determined yielded good agreement between experimental data and predictions.