Co-combustion of Coal with Biomass: Energy for a Clean Environment

Coal has been and will remain a major source of electricity generation for the world. Unfortunately, the demerit associated with coal-fired energy generation systems is the pollutant gaseous emissions such as NOx, SO2, and CO2 etc. There is an increasing concern for regulating air quality and offsetting the emissions from coal- fired power plants due to more stringent limits on these emissions. New technologies are not yet competitive to totally replace coal based power generation. Coal fired power generation companies are striving for cost effective and efficient retrofit technologies. In this scenario, a partial replacement of coal with biomass by cofiring in traditional coal-fired boilers for electricity generation could be an attractive option. This research work presents novel work on the utilization of biomass (agricultural residues) as secondary fuel in pulverized coal power plants. The utilization of biomass (agricultural residues) as secondary fuel can, in one step, reduce NOx, SO2 and CO2 emissions, recover energy from agricultural waste, dispose of waste efficiently and increase income of the rural population.