FUEL PROPERTIES OF UKRAINIAN CORN STOVER

 In order to provide reliable and efficient thermal conversion, it is necessary to understand the physical and chemical properties of corn stover. The properties of corn stover depend on species, climatic and weather conditions, soil type, fertilizer input etc. Thus, it is necessary to study the fuel from various locations. The present paper describes analysis results of corn stover from a single location in Kyiv region, Ukraine. The soil was fertilized with anhydrous ammonia 80 kg/ha. Elemental composition (W, A, C, H, S, N, O, Cl), calorific values, ash melting temperatures and ash chemical composition of the samples have been tested. The comparative analysis of the samples with foreign analogues has been carried out. It is shown that the test samples of corn stover from Kyiv region are characterized by ash initial deformation temperatures of 1160 - 1200 °C. These temperatures are higher than the average agricultural biomass values and typical for woody biomass. The relatively high ash melting temperature reduces risks of sintering and deposit formation on the furnace inner surface.