Caracterização energética e rendimento da carbonização de resíduos de grão de café (Coffea arabica, L) e de madeira (Cedrelinga catenaeformis), Duke

Abstract

Brazil produces annually two million tons of coffee’s husks from farms or industrial processing units. This waste material can be used for energy production; currently it is mainly used in agricultural practices as field straw cover up. This paper deals with coffee’s (Coffea arabica, L) husks biomass energy characteristics, including wood carbonization. As a reference, the same study was performed with a wood species regularly used for building construction named Cedrorana (Cedrelinga catenaeformis, Duke). Coffee’s husks was obtained from a farm 150 km far from Brasilia city and cedrorana sawdust from a local saw mill. This paper presents results from energy and biomass variables like moisture content, bulk density, lower and superior heating power, ash content, fixed carbon, volatile matter and volumetric energy. It has also studied carbonization, charcoal, pyroligneous licqor and non-condensable gases. A comparison between Coffee’s husk with 0% moisture content and Cedrorana sawdust portrays the following results: bulk density 144.41 kg/m3, fixed carbon 10.31%, superior heating power 4.57 kWh (or 16.46 MJ or 3.933 Mcal/kg), charcoal content 40,64% and heating value per cubic meter 2,179 MJ/m3.