Testing and evaluation of an updraft gasifier using saba banana peel as feedstock

Issue Date

6-2023

Abstract

Saba bananas are widely produced in the Philippines, mainly for food production. The peel of saba was characterized, and some of its physical properties were measured. The heating value, fixed carbon, volatile matter, ash, and moisture content of the peel were also determined. In predicting the elemental composition, the equation of Parikh et al. (2007) was used, yielding an air-to-fuel ratio of 6.92 kg sub air/kg sub biomass for combustion. A laboratory-scale prototype updraft gasifier was fabricated and tested for efficiency by boiling water on it. The size of the peel affects the ignition time of the syngas and the burning rate of the biomass. Flow rate affects the amount of heat produced and the equivalence ratio during gasification. Thermal efficiencies in different settings are less than 20% due to system heat loss. The highest efficiency was obtained with a low airflow setting, while the lowest efficiency was yielded at a high airflow setting. At an equivalence ratio of 0.208, about 500g of saba peel produced around 1562.63 kJ of heat with a thermal efficiency of 17.46%. For higher efficiency of the peel, it is recommended to design a gasifier that would decrease the system heat loss and process the biomass into briquettes or pellets for a more uniform mass and size distribution.

Source or Periodical Title

Philippine Journal of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

ISSN

0119-7312

Volume

19

Issue

1

Page

63-75

Document Type

Article

College

College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology (CEAT)

Frequency

semi-annually

Physical Description

illustration; graph; tables; references

Language

English

Subject

Bananas; Biomass; Renewable energy sources; Biomass gasification

En – AGROVOC descriptors

BANANAS; PEEL; PEELING; GASIFIERS; RENEWABLE ENERGY; GASIFICATION; BIOMASS; PHILIPPINES

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