Emission Characterization of Particulate Matters from the Combustion of Pulverized Coals in a Simulated Fluidized Bed Boiler.

Coal-fired power generation is one of the main causes of air pollution, and the fluidized bed technology is currently a commercially used coal-fired technology. Therefore, it is of great significance to investigate the characteristics of particulate matter released from the fluidized bed boiler. In this study, lignite, bituminous coal and anthracite with particle sizes of <75 μm and 180-830 μm were selected and burned completely at 700, 800, and 900 °C for the purpose of simulating the process of pulverized coal combustion in a small sized simulated fluidized bed boiler and exploring the effects of coal rank, particle size, and burning temperature on the characteristics of the released particulate matter. The results show that, under the same mass, bituminous coal combustion releases the most PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, followed by lignite and anthracite. For all combusted coals the released PM1 accounts for half and one-third of the PM2.5 and PM10, respectively, and the released PM2.5 accounts for half of the PM10. A smaller particle size of pulverized coal and a higher burning temperature correspond to the release of more submicron to micron particulate matter. The mass concentration of released particulate matter for lignite and bituminous coal shows a bimodal distribution, with the two peak values in the ranges of 0.1-0.18 and 3.2-10 μm, respectively. As the burning temperature increases and the particle size of pulverized coal decreases, the first peak value falls and the second peak shifts to a small particle size range. This study can serve as reference for diminishing the emission of submicron to micron particulate matter by coal-fired power plants and preventing air pollution.