Fuel 180 (2016) 424–432

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Fuel
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Full Length Article

The combined effect of plastics and food waste accelerates the thermal
decomposition of refuse-derived fuels and fuel blends
Mar Edo a,b, Vitaliy Budarin c, Ignacio Aracil d, Per-Erik Persson e, Stina Jansson a,⇑
a
Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
b
Industrial Doctoral School, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
c
Green Chemistry Center of Excellence, Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York Y010 5DD, UK
d
University Institute of Chemical Processes, University of Alicante, P.O. 99, Alicante, Spain
e
Vafabmiljö AB, SE-721 87 Västerås, Sweden

h i g h l i g h t s g r a p h i c a l a b s t r a c t

 Shredding and screening reduces the

chlorine content in MSW fuels by up COMBUSTIBLE FUEL FRACTION (FF)
to 64%. SHREDDERING AND
 Recovered wood and virgin wood SCREENING
exhibited similar combustion FINE FRACTION
(organic matter and recyclable materials)
behaviour and properties. MUNICIPAL
 Reactivity in fuels increased with the SOLID
food waste content. WASTE DRY NON-ORGANIC COMBUSTIBLE
 A combination of plastics and food FRACTION
(EFF)
waste in a fuel matrix accelerates its
EXTRUDER PRESS
decomposition.
WET ORGANIC FRACTION

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Mechanical treatments such as shredding or extrusion are applied to municipal solid wastes (MSW) to
Received 12 October 2015 produce refuse-derived fuels (RDF). In this way, a waste fraction (mainly composed by food waste) is
Received in revised form 11 April 2016 removed and the quality of the fuel is improved. In this research, simultaneous thermal analysis (STA)
Accepted 12 April 2016
was used to investigate how different mechanical treatments applied to MSW influence the composition
Available online 20 April 2016
and combustion behaviour of fuel blends produced by combining MSW or RDF with wood in different
ratios. Shredding and screening resulted in a more efficient mechanical treatment than extrusion to
Keywords:
reduce the chlorine content in a fuel, which would improve its quality. This study revealed that when
Municipal solid waste (MSW)
Thermochemical conversion
plastics and food waste are combined in the fuel matrix, the thermal decomposition of the fuels are accel-
Co-combustion erated. The combination of MSW or RDF and woody materials in a fuel blend has a positive impact on its
DSC decomposition.
TG-FTIR Ó 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction fuels in terms of energy capacity, but also with a reduced environ-
mental impact. In other words, our society is facing the challenge
The impact of fossil fuels on the environment and human health of finding new sustainable fuels, and biomass and waste materials
has led to a search for alternative fuel sources able to replace fossil are among those with the potential to replace fossil fuels.
Almost 1.9 billion tons of household waste also known as
municipal solid waste (MSW) are generated globally every year,
⇑ Corresponding author.
which means about 218 kg/person annually [1]. Of the MSW
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (M. Edo), [email protected]
(V. Budarin), [email protected] (I. Aracil), [email protected]
collected: 19% is recycled, 11% is used in energy recovery processes
(P.-E. Persson), [email protected] (S. Jansson). and the rest ends up in landfills or dumps [1]. Almost 4.5 Mtons of

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2016.04.062
0016-2361/Ó 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
 M. Edo et al. / Fuel 180 (2016) 424–432 425

MSW (460 kg/person annually) were produced in Sweden during blend ratios. The aim of this study was to investigate how two dif-
2013, of which 32% was recycled, 15% was used in biological treat- ferent mechanical treatments applied to MSW influence the com-
ment and 52% was sent for energy recovery [1,2]. MSW incinera- position and combustion behaviour of the RDF. It also examines
tion significantly reduces the volume of the waste and sanitizes how the combustion behaviour of different fuel blends is influ-
it. In addition, combining MSW incineration with energy recovery enced by the fuel matrix and the fuel blend ratios. Finally, the dif-
(Waste-to-Energy, WtE) is an effective method of waste disposal. ferences when recovered wood is used instead of virgin softwood
However, the heterogeneity and high moisture content of MSW were investigated. The results obtained will provide useful infor-
make pre-treatment necessary to enhance its properties as fuel. mation for the production of fuel blends.
Shredding and sieving is widely used to convert MSW into a more
efficient fuel by reducing its particle size, separating out materials
2. Materials and methods
that can be recycled, such as ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and
reducing the amount of wet material, such as food waste, than
2.1. Individual fuels and their preparation
can be used for other purposes. Another emerging mechanical
treatment involves extrusion of MSW in a hydraulic press provid-
Five different fuel materials were tested and used for the pro-
ing a dry waste fraction for combustion. This fraction is mainly
duction of fuel blends – two woody materials, one MSW and two
composed by plastic, paper and cardboard. Both shredding and
RDFs:
extrusion reduce the food waste content from the processed com-
bustible fraction which is subsequently known as refuse-derived
1. Virgin wood pellets (WP). Commercial softwood pellets (mix of
fuel (RDF).
pine and spruce) used for domestic heating.
Removing food waste from the MSW would probably result in
2. Recovered wood chips (RW) from industrial, construction and
higher quality RDF. In addition, food waste could be more effi-
demolition activities.
ciently used for the production of biogas and compost. Food waste,
3. Municipal Solid Waste remains (MSWr). This is the remaining
paper and plastics are the main source of chlorine in MSW [3,4].
fraction after food waste has been collected separately from
Power plants operating with RDF have high corrosion rates in their
MSW on an individual basis in households. It mainly comprises
boilers due to the presence of chlorine in the fuel, which increases
plastics, paper, cardboard, textiles and food waste, and it may
the maintenance costs of the plants. In addition, chlorine is respon-
contain 5–20 wt.% food waste, depending on the efficiency of
sible for the formation of toxic chlorinated pollutants such as diox-
the separation of food waste in the source households.
ins and furans [5].
4. Fuel Fraction (FF). By shredding and screening the MSWr in a
On the other hand, biomass has become one of the most in-
grinder (Doppstadt DW 3060) and a 100 mm drum-screen
demand renewable energy sources in recent years since it is con-
(Doppstadt SM 518) two fractions are obtained: a fine fraction
sidered to be carbon-neutral. Woody biomass generally has low
and a coarse (fuel) fraction. The fine fraction contains mainly
ash content, a high concentration of volatiles [6] and higher energy
incombustible materials and food waste, which can be used in
content compared to MSW [7]. Other woody materials, such as
compositing or anaerobic digestion processes. The fuel fraction
recovered wood from demolition and construction activities, are
(FF) is a RDF suitable for combustion. It mainly contains plastic
also being used in WtE processes but they have not been as exten-
and paper compounds and may contain up to 5 wt.% food waste
sively studied as other types of biomass.
due to inefficiencies in the screening process.
Production of fuel blends by combining woody materials and
5. Extruder Fuel Fraction (EFF). By compressing MSWr in an extru-
MSW has great potential with regard to both environmental and
der hydraulic press (VM PressÒ) the waste is separated into two
economic benefits compared to MSW-only fuels. The total chlorine
fractions: a wet fraction mainly comprising food waste suitable
content (TCC) of the fuel would be lower, which may reduce the
for biological processes and a dry fraction rich in combustible
risks of corrosion problems in the boilers and potential emissions
materials such as paper, plastic or cardboard. The dry com-
of chlorinated organic compounds to the air. In addition, combus-
bustible fraction, also considered to be a RDF, may contain up
tion behaviour and energy content of the fuel blend could be
to 2% food waste. Hereafter, it will be referred to as the extruder
improved resulting in more efficient combustion. There is a lack
fuel fraction (EFF).
of knowledge about how mechanical treatments applied to MSW
influence its composition and properties and, by extension, its
All fuels except WP were collected from a recycling centre and
co-combustion behaviour, when combined with wood for the pro-
waste treatment plant sited in southern Sweden and owned by
duction of fuel blends.
VafabMiljö AB. For each individual fuel, a standardized quartering
Thermal analysis (TA) is a reliable technique used extensively for
procedure was performed to ensure a 25 kg representative sample
simulating thermal processes since it readily provides information
of each type. Since the amount of sample used in the tests was very
about the thermal decomposition and combustion behaviour of a
low, it was important to perform thorough grinding and homoge-
fuel. TA has been used extensively for the study of the co-
nization to ensure representative and homogenous samples for
combustion of biomass and coal or lignin blends [8–14] and even
analysis. Prior to analysis, samples were air dried and metal and
MSW and coal blends [15]. However, there are few studies consider-
glass pieces were removed manually from the waste materials
ing the co-combustion of woody materials and MSW or RDFs. Gram-
and RW. Next, samples were homogenized, ground using a Retsch
melis et al. [16] focused on pyrolysis and combustion characteristics
SM 200 cutting mill and sieved to 61 mm and homogenized again.
of the components of RDFs, while Muthuraman et al. [15,17] com-
Finally, materials were ground again and sieved to 6500 lm and
pared co-combustion characteristics of coal with MSW treated
further homogenized prior to analysis (see Figs. S1–S3 available
hydrothermally and wood. Synergies between RDF and biomass in
in supplementary material about FF and EFF production and sam-
a fixed-bed reactor were studied by Gehrmann et al. [18].
pling and sample preparation respectively).
The current work used simultaneous thermal analysis (STA) to
examine the combustion behaviour of different fuel materials
and their blends. Two different types of woody materials (virgin 2.2. Fuel blend preparation
softwood pellets and recovered wood chips) and three different
waste materials (one MSW as collected and two RDFs obtained Fuel blends were prepared by combining all the individual fuels
by mechanical treatment) were combined in two different fuel in two different waste:wood ratios: (i) 80:20 and (ii) 60:40 by
426 M. Edo et al. / Fuel 180 (2016) 424–432

weight. The first ratio (80:20) is widely used in fuel blends for co- for all individual fuels and blends. All the experiments were repli-
combustion; while the second one (60:40) is an attempt to produce cated at least three times to ensure reproducibility of the results.
a fuel blend with enhanced properties in terms of energy and pol-
lutants released. In total, 12 fuel blends were obtained by blending 3. Results and discussions
each woody material with either MSWr or one of the RDFs, in the
two blend ratios. 3.1. Individual fuels

2.3. Sample characterization 3.1.1. Physical and chemical properties

The physical and chemical properties of both wood materials
Elemental analysis (CHN) was performed according to the studied, WP and RW, were very similar (Table 1). Volatiles and
EN15407:2011 standard [19]. Sulphur and chlorine determinations oxygen content are indicators of how easy is to ignite a fuel [17].
were performed according to the EN 15408:2011 standard [20]. Results showed that woody materials have higher volatile content
Oxygen content was calculated by difference. These analyses were than MSW-based fuels (85.6% and 72–80% respectively); as well as
performed by Bränslelaboratoriet Umeå AB. Energy content was much higher oxygen content (40–41% and 24–25.5% respectively).
determined using a LECO AC-350 bomb calorimeter on 0.5 g of Comparison of MSW-based fuels showed that FF has the highest
dry sample. Proximate analysis was carried out in a STA 6000 Per- volatile matter (79.6%) followed by EFF and MSWr (72.9% and
kin Elmer Thermobalance using 5–15 mg of sample and 72.0% respectively) and very similar oxygen contents (about
70 mL min 1 gas flow [21]. The decomposition of the fuels under 24.7%). The ash content was vastly lower in woody fuels (2%) com-
pyrolytic conditions with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy pared to MSW-based fuels (17–23.6%). As the nitrogen (0.10–
(TG-FTIR) was performed using a thermogravimetric analysis cou- 1.10%) and sulphur content (0.01–0.15%) was low in all the fuels,
pled Netzsch STA 409 at a heating rate of 10 °C min 1, with typi- low SOX and NOx emissions could be expected when these materi-
cally 30 mg sample under flowing N2 at 100 mL min 1, coupled als were used as fuels in combustion or co-combustion processes.
with a Bruker EQUINOX-55 instrument equipped with a liquid N2 Chlorine content was substantially lower in woody (<0.01%)
cooled MCT detector. than in MSW-based fuels (0.3–0.9%) due mainly to the presence
of food waste and traces of chlorinated plastics in the latter [3–
2.4. Combustion studies in the STA 5]. A comparison of the levels of chlorine in MSWr and RDFs
showed that both mechanical treatments, shredding and screening
Combustion tests were performed in a Thermal Analyser (STA and extrusion, applied to the MSWr decrease the chlorine content
Stanton – Redcroft 625) which allows simultaneous Differential in the source from 0.89% to 0.32% and 0.50% respectively by remov-
Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetry (TG). For each ing food waste. Based on these results, shredding and screening is a
run, 2–4 mg of dried sample was placed in an Al2O3 pan and heated more efficient method for removing chlorine from fuel than
at 10 °C min 1 from room temperature up to 600 °C in an oxygen extrusion.
atmosphere with a flow rate of 60 mL min 1. The instrument was All the fuels tested, except FF (22 MJ/kgdb), had similar energy
regularly calibrated according to IUPAC procedure [22]. Tempera- contents (17–19 MJ/kgdb), which can be considered an advantage
ture measurement is granted within 0.1% and heat flow within when MSWs are blended with woody materials. Even when the
2%. Therefore, the position of the peaks reported in the paper has materials are not homogenously blended, there would not be big
been measured very accurately. The peak positions are determined variations in heat released.
not only by the physical property of a fuel but also by experimental By decreasing the food waste content in MSWr it is possible to
parameters such as the sample mass, the particle-heating rate, and obtain a fuel with enhanced energy content. Based on the individ-
the condition of surrounding gases. The sample weight loss, tem- ual fuel properties, FF is the one with the most improved
perature, heat flux and time data were recorded simultaneously properties.
during the tests and used for the production of the TG, DTG (1st
derivative of the TG curve) and DSC combustion curves, which rep- 3.1.2. Fuel decomposition under pyrolytic conditions: TG-FTIR in WP
resent weight loss of the sample, rate of weight loss and heat flux, and EFF
respectively, as functions of temperature. Initial temperature (Ti, TG-FTIR was used to examine the decomposition of the fuels
‘‘temperature where the rate of weight loss accelerates due to under pyrolytic conditions. This technique provides information
the onset of the combustion”) [23] and burnout temperature were about the volatiles evolved during the decomposition of the fuels
obtained graphically based on the intersection point between the as well as the temperature ranges involved. TG-FTIR analysis was
base line and the tangent to the maximum slope in the first peak conducted on two of the materials, WP and EFF. The TG-FTIR
and in the last peak of the DSC curve respectively. spectra of the pyrolysis of WP show one-step decomposition
Elemental analysis, sulphur and chorine determination were (Fig. 1A1 and A3), which demonstrates the homogeneity of this
performed for the individual fuels, while calorific values, proxi- material. The first volatiles from the WP decomposition appeared
mate analysis and thermogravimetric analysis were performed after 250 °C and were released slowly. At this stage carbon

Table 1
Individual fuel characterization.

Sample Proximate analysis (%db) Ultimate analysis (%db) Energy content (MJ/kgdb)
Volatile matter Fixed carbon Ash C H N S O Cl LHVa
WP 85.5 12.1 2.4 51.2 6.2 0.1 0.03 40.1 <0.01 18.0
RW 85.7 12.3 2.0 50.4 6.2 0.4 0.01 41.0 <0.01 17.9
MSWr 72.0 4.4 23.6 43.9 6.1 1.1 0.15 24.3 0.89 17.2
FF 79.6 3.3 17.2 50.4 7.2 0.4 0.10 24.4 0.32 21.9
EFF 72.9 4.4 22.7 44.6 6.3 0.4 0.08 25.4 0.50 19.3

db: dry basis.

a
LHV: lower heating value.
 M. Edo et al. / Fuel 180 (2016) 424–432 427

Fig. 1. TG-FTIR analysis of (A) softwood pellets (WP) and (B) extruder fuel fraction (EFF). A1 and B1: two dimensional representation of the pyrolysis. A2 and B2: FTIR spectra
of volatiles produced at 322 °C and 358 °C and 336 °C and 474 °C, respectively. A3 and B3: kinetic traces of the major FTIR absorption peaks (A.U.: Absorbance units).

dioxide as well as ketones, aldehydes and carboxylic acids 3.1.3. Combustion behaviour
dominated. The carboxylic acids and especially the ketones and Individual fuels were tested by STA to study their combustion
aldehydes are highly flammable and could be easily ignited by behaviour and to elucidate how each fuel differs from the others
heat initiating combustion of the WP. The maximum organic when they are burnt. The thermal oxidation of RW and WP
volatile release was observed at a temperature around 360 °C revealed very similar combustion behaviours occurring in two
(with a lower threshold around 320 °C). It is important to note stages (Fig. 2A). According to TG-FTIR data (Fig. 1A) the first stage
that at 360 °C, in contrast to the lower temperature boundary, a (ca. 350 °C) is attributed to the oxidation of volatiles produced dur-
significant quantity of high calorific value aliphatic compounds ing the total decomposition of cellulose, hemicellulose and partial
(peaks ca. 2820 and 2930 cm 1) was observed. Large quantities decomposition of lignin [8,25,26]. During this stage, most of the
of aliphatic compounds such as CH4 are produced from lignin volatiles are oxidized and char is formed. The second stage (ca.
decomposition [24]. 470 °C) is attributed to the decomposition and oxidation of the
TG-FTIR spectra obtained during the pyrolysis of EFF (Fig. 1B1 remaining lignin and the char created during the first stage
and B3) demonstrate the heterogeneous nature of this sample with [8,25]. The main loss of weight occurred during the first stage:
two well separated peaks at 336 °C and 474 °C. The first peak is 62.2% and 58.9% for RW and WP respectively. From 350 °C
associated with release of carbon dioxide, aldehydes, ketones and upwards, both materials had the same loss of weight (ca. 60%)
acids. The composition of volatiles produced from EFF at 336 °C and ash content (ca. 4%). The two wood-based fuels’ DSC profiles
is similar to the main peak of the WP decomposition and is prob- (Fig. 2B) showed two exothermic peaks which correspond to the
ably the result of decomposition of bio-derived polymers. In con- decomposition stages observed in the TG profiles. Based on these
trast, the major products of decomposition at 474 °C are long results we can say that RW and WP exhibit similar combustion
chain aliphatic compounds (corresponding to the peaks at 2925 behaviour.
and 2826 cm 1). This stage of the EFF decomposition could be asso- MSW-based fuels exhibited three-stage oxidation. Compared to
ciated with synthetic polymers that may produce substantial WP and RW, an early third peak appeared while the other
amounts of flammable high calorific value compounds during two peaks shifted to lower temperatures, which can be easily
decomposition. observed in FF and EFF (Fig. 2D). The temperature ranges for each
428 M. Edo et al. / Fuel 180 (2016) 424–432

1
Fig. 2. TG (A and C) and DSC (B and D) profiles of the combustion of the individual fuels at 10 °C min : RW (recovered wood); WP (softwood pellets); MSWr (municipal solid
waste remains); FF (fuel fraction) and EFF (extruder fuel fraction).

decomposition stage were 200–260 °C; 260–375 °C and 375– Table 2

500 °C respectively. The nature of each peak could be interpreted Initial temperature (Ti) and burnout (Tbo) temperature for the individual fuels.
based on TG-FTIR analysis of EFF (Fig. 1B). The EFF decomposition
Sample Blend ratio Ti (°C) Tbo (°C)
consists of two peaks at 336 °C and 474 °C that correspond to the
WP 100 287 495
pyrolysis of two types of components: lignocellulosic material
RW 100 287 487
(food, paper, cardboard and wood) and synthetic polymers, respec- MSWr 100 203 501
tively. Therefore, the two major combustion peaks of EFF at 331 °C FF 100 205 502
and 461 °C (Fig. 2D) could be attributed to oxidation of volatiles EFF 100 210 485
produced during the pyrolysis of lignocellulosic and synthetic MSWr:RW 60:40 200 491
MSWr:RW 80:20 200 508
polymers present in the sample. However, the complexity and FF:RW 60:40 220 495
broadness of the 461 °C peak (Fig. 2D) could be attributed to the FF:RW 80:20 210 490
oxidation of the char obtained during pyrolysis of lignocellulosic EFF:RW 60:40 216 491
materials at 331 °C. The first combustion peak around 225 °C in EFF:RW 80:20 216 500
the MSW-based fuels was associated with very little sample mass
loss in STA (Fig. 2D). Surprisingly, this peak does not exist in TG
trace of TG-FTIR experiment (see Fig. 1B). However, FTIR analysis ash content (Fig. 2C) [26]. The acceleration on the thermal decom-
of volatiles produced at temperature around 225 °C demonstrates position of the fuels due to the presence of plastics in the MSW-
some quantity of carbonyl (˜C@O) and carboxyl (CAOH) containing based fuels could explain the fact that MSWs-based fuels have
molecules. Therefore, the nature of the 225 °C peak in the MSW lower initial temperature than wood-based fuels although their
oxidation STA trace could be attributed to oxidation of the carbonyl volatile matter and oxygen content is lower (see Section 3.1.1).
and carboxyl containing volatiles molecules released from plastics. On the other hand, results showed that the higher the amount of
DSC profiles (Fig. 2D) showed that the first peak was more food waste in a fuel, the lower the initial temperature is. Based
intense when the amount of non-lignocellulosic materials in the on these results, if plastics were the only component responsible
fuel increased, in other words, when the food waste content for shifting the MSW-based fuels’ curves to lower temperatures,
decreased. This fact supports our theory that the first peak is due then those fuels with a higher plastic content would have the
to the decomposition of non-lignocellulosic materials such as plas- lower Ti. However, the fuel with the lower Ti is the one with higher
tics or easily decomposed components. At the same time, it can be food waste content. For this reason, we consider that instead of an
clearly seen in the DSC profiles that when the food waste content effect due solely to the plastics, the acceleration of the decomposi-
in a fuel increased, the second peak shifted to lower temperatures. tion of the waste could be due to a combined effect of the food
Based on these observations, it seems that the presence of food waste and plastics present in the fuel.
waste also accelerates the decomposition of the fuels, which is also Previous studies in this field have reported an acceleration in
indicated by the initial temperature in Table 2. the thermal decomposition of some materials due to the presence
MSW-based fuels have a lower initial temperature than woody of either PVC [16,27] or impurities that are easy to decompose [28].
fuels, 203–210 °C and 287 °C respectively and MSWr and FF have However, this is the first study that provides clear observations of
the highest burnout temperatures, about 501 °C, due to their high the three-stage oxidation of MSW-based fuels and in which food
 M. Edo et al. / Fuel 180 (2016) 424–432 429

waste is also considered to play an important role in combination energy content, with the exception of those containing MSWr,
with the presence of plastics. Due to the vast number of policies since the energy content in MSWr and biomass fuels is quite sim-
regarding restriction of the use of PVC (the use of PVC in consumer ilar. The fuel blends with the higher energy content were those
goods has been banned in Sweden since 1995) it is unlikely that containing FF (ca. 20.6 MJ/kgdb). Although FF is the MSW-based
the PVC content in waste is the same today as reported in previous fuel with higher amounts of volatile matter, those blends contain-
studies [29]. For this reason, we conclude that PVC is not the only ing EFF had the highest volatile matter content. In general, when
material responsible for the acceleration of the decomposition biomass is added to MSW-based fuels, the volatile content of the
observed in our test, but it acts in combination with other plastic fuel increases, the ash content decreases and the energy content
and non-woody combustible materials and food waste remains almost the same with respect to MSW-based fuels. Based
Comparison of TG-curves of two different fuel materials (MSWr on the results of the characterization of the individual fuels and
and FF) and two fuel blends (FF:WP and MSWr:WP, 80:20) and DSC their blends, the addition of biomass to a MSW-based fuel
curves of MSW-only fuels (MSWr and FF) and their replicates are enhances fuel quality.
shown in Figs. S7 and S8 respectively in supplementary material. Regarding the predictability of the fuel blends properties based
These plots show that results from replicate are very reproducible. on their individual fuels, a weighted law is verified both for energy
content and volatile matter with differences between experimental
3.2. Fuel blends and calculated values lower than 3% and 5% respectively. These dif-
ferences become higher in fixed carbon and ash content determi-
3.2.1. Physical and chemical properties nation, especially for those fuel blends with EFF, which can be
The results relating to the proximate analysis and energy con- attributed to the small amount of sample used to perform the
tent of the fuel blends were very similar when either WP or RW proximate analysis experiments and the heterogeneity of the
was used for the production of the blends (Table 3). The 60:40 material.
waste:biomass blends were associated with lower ash content
than the 80:20 blends. Furthermore, 80:20 fuel blends had higher
3.2.2. Thermal properties: TG-FTIR in EFF-WP blend
TG-FTIR was applied to the fuel blend EEF:WP (80:20) to study
Table 3
Fuel blend characterization.
the compounds evolved during its decomposition under pyrolytic
conditions. DTG profiles of the EEF:WP blend and their individual
Sample Proximate analysis (%db) Energy content
components were also compared for a better understanding of
(MJ/kgdb)
the decomposition mechanism of these fuels. As can be clearly
Waste:biomass Blend Volatile Fixed Ash LHVa observed in the DTG profile (Fig. 3A), the decomposition of the
ratio matter carbon
EFF:WP fuel blend resulted in two-stages. The DTG curve of the
MSWr:WP 60:40 78.9 8.7 12.4 18.0 blend is located between the DTG curves for the individual fuels,
MSWr:WP 80:20 73.7 5.9 20.4 17.4
MSWr:RW 60:40 77.0 9.6 13.4 18.0
as could be expected. The second decomposition peak (474 °C) is
MSWr:RW 80:20 74.4 8.1 17.5 17.4 due to the presence of EFF in the fuel blend, and its thermal beha-
FF:WP 60:40 79.4 5.4 15.3 20.4 viour is not affected by the presence of WP in the blend.
FF:WP 80:20 79.0 3.9 17.1 20.9 The DTG profile for the EFF:WP fits well with the FTIR spectra
FF:RW 60:40 78.0 9.3 12.7 20.1
(Fig. 3B). Once again, the two-stage decomposition of the fuel
FF:RW 80:20 79.2 4.3 16.5 20.8
EFF:WP 60:40 80.9 4.2 14.9 18.6 blend (1st peak at 349.4 °C and 2nd peak at 474.3 °C) was
EFF:WP 80:20 76.3 2.0 21.7 19.1 observed. Analysis of volatiles produced during the pyrolysis of
EFF:RW 60:40 80.0 1.7 18.2 18.3 this fuel blend (Fig. 3B2 and B3) demonstrates some deviation in
EFF:RW 80:20 81.1 3.2 15.8 18.7 acid/aldehyde composition from the gas product composition
db: dry basis. obtained during the pyrolysis of the individual fuels. In addition,
a
LHV: lower heating value. CO2 (1760 cm 1) is mainly released during the first stage

Fig. 3. A: Comparison of the DTG profiles of the individual EEF (extruder fuel fraction) and WP (wood pellets) fuels and their blends. Heating rate was 10 °C min 1 and sample
mass 30 mg, under pyrolytic conditions. TG-FTIR analysis of the EFF: WP 80:20 blend (B). B1: Two-dimensional representation of the pyrolysis. B2: FTIR spectrum of volatiles
produced at 336 °C and 474 °C. B3: kinetic traces of the major FTIR absorption peaks (A.U.: Absorbance units).
430 M. Edo et al. / Fuel 180 (2016) 424–432

decomposition, but a small and continuous release is also observed The DSC curves for the fuel blends were located between the
during the second stage. DSC curves of the individual fuels, as expected. The fuel blends pre-
sented three-stage oxidation as did the MSW-based fuels. Peaks
3.2.3. Combustion behaviour were broader in the 80:20 blends than the 60:40 blends. The first
As has been mentioned in previous sections, WP and RW small peak was more perceptible in the 80:20 than in the 60:40
showed similar results in the proximate and ultimate analysis, blends, again supporting the idea of being related to the decompo-
with respect to energy content and combustion behaviour. There- sition of synthetic polymers. The acceleration of the decomposition
fore, only the RW fuel blends were included in the evaluation of due to the presence of plastics and food waste discussed in Sec-
combustion behaviour. TG and DSC profiles for the individual fuels tion 3.1.3 is also apparent in the fuel blends. The addition of RW
and their blends are presented in Figs. 4–6 (WP fuel blend profiles shifted the second decomposition peak to a slightly higher temper-
are available in Supporting information, Figs. S4–S6.). ature. As an example, in EFF:RW blends it shifted from 331 °C in

1
Fig. 4. TG (A) and DSC (B) profiles of the combustion of the fuel blends comprising MSWr (municipal solid waste remains) and RW (recovered wood) at 10 °C min .

1
Fig. 5. TG (A) and DSC (B) profiles of the combustion of the fuel blends comprising FF (fuel fraction) and RW (recovered wood) at 10 °C min .
 M. Edo et al. / Fuel 180 (2016) 424–432 431

1
Fig. 6. TG (A) and DSC (B) profiles of the combustion of the fuel blends comprising EFF (extruder fuel fraction) and RW (recovered wood) at 10 °C min .

the individual fuel to 338 °C and 342 °C in the 80:20 and 60:40 Martinez and Carl-Magnus Pettersson for their assistance with
blends, respectively. Conversely, the third peak shifted to lower the tests performed at Vafabmiljö.
temperatures when the biomass in the blend increased: from
461 °C in the individual fuel to 455 °C and 454 °C in the 80:20 Appendix A. Supplementary data
and 60:40 blends, respectively.
Initial temperature was slightly affected by the fuel ratio Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in
(Table 2). It was found that the higher the amount of food waste the online version, at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2016.04.062.
in a fuel blend, the lower the initial temperature (Table 2). The
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