In a world where emissions regulations are the norm and biomass plants are facing the strictest anti-emissions policies in history, keeping your plant in compliance is vital. But it’s hard to balance emissions compliance and plant efficiency, so what’s a plant manager to do? Read on for tips to keep biomass emissions as low as possible without sacrificing your plant’s productivity.
Tip #1: Look at Your Boiler Air Systems
Often, an underlying cause of non-compliant emissions is an insufficient air handling system. If yours is too small, it may allow larger char particles into the exhaust gas system and cause efficiency issues with combustion. You need an over-fire air (OFA) system that is designed and sized correctly based on your facility’s needs. In order to get this, you’ll need an experienced partner company who knows what your plant requires and can design a system that maximizes efficiency without causing an excess of biomass emissions.
Tip #2: Evaluate Biomass Fuel Delivery
Fuel delivery isn’t something plant managers usually consider when it comes to emissions, but it’s actually a pretty important element. Sometimes, an emissions problem is caused by a flawed boiler biomass feed system. Because they aren’t as consistent as coal, biomass fuels often clump together and contain foreign debris, which can lead to issues with emissions in the future.
Tip #3: Consider Improvements to Mechanical Dust Collectors
Although they tend to fly under the radar, mechanical dust collectors can actually do a lot to reduce emissions. They can decrease the amount of air particulate, shield equipment from the fire and erosion threat that comes with biomass boilers, and ease the stress on air handling equipment. A well-designed MDC can control over 85 percent of exhaust particulates from a biomass boiler — a statistic you can’t afford to ignore when it comes to emissions compliance.
Looking for a Partner? Contact Southern Field!
We have more than a decade of experience serving the biomass, power, cement & lime, steel & metals, and paper industries. If you’re looking for a company to partner with your plant so that it runs as efficiently as possible, we’re ready to help. Contact us today.