A Correlation for Estimating Elemental Composition of Lignocellulosic Biomass from Its Volatile and Fixed Solids Content

Abstract

The elemental composition of a lignocellulosic biomass is a significant property, which describes its energy value and helps in decision for its efficient use. Its experimental determination is an expensive process, while the determination of volatile solids (VS) and fixed solids (FS) needs only standard laboratory muffle furnace and can be operated with a very less skill. The aim of present work is to determine correlations for estimating mass fractions of C, H, O, N and S for lignocellulosic biomass from their VS and FS content. The correlations were developed through nonlinear multiple regression analysis of experimental data and their average absolute errors and the average bias errors were also calculated. Acquiring elemental composition from developed correlations is simple, economical, less time consuming technique. The other benefits of these correlations include a convenient modeling tool in combustion, bio-gasification, thermal gasification and pyrolysis processes.