Assessment of hydrolysis lignin as fuel for CHP plant

Abstract

Hydrolysis lignin is a by-product of bioethanol production. In the hydrolysis step, lignin is separated from the raw material; wood or starch. There are enormous dumps of lignin residue in the former Soviet Union. The lignin originates from the Soviet hydrolysis industry and needs to be utilized. In addition to this, the hydrolysis industry in Russia and Belarus is still active and produces lignin residue. This thesis aims to investigate if lignin would be a suitable addition to the fuel pallet for TSE’s CHP plant in Naantali. The entire chain is reviewed: lignin sources, transportation, fuel handling, and combustibility. Economic factors such as fuel price, availability, and a possible impact on the company’s image are also considered. The different aspects are evaluated in a risk assessment, using the SWIFT analysis method and a risk matrix to rank the risks according to consequence and likelihood. For the risk evaluation, the properties of lignin were further investigated in a boiler runnability study, and the explosion and self-ignition qualities of the lignin were tested.