Room: Poster Area
Date: Friday, 22 May 2026
Time: 11:30 - 12:45 CEST
Session code IDV.3
Industrial session
Torrefied BIomass as a Fuel for Cofiring in coal-fired PC Boilers
Short Introductive summary
Renewable biomass resources such as wood and agricultural residues represent cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels, but their unfavorable characteristics — including low energy density, high moisture, and poor grindability — limit their direct use in coal-fired systems. Torrefaction, a mild thermal treatment, improves these fuel properties by reducing moisture and volatile content while partially decomposing biomass polymers. Large-scale co-firing and combustion tests in pulverized coal boilers demonstrated that torrefied biomass achieves properties comparable to coal, enabling both full and partial coal substitution without significant performance loss. The study also highlights the need to refine existing fuel characterization methods to better assess torrefied biomass, offering valuable insights for adapting the current coal power fleet to renewable energy use.
Presenter
Jaroslaw ZUWALA
Institute of Energy and Fuel Processing Technology, POLAND
Presenter's biography
Mr. Jaroslaw Zuwala holds the positions of R&D Deputy Director and Associate Professor in Institute of Chemical Processing of Coal in Zabrze. He is an experienced researcher&project manager in the field of clean coal technologies, energy storage and biomass and waste based renewable energy.
Biographies and Short introductive summaries are supplied directly by presenters and are published here unedited
Co-authors:
K. Glod, Institute of Energy and Fuel Processing Technology, Zabrze, POLAND
J. Lasek, Institute of Energy and Fuel Processing Technology, Zabrze, POLAND
Session reference: IDV.3.22