3. Results and discussion
The results for proximate analysis, higher heating value, ultimate
analysis and lignocellulosic fractions for semi-dried and
wet banana leaves comparing with other biomass studied in literature
for use in combustion and pyrolysis process are shown in Tables
1–3.
As expected, the difference between the volatile matter and
moisture contents of semi-dried and wet banana leaves was high.
The wet samples had more than 65% moisture in relation to semidried
samples. The moisture of semi-dried banana leaves was 8.3%,
which is considered the optimum for biomass combustion. Others
biomass, such as tree leaves including tree-fruits, sugar cane bagasse,
sugar cane straw, rice rusk and elephant grass, and commercial
fuel, such as vegetal coal and briquettes, presented in Table 1,
have moisture content close to that percentage, under 15%. Otherwise,
soft and hard woods have moisture level greater than semidried
banana leaves. Fuels with high moisture content, such as
wet banana leaves and some woods could not be used as-received;
they required prior drying to evaporate the water. So more heat is
consumed and the overall energy efficiency of the system is reduced.
Furthermore, in pyrolysis process, high moisture content
contributes in a negative way due to the increase of the water content
in the bio-oil reducing the fuel’s HHV.