Elemental analyses of the ash (Table 2) indicate additional reasons that poultry litter is a more challenging fuel than wood. The concentration of alkali metals (sodium oxide, Na2O, and potassium oxide, K2O) is much higher in poultry litter than in wood. The lb alkali/MBtu is 9.3 for poultry litter vs. 0.4 for wood. High alkali content, especially in conjunction high chloride levels, results in a high potential for slagging, fouling, particulate emissions, and corrosion.
Following are key measures that have been employed for dealing with the challenging fuel properties of poultry litter.