Spelt (Triticum spelta) and emmer (T. dicoccon) chaffused as a renewable source of energy

Abstract

The energy values of spelt (Triticum spelta) and emmer (T. dicoccon) chaffwere determined and compared to wheat and barley straw. The thermophysical parameters (moisture content, lower calorific value, gross calorific value, content of fixed carbon, volatile matter, and ash) and elemental composition (content of C, H, S, N, and O) of spelt and emmer chaffwere determined. Spelt and emmer chaffwere characterized by higher gross calorific value (18.75 GJ/Mg vs. 18.31 GJ/Mg), higher lower calorific value (16.74 GJ/Mg vs. 16.35 GJ/Mg), noticeably lower ash content (3.79% vs. 6.16%) and lower content of volatile matter (70.3% vs. 74.9%) than wheat and barley straw. Emmer chaffcontained noticeably more sulfur (0.148%), nitrogen (2.20%) and hydrogen (7.50%) than both types of straw (0.064%, 0.66% and 5.55% on average, respectively) and spelt chaff(0.071%, 0.80%, and 7.06%, respectively). Despite the fact that the relatively high sulfur content in emmer chaffis not desirable, the results of this study indicate that the chaffof hulled wheat had considerable energy potential and that hulled wheats could be effectively used as renewable sources of energy in the region of their production.