Elemental compositions analysis of Arthrospira platensis-activated carbon blend using energy-dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy

Abstract

The biomass combustion in the boiler furnace faces a common problem related to slagging and fouling. The slag deposits and fouling of boiler components have been significantly influenced by inorganic matter in biomass origin. Therefore, chemical composition greatly determines the potential of biomass as a fuel. This study was conducted to determine the chemical content of Arthrospira platensis (AP) microalgae, activated carbon (AC), and a mixture of AP and AC with a mass ratio of 10:1 (AP/AC:10/1) by using an Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The results showed that the chemical content of AP microalgae was dominated by C and O elements by 63.25 and 27.99 (wt.%), respectively. It was also shown that activated carbon was dominated by C and O elements at 89.91 and 10.08 (wt.%), respectively. Moreover, the addition of AC to the AP led to a decrease in the percentage of O content and increased the percentage of C from 63.25 to 91.20 (wt.%). It is expected that adding AC can improve the performance of AP biomass during the thermal conversion process.