Characterization of charcoal produced in industrial rectangular furnaces

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterize the properties of charcoal produced in industrial rectangular furnaces, using principal components analysis. For this, three industrial stocks of charcoal were sampled from Furnace I and II, with volumetric capacity of 500 and 180m3 of wood, respectively. The average particle size, fines content, bulk density and proximate composition were determined. Descriptive analysis and principal component analysis were carried out to evaluate the relationships between charcoal properties. In general, for both furnaces, it was found that the average particle size showed a negative relationship with fines content as the bulk density had a positive relationship with the content of fines. However, the relationship between the fixed carbon and ash content for Furnace I was direct, and for Furnace II was inverse. The charcoal properties of the rectangular furnaces, in general, present a medium asymmetry. The charcoal has a high variability in its properties, however, it is possible, by operating adjustments to improve the quality of coal to the consumer.