Caracterización química de la biomasa procedente de las hojas, pseudotallo, raquis y pseudopeciolo de la planta de banano y su relación con el poder calorífico

Abstract

This research takes is part of the Project "Hydrogen production from biomass from the waste banana plant by catalytic gasification in supercritical temperature water", Objective is the chemical characterization and energy characterization of the biomass waste from the banana plant after its harvest,for subsequent comparison of results, these studies provide data on the structure of the raw material required for the development ofHydrogen Production Project.

Initially the theoretical bases related to the lignocellulosic biomass, the banana plant and the calorific value. The experimental development mainly was carried out the engineering reactor and catalysis laboratory of the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Cuenca, quantizing the structural components: lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose, of the leaves, rachis, pseudostem and pseudo-nippleof the banana plant that grown in Ecuador;the biomass waste consisted of leaves, rachis, pseudostem and pseudopetiole, that chemical level are qualitatively similar but quantitatively different, their pretreatment and treatment had been made strictly separate using traditional methods of chemical determination based on ASTMstandards and TAPPIstandardsfor the chemical characterization, and a calorimetric equipment for energy characterization. The results of chemical analysis presented percentages included between36-42 % for cellulose, 29-34 % for hemicellulose and 10-20 % for lignin,while for the calorific was obtained values between 12200-17400 kJ/kg. The highest percentage of cellulose was found in the rachis, of hemicellulose was in the external pseudostem and lignin was in the leaves,while the highest value of calorific was found in the leaves,reaching a direct relationship of calorific values with lignin percentage in all samples.