Characterization of the Fuel Properties of Chimney Soots from Different Sources

Abstract

This study focuses on characterization of the fuel properties of chimney soots that arise from incomplete combustion of carbonaceous fuels. For this, soots from oak woods were collected from the chimneys of a residential stove as well as a bakery furnace. Also, lignite soot was taken from a residential coal burning stove’ chimney, and the soot of diesel fuel was taken from the exhaust pipe of a light commercial vehicle. These soots were analyzed via proximate analysis, particle size distribution, non-isothermal burning characteristics, morphology, mineralogy, and functional groups. It was found that soots carried a great deal of calorific value and the properties of these soots differed seriously depending on the source. The presence of particles < 2.5 µm (PM2.5) was detected for the soots of oak wood and lignite. Burning characteristics including the burning reactivity and the ignition points were also found to be affected by the volatile matter and ash yields of the soot samples. That is, the highest burning reactivity belonged to oak wood’s soot, while the diesel fuel’s soot showed low burning reactivity and it burned steadily. Besides, it was concluded that all of the soots have highly oxygenated structures in both organic and inorganic parts that affect their fuel properties.