Solid Fuels Beneficiation and Technology

Laboratory Objective

The Laboratory of Solid Fuels Beneficiation and Technology was founded in 1999 and belongs to the Division Exploitation of Minerals at the Department of Mineral Resources Engineering in the Technical University of Crete.

The aim of the laboratory is the development of new clean technologies for the exploitation of solid fuels (coal, biomass, organic residues and wastes) and their qualitative upgradment in order to increase their efficiency for energy production, lower the cost of production and protect the environment from pollutant emissions.

Infrastructure

• Crushing and grinding equipment (jaw crusher, pruning crusher, cutting mill, ball mill, rifflers)
• Dry and wet sieving equipment
• Proximate analysis equipment (programmable furnaces for moisture and ash analysis, TGA for volatiles analysis)
• High speed centrifuge
• High speed homogenizer
• Leaching ash equipment
• Fixed-bed pyrolysis reactor
• Fixed-bed/ fluidized-bed reactor (cold-model)
• Pre-pilot fluidized-bed system (hot model)
• Mass spectrometer
• IR and FID gas analyzers
• Thermogravimetric analyzer (TG/DTG)
• Thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry coupling (TG/MS)
• Pre-pilot plant for heat production from biomass
• Auxiliary equipment (top loading balance, analytical balance, condensers, ultrasonic bath, distillation column, computers etc.)
• Equipment for fuel and ash analyses in collaboration with other laboratories (CHNS, HHV, BET, Laser particle size analyzer, SEM, XRD, XRF, Atomic Absorption, ICP, Heating microscope for fluid temperatures, DTA, FTIR etc.)

Research and Development Projects

Research areas

• New clean technologies for solid fuels. Pyrolysis, combustion and gasification in fixed and fluidized bed.
• Kinetic studies of pyrolysis, combustion and gasification by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG) and product analysis (TG/MS).
• Mathematical modeling of pyrolysis, combustion and gasification processes.
• Development of methods for the reduction of slagging and fouling in boilers (ash reduction, desulphurization, ash leaching, use of absorbent materials, use of additives, solid fuel mixtures).
• Development of methods for the reduction of pollutant emissions from pyrolysis, combustion and gasification processes (ash reduction, desulphurization, use of absorbent materials, use of catalysts, use of active carbon, solid fuel mixtures).
• Characterization via physicochemical and chemical analyses. Proximate analysis –moisture, ash, volatiles, fixed carbon. In cooperation with other laboratories: ultimate analysis (C, H, N, O, S), calorific value measurement, chemical and mineralogical analysis of ash, trace element analysis, fluid temperatures of ash, petrographic analysis, specific area measurements.
• Qualitative upgradement by physical and chemical beneficiation methods (selective grinding, heavy liquids, flotation, spherical agglomeration, chemical leaching, chemical comminution).
• Exploitation of residues from pyrolysis, combustion and gasification processes (absorbent materials, additives for cement industries, catalysts).

Research Projects

• Development of improved hydrogenation catalysts for coal-derived liquids (Joule, EC, 1989-1990)
• Development of partial catalytic oxidation of methane for the production of C₂ hydrocarbons (Joule, EC,1990-1991)
• Qualitative upgradment of carbonaceous seams from Komanos mine by selective grinding (ELKE TUC, 1993-1994)
• Study on combustion of pulverized coal and plastic wastes under conditions simulating blast furnace injection (COMMET STAND BC, EC, 1994)
• Increase of the local potential for the recycling of used oils (EPET II, GSRT, 1995-1998)
• Rational use of energy in agriculture- The case of olive oil residues (Save, EC, 1996-1998)
• Revamping of the program of studies and its tentative application (EPEAEK, Ministry of Education, 1997-2000)
• Combustion behavior of clean fuels in power generation (Energy, EC, 2000-2003)
• Advanced coal demineralization (ECSC, EC, 2000-2004)
• Bioenergy chains from perennial crops in S. Europe: (ΕΝΚ6-CT2001-00524, EC, 2001-2005)
• Study on the use of Greek lignites as adsorbing materials of gaseous pollutants (EPAN, GSRT, 2003-2006)
• Revamping of the program of studies of the Department of Mineral Resources Engineering (EPEAK, Ministry of Education, 2003-2005)
• “Nuclear” Energy from Peaches (CRINNO, EC and Region of Crete, 2005-2006)
• Revamping the Undergraduate Curriculum of the Dept. of Mineral Resources Engineering  (EPEAK, Ministry of Education, 2006-2008)
• Prototype Unit for Biomass Combustion (Programme Regional Innovation Pole of Crete, GSRT, 2006-2008)
• Demonstration of large scale biomass co-firing and supply chain integration:  (FP7 DEBCO, EC, 2008-2011)
• Εconomic Modeling and Assessment of CCS (Carbon Capture and Sequestration) Implenetation in Europe (Programme FENCO-ERA.NET, GSRT, 2009-2010)
• Strategies to improve and protect soil quality from the disposal of olive oil mills’ wastes in the Mediterranean region (LIFE07/ENV/GR/000280, EC, 2009-2012)
• Best practices for agricultural WASTEs (AW) treatment and REUSE in the Mediterranean countries (LIFE10/ENV/GR/594, EC, 2011-2015)
• Development of an integrated Methodology for the management, treatment and valorisation of hazardous waste (WasteVal) (Program Thalis, Greek Ministry of Education, 2012-2016)
• Sustainable strategies for the improvement of seriously degraded agricultural areas: The example of Pistachia vera L (LIFE11/ENV/GR/951, EC, 2012-2016)
• Chemical composition and microstructure analysis of CO₂ adsorbers (National Centre of Research and Technological Development, 2013)                
• Optimization of Clean Fuels performance for low carbon emissions

Source of Funding: GSRT (Programme ARISTIA II No 4466, GSRT, 2014-2016)

• «BEWEXMIN-Bucket wheel excavators operating under difficult mining conditions including unmineable inclusions and geological structures with excessive mining resistance» Xρηματοδότηση: EC (Programme RFCR-CT-2015-00003), 2015-2018.
• “Innovative technologies for climate change mitigation by Mediterranean agricultural sector” Xρηματοδότηση: EC (Programme LIFE17 CCM/GR/000087), 2018-2022.

• “DEcision system For Irrigation in Crete based on Innovative Technologies – DE.F.I.C.I.T, ΟΠΣ (MIS) 5028242’’ Xρηματοδότηση: Επιχειρησιακό Πρόγραμμα Κρήτη 2014-2020, Ευρωπαϊκό Ταμείο Περιφερειακής Ανάπτυξης (ΕΤΠΑ), 2019-2022.