Influence of water washing pretreatment of coconut husk on fuel properties and ash characteristics during combustion in a fluidized bed reactor

This research studies the ash characteristics derived from coconut husk combustion in a fluidized bed reactor. The objectives of research comprise: (1) influence of water washing pretreatment of coconut husk on fuel properties and elemental compositions; (2) ash characteristics during combustion in a fluidized bed reactor. Potassium is a high content in coconut husk; as a result, the ash related problems such as bed agglomeration might occur during fluidized bed combustion using sand as a bed material. The water washing is a one method which can reduce potassium and ash in the biomass. Thus, the water washing is selected to treat coconut husk before using as a fuel in fluidized bed combustion.