2006 Graduate Catalog and 2005 Annual R & D Report - Sirindhorn ...

2006 Graduate Catalog and 2005 Annual R & D Report
Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT)
Development and Study of Fluidized Bed
Combustion Systems for Firing Biomass Fuels
Biomass is one of the major primary energy sources
in Thailand. Residues and wastes collected on a large
scale from agricultural and forest-related activities
such as rice, sugar, wood and palm oil industries can
be used (alternatively to fossil fuels) as energy
sources for heat and power production in this country.
Thus, the development of highly efficient, reliable and
environmentally friendly technologies for biomass
utilization with the aim of energy production, is a
problem of paramount importance for the Thai energy
sector. Due to some advantages, fluidized bed
combustion technology seems to be the most suitable
for energy conversion of biomass. Conical fluidizedbed
combustors of various modifications have been
proposed and are being studied. The research
objectives include: (1) investigation of fluidization
characteristics of the bed material in conical
prototypes; (2) study of the effects of fuel and bed
material types as well as operating conditions
(including air staging) on the combustion efficiency
and emission characteristics of the combustor; (3)
study of the physical and chemical factors affecting
formation and reduction of major pollutants in the
combustor; (4) optimization of the combustor design
and its operating conditions; (5) assessment of
environmental impacts for various biomass fuels; (6)
study on co-firing of different biomass fuels and/or cofiring
of biomass with coal in a conical fluidized bed.
Department of Common and Graduate Studies
Faculty Members and Research Interests, 2006
Dr. Alice Sharp
Assistant Professor
B.Sc. in Biology, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
M.Sc. in Environmental Risk Assessment, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
M.Sc. in Natural Resource Management, Hiroshima University, Japan
Ph.D. in Natural Resource Management, Hiroshima University, Japan
Areas of Specialization: Community based natural resource management, Environmental Impact Assessment,
Pollution monitoring.
Research Interests:
Community Based Environmental Protection
(CBEP)
CBEP is a new approach to environmental protection.
Traditionally, environmental protection programs have
focused on the command and control approach,
which have been very effective at reducing point
source pollution and improving environmental quality.
However, some environmental problems, such as
non-point source pollution are less amenable to these
programs. CBEP will supplement and complement
the traditional environmental protection approach by
focusing on the health of an ecosystem and the
behavior of humans that live in the ecosystem’s
boundaries. This study is aiming to 1) comprehensively
identify local environmental concerns, 2) set
priorities and goals that reflect overall community
concerns, and 3) develop comprehensive, long-term
solution to environmental problems.
Products Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is used to quantify the
environmental inputs and outputs of a product or
process, from the mining of raw materials, through
production, distribution, use and reuse or recycling, to
final disposal. There are two main stages of LCA:
inventory analysis and impact assessment. Inventory
analysis involves the quantification of environmental
inputs and outputs throughout a product or process’s
lifetime. The inventory analysis is aiming to identify a
list of pollutants that may have an impact on the
environment. The purpose of the impact assessment
is to aggregate and evaluate the potential
environmental impacts identified in the inventory. This
study will be focusing on particular kinds of waste
which have high potential to be a major environmental
problem in the future, mobile phone and its batteries,
as an example in order to develop waste
management plan and minimize the amount of waste
before hand.
Waste Management
Waste management is one of the major long-term
problems in our society. Cost-effective, environmentally
sound management of wastes continues to
be an unstable issue, the solution of which must
integrate science, technology, individual awareness,
and policy. Waste management begins with
understanding the complete and detailed physical,
chemical, and biological characteristics of the waste
in question. This understanding is crucial to
successful utilization or environmentally sound
disposal measures. Additionally, waste management
enables us to predict what is in a material, how much
is there, how it may leach out, and how it will
ultimately impact the environment.
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