Gasifier Experimenters Kit

Biomass Energy Foundation Water Content of BiomassBIOMASSHomeBiomassEnergyGasification &ReformingLiquid FuelsWoodCookingEnergyRosetta StoneBookstoreAbout theBEFWATER CONTENT OF BIOMASSThe water content of biomass can be a major problem if itisn't recognized, and a wet log looks exactly like a dry one, so one can't judge "by eye".Biomass is a complex fuel, composed of the volatilecomponents (typically 70-90%), charcoal that results onheating (10-30%), some mineral/ash content (1-20%) andvarying amounts of moisture. For this reason mostanalyses are given on a "dry ash free" (DAF) basis.However, wood and other biomass are almost NEVERbone dry, and go up and down with the seasons. Worseyet, sometimes moisture content is reported on a wetbasis (MCWB) and sometimes on a dry basis. When atree is cut down in summer it can contain 50% moisture(wet basis) or 100% moisture (!) dry basis. These twostandards can cause a lot of confusion unlessunderstood.LinksHowever it is easy to measure water content. Weigh asample, then heat to 105 C for 1-4 hours, depending onsample size to find bone dry weight. (I use my wife'soven.) The moisture content wet basis (MCWB) is givenbyhttp://www.woodgas.com/water_content_of_biomass.htm (1 of 2) [10/9/2008 08:23:11]