Mass and Energy Balance of a Cashew Nut Shell Gasification Pilot Unit Utilized in Power Generation

Biomass is a renewable energy source, its use has received great attention due to environmental considerations and the increased need for energy worldwide, is clean and emit low greenhouse gas emissions compared with fossil fuels. The bark of cashew nuts (CCC), waste from the processing of almonds, which is excessively generated in our state and has not been administered correctly, so it is wasting its full potential, i.e., the main source for generating energy from biomass is in the waste. However, the use of agro industrial wastes energy is obtained by performing the archaic form of direct burning in ovens and chairs. Through the biomass gasification, process which converts the waste gas with an energy properties. We studied the conditions for utilization of biomass in order to obtain the best thermochemical conversion of biomass (direct combustion, pyrolysis and gasification). Had the opportunity to know the full operation of the gasifier, the phases of operation (heating, drying, pyrolysis and gasification) and to influence and select the ideal operating conditions. Applying methods of thermodynamic analysis and energy found in the literature and using data collected from tests performed in the fluidized bed gasifier installed was possible to determine the efficiency and potential (energy available and dissipated) of the gasifier.