Technical Assessment of Using Biomass from Methyl-bromide Treated Fields in Solid Fuel Boilers
Approximately 2,500 tons of alfalfa hay in Idaho farm fields were impacted by excessive amount of bromide (Br) from field application of methyl bromide, which makes them unsuitable for animal feed. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) engaged the Biomass Feedstock National User Facility (BFNUF) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) with an objective to evaluate the feasibility of affected alfalfa as a boiler fuel to provide thermal heat. To this end, the following tasks were conducted and accomplished: (1) alfalfa characterization, both as received and processed; (2) environment, safety and health (ES&H) monitoring associated with alfalfa processing; (3) alfalfa processing and densification; (4) combustion analysis in a lab-scale boiler.