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Energy Procedia 52 (2014) 308 – 315

2013 International Conference on Alternative Energy in Developing Countries and

Emerging Economies

Biomass gasification utilization for double-chambered

crematory
Yaowateera Achawangkulaa*, Naoki Maruyamaa, Chatchawan Chaichanab and
Masafumi Hirotaa
a
Graduate School of Engineering, Mie University, Tsu, Mie, 514-8507, JAPAN
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, THAILAND

Abstract

Cremation is a tradition that Buddhist and Brahmin people usually perform on the deceased according to their beliefs
and local customs. Old-fashioned crematories using wood or charcoal as fuel cannot prevent emission release, which
affects people’s health and quality of life. On the other hand, the modern, double-chambered crematory, which uses
fossil fuel such as diesel or LPG, has presented high operation costs. Thus, this research aims to study the feasibility
and possibility of biomass gasification utilization in the cremation process. In this research, local biomasses such as
macadamia shells and coffee bean pulp were used in a fixed-bed downdraft gasification system for producer gas
generation. The producer gas was then used as fuel for sample raw meat burning in a double-chambered incinerator
prototype. From the experimental results, it was found that at the equivalent ratio of 0.9, the producer gas from both
macadamia shells and coffee bean pulp can raise the maximum temperature in the secondary chamber to 750oC,
which can eliminate the undesirable smell and pollutants from the combustion process. In addition, by igniting the
secondary chamber, the observed light opacity decreased by 83%, compare to the ignition of only the primary
chamber.

© 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
© 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under the responsibility of the Research
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).
Center in Energy and Environment, Thaksin University.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of 2013 AEDCEE

Keywords: Biomass; Cremation; Crematory; Double-chambered incinerator; Gasification

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +81-59-231-9386; fax: +81-59-231-9386.

E-mail address: [email protected]

1876-6102 © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of 2013 AEDCEE
doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2014.07.082
 Yaowateera Achawangkul et al. / Energy Procedia 52 (2014) 308 – 315 309

1. Introduction

Cremation is a tradition that Buddhist and Brahmin people usually perform on the deceased according
to the beliefs and local customs. In Thailand, Buddhist people perform cremation at the temple or public
crematorium. At present, approximately 67% [1] of domestic crematories use traditional fuels such as
wood or charcoal, where emissions are released from the cremation process and often affect people’s
health and quality of life.
In order to prevent pollution from the cremation process, modern crematories with double-combustion
chambers have been increasingly used. The modern crematory usually uses diesel oil, Liquefied
Petroleum Gas (LPG) or electricity as its main fuel source. The primary combustion chamber is used for
the corpse, coffin and other combustible items, and the secondary chamber is used to eliminate toxic gases,
the odor and dust particles, which can efficiently prevent emissions resulting from cremation. However,
an increase in cremation costs due to high global petroleum prices has directly affected low income people.
Consequently, it is necessary to examine an alternative and renewable energy application in the cremation
process that can reduce operation costs as well as incur a low emission-release rate.
Biomass gasification involves turning organic fuels into gaseous compounds (producer gas or syngas)
by supplying less oxygen than what is usually needed for complete combustion of a fuel. The main
product of the syngas contains flammable gas such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen and some traces of
methane, which can be used as fuel in gas engines for electricity or heat generation in a small- or medium-
scale factory [2]. Owing to the biomass producer gas that can be combusted more easily than solid
biomasses, it is possible to apply biomass gasification to the cremation process. However, there are
several aspects that should be studied due to the low heating value of biomass producer gas compared to
the heating value of conventional fossil fuels, and pollutants generated from combustion reactions.

2. Review on crematory emission control concepts

In the case of complete combustion, the products usually generated after the cremation process are
theoretically water and carbon dioxide. However, in the actual process, especially in old-fashioned
crematories, some combustion products are generated, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, dioxin
furan, hydrogen sulfide, etc., which are harmful pollutants and may cause a nuisance to the people nearby
[3]. After studying the cremation process, it was found that pollution usually occurred during the first 30
minutes after the coffin was combusted. When the flame contacted the corpse, the moisture content was
evaporated and caused the combustion temperature to decrease rapidly. Moreover, during the
disintegration of the organic composition of the corpse, cloth and coffin constituents mainly caused the
odor and pollutants, especially when there was an inefficient pollution control system. After that, the
process involved bone decomposition, in which only a light odor was generated [4].
Accordingly, a double-chambered crematory was chosen to replace the traditional incinerator in urban
crematoriums. This type of crematory consists of two main combustion chambers. The primary chamber
is used to combust the corpse, coffin and other items contained in the coffin. After the primary
combustion process, dust particles and decomposed gaseous substances are drafted into the secondary
chamber and combusted again at a high temperature before being released into the atmosphere. Figure 1
shows a simple diagram of the commercial double-chambered crematory.
Normally, the double-chambered crematory uses petroleum fuels, such as diesel oil or LPG, as the
main fuel source because of their homogeneous properties and high calorific values. In addition,
utilization of these fuels can efficiently reduce the amount of pollution released [5], as shown in Table 1.
In addition, components of the odor released by the cremation process consist of Ammonia (NH3),
Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S), Methyl Captane (CH3SH), Methyl Sulfide ((CH3)2S) and Tri-methyl Amide
310 Yaowateera Achawangkul et al. / Energy Procedia 52 (2014) 308 – 315

((CH3)3N). These gases have a flash point below 651oC, so they can be eliminated easily in the secondary
chamber of the crematory [6].

Secondary
Chamber

Afterburner

Primary
chamber Main Burner

Fig.1. Double-chambered crematory

Table 1. Amount of pollution generated after one cremation

Dust particles SO2 NOx and NO2 CO

Type of crematory 3 3 3
(mg/m ) (mg/m ) (mg/m ) (mg/m3)
Double-chambered- using diesel oil 30.59 Less than 3.40 26.55 205.49
Double-chambered- using LPG 13.39 Less than 3.40 178.47 1.6
Standard of Bangkok Metropolitan 100 200 500 100

3. Experimental apparatuses preparation

Experiments have been prepared and conducted at the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation
Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering at Chiang Mai University. Experimental rigs consist of a biomass
gasifier and a double-chambered incinerator. Biomasses were also prepared as a main fuel source for the
experiments.

3.1. Biomass fuels

Macadamia shells and coffee bean pulp were selected as appropriate biomass fuels for this study, and
proximate with ultimate analyses were also carried out. Table 2 shows the fuel properties from the
analysis.

Table 2. Proximate and ultimate analyses of selected biomasses

Proximate analysis Ultimate analysis

Gross
(% by weight) (% by weight)
Calorific
Biomass
Volatile Fixed Value
Moisture Ash Ash C H N S O
matter carbon (MJ/kg)

Coffee bean
11.29 0.38 73.94 14.39 0.43 50.28 5.46 0.15 0.05 43.62 17.91
pulp
Macadamia
10.14 0.40 69.86 19.59 0.45 53.11 6.15 0.35 0.05 39.89 21.10
shells
 Yaowateera Achawangkul et al. / Energy Procedia 52 (2014) 308 – 315 311

3.2. Biomass gasifier

A fixed-bed downdraft gasifier was employed to generate the producer gas and was supplied to the
double-chambered incinerator apparatus. The existing capacity of the gasifier is 30 kilowatts-thermal. The
size of the biomass that can be used in the gasifier should not be larger than 1 inch x 1 inch. Fig. 2 shows
a picture of the downdraft gasifier and it schematic diagram.

Fixed-bed For flare/ thermal

Downdraft Wet Tar application
Gasifier Scrubber Extraction
Unit
Bag Filters

Cyclone 3-phases
3-phase Gas
Gas
Circulated Blower
Blower
Water for Tar
Extraction

a) b)

Fig.2. (a) Fixed-bed downdraft gasifier used in the experiment; (b) Diagram of the gasification and gas cleaning system

Biomass producer gas was drawn from the bottom of the gasifier using a 3-phase gas blower. Before
utilization of biomasses as the main fuel source in the furnace, it is necessary to remove tar, dust particles
and organic compounds in the fuel gas as much as possible. Consequently, a high-efficiency cyclone, tar
extraction condensing unit and bag filters were used for efficient gas decontamination. The final
temperature of producer gas reached 40-45oC before being sent to the incinerator.

3.3. Double-chambered incinerator prototype

The prototype of the double-chambered incinerator was designed and constructed by scaling down the
commercial double-chambered incinerator (Figure 3). The incinerator wall was made from refractory
bricks, ceramic fibers and metal sheets in order to prevent most of the heat loss. Inside the primary
combustion chamber, injected air holds were installed at both the left and right sides,

Draft fan

Secondary
chamber
Gas burners
Primary
chamber

Fig.3. Prototype of the double-chambered incinerator used in the experiment

312 Yaowateera Achawangkul et al. / Energy Procedia 52 (2014) 308 – 315

with an angle of 330 degrees and 120 degrees, respectively [7]. The primary burner was located at a 25
degree downward angle at the backside of the chamber wall, in order to provide maximum impingement
of the flame onto the sample material [8]. The total volume of the primary chamber was equal to 0.104 m3
in order to maintain the combustion retention time at longer than 5 seconds.
For the secondary chamber, combustion products from the primary chamber, including products from
biomass producer gas combustion, are induced by a draft fan. In this chamber, the temperature must be
maintained at a higher temperature than that of the primary chamber for the highest emission elimination,
whereas the combustion retention time was appointed to be at least 1 second (neglecting the dead zone).

3.4. Producer gas burner

There were two producer gas burners installed in the incinerator prototype (as shown in figure 4).
After producer gas was drawn by the gas blower, it passed through the burner that consisted of an injector
to increase the velocity of the gas. Then, the gas was blended with the primary chamber’s air in the
mixing room before combusting in the burner’s throat. The amount of air could be adjusted by the slide
shutter.
Injector Mixing room

Air shutter Throat

Fig.4. Producer gas burner

3.5. Sampling material

Five kilograms of raw meat at 25oC was used in the experiment instead of an actual corpse. Owning to
the information of the Ministry of the Environment, Ontario, Canada, the moisture content in an entire,
dead animal is equal to 62.1%, with other combustible substances. Table 3 shows the chemical
composition of an entire, dead animal.

Table 3. Ultimate analysis for an entire, dead animal

Ultimate Analysis
Constituents As charged (% by Ash- and moisture-free
weight) combustibles (% by weight)
Carbon 14.7 50.80
Hydrogen 2.7 9.35
Oxygen 11.5 39.85
Water 62.1 -
Nitrogen Trace -
Minerals (ash) 9.0 -

Source: Ministry of the Environment, Ontario, Canada [9]

 Yaowateera Achawangkul et al. / Energy Procedia 52 (2014) 308 – 315 313

4. Experiment procedure

The production of carbon monoxide in the reduction zone rose when the average temperature of the
reaction was over 600oC, and 90% of the carbon dioxide was converted into carbon monoxide when the
temperature reached 900oC [10]. Hence, before feeding biomass into the gasifier, ignited wood charcoal
was introduced first until the average temperature of the reduction zone achieved 900oC; then, a biomass
fuel was supplied into the gasifier.
For each experiment conduction batch, the biomass input was measured at the same weight
(6 kilograms), which took 5 minutes before obtaining the proper producer gas.

5. Experiment results and discussions

5.1. Producer gas analysis

Biomass producer gas sampling was taken for component analysis using gas chromatography (GC).
After the results were obtained, the gross calorific value of each producer gas sample was determined.

Table 4. Biomass producer gas analysis results

Gas content (% by volume) Gross Calorific

Biomass Value (MJ/m3)
H2 O2 N2 CO CH4 CO2

Macadamia shells 11.2 8.1 46.2 17.7 3.0 13.8 4.60

Coffee bean pulp 14.9 6.2 39.7 22.5 2.9 13.8 5.58

5.2. Maximum temperature at each equivalent ratio

In the conducted experiment, the equivalent ratio (  ) was selected as the main parameter in order to
achieve the maximum temperature in the furnace, which could eliminate the dust particles, pollutants and
odour from material combustion. The equivalent ratio that was used was calculated from excess air
measured from the incinerator stack in conjunction with the following equation:

% excess air = 1     100 % (1)



800.0
MaximumTemperatu

700.0

600.0

500.0

400.0

300.0
0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3
Equivalent Ratio

Coffee bean pulp Macadamia shell

Fig.5. Relationship between the equivalent ratio and maximum temperature in the secondary chamber
314 Yaowateera Achawangkul et al. / Energy Procedia 52 (2014) 308 – 315

Figure 5 shows the relationship between the equivalent ratio of biomass producer gas in the secondary
burner and the maximum temperature occurring in the secondary combustion chamber. It was discovered
that at an equivalent ratio of 0.9, the producer gas combusted and caused the average temperature to reach
its highest. The average temperature of producer gas generated from coffee bean pulp and macadamia
shells were 743 and 699oC, respectively. In addition, the maximum average temperature decreased when
the equivalent ratio was changed to 1.0, 0.8, 1.1 and 1.2, respectively.

5.3. Exhaust gas opacity

In order to measure the pollution released from the incinerator, an exhaust gas opacity was selected as
the most appropriate method. It was necessary for an observer to investigate the opacity of exhaust gas
and compare it to the Ringelmann’s chart, as shown in Fig.6 [11]. Due to the standard of the Department
of Pollution Control of Thailand, the cremation’s exhaust gas opacity must be less than 10% [12].

Fig.6. Ringelmann’s chart

During test runs, the exhaust gas opacity was measured every minute. From the experiment results, it
was observed that if only the primary chamber was ignited, the average opacity of flue gas was 60%,
because the pollutants generated from the combustion process were not eliminated (Fig.6). When the
secondary chamber was ignited and the temperature of the chamber was over 650oC, the average light
opacity was reduced to approximately 10%.

% Opacity
100

50

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Elapse Time

Ignite only primary chamber Ignite primary and secondary chamber

Fig.7. Comparison of light opacity observed between ignition of only the primary chamber and ignition of both primary and
secondary chambers

6. Conclusions

Due to the actual cremation process, it is essentially necessary to use an efficient crematory for
pollution product elimination, such as a double-chambered incinerator. In addition, the temperature in the
secondary combustion chamber must be high enough to completely eliminate pollution generated in the
primary chamber. Hence, using biomass producer gas as a main fuel source in the double-chambered
incinerator is feasible for the cremation process or high moisture material elimination, because it is
 Yaowateera Achawangkul et al. / Energy Procedia 52 (2014) 308 – 315 315

produced from a renewable energy resource and can be combusted more thoroughly than solid fuel. By
adjusting the proper combustion characteristics, such as the equivalent ratio or combustion retention time,
the temperature in the secondary chamber can achieve the flash point of any pollutant and dust particle
generated from the primary combustion process, and can be completely eliminated before being released
into the atmosphere.
Nevertheless, there are some concerns about using biomass producer gas as fuel for the cremation
process. First, because of the fact that producer gas contains a lower calorific value compared with
conventional fuels, such as diesel oil or LPG, a large amount of producer gas is necessary to complete
waste elimination, especially if the eliminated waste consists of a large amount of moisture. Moreover,
the continuity of the gasifier’s gas production also plays an important role in maintaining the stability of
the temperature inside the furnace. Consequently, it is necessary to control the quality of the biomass fuel
that is added to the gasifier in order to obtain high quality producer gas and efficiently eliminate pollution
from the cremation process.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai
University for kindly lending the experiment conduction site, the faculty’s lecturers and staff members for
all of their assistant, Mr.Thanadej Kantachote, Manager of J.E.N. Construction CO. LTD, for assisting in
the apparatus preparation, construction and installation, including all valuable comments during the
experiment’s conduction.

References

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