IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i9p5152-d549033.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Development of a Low-Cost Biomass Furnace for Greenhouse Heating

Author

Listed:
  • Asif Ali

    (Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Shamsabad 46000, Pakistan
    National Center of Industrial Biotechnology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Shamsabad 46000, Pakistan)

  • Tahir Iqbal

    (Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Shamsabad 46000, Pakistan
    National Center of Industrial Biotechnology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Shamsabad 46000, Pakistan)

  • Muhammad Jehanzeb Masud Cheema

    (Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Shamsabad 46000, Pakistan
    National Center of Industrial Biotechnology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Shamsabad 46000, Pakistan)

  • Arslan Afzal

    (Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Shamsabad 46000, Pakistan)

  • Muhammad Yasin

    (Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Shamsabad 46000, Pakistan)

  • Zia ul Haq

    (Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Shamsabad 46000, Pakistan)

  • Arshad Mahmood Malik

    (National Center of Industrial Biotechnology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Shamsabad 46000, Pakistan)

  • Khalid Saifullah Khan

    (Institute of Soil Science, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Shamsabad 46000, Pakistan)

Abstract

The energy crisis and increasing fossil fuel prices due to increasing demands, controlled supplies, and global political unrest have adversely affected agricultural productivity and farm profitability across the globe and Pakistan is not an exception. To cope with this issue of energy deficiency in agriculture, the best alternate strategy is to take advantage of biomass and solid waste potential. In low-income countries such as Pakistan, the greenhouse heating system mostly relies on fossil fuels such as diesel, gasoline, and LPG. Farmers are reluctant to adopt greenhouse farming due to the continuously rising prices of the fossil fuels. To reduce reliance on fossil fuel energy, the objective of this study was to utilize biomass from crop residues to develop an efficient and economical biomass furnace that could heat greenhouses to protect the crop from seasonal temperature effects. Modifications made to the biomass furnace, such as the incorporation of insulation around the walls of the furnace, providing turbulators in fire tubes, and a secondary heat exchanger (heat recovery system) in the chimney, have increased the thermal efficiency of the biomass furnace by about 21.7%. A drastic reduction in hazardous elements of flue gases was observed due to the addition of a water scrubber smoke filter in the exit line of the flue. The efficiency of the biomass furnace ranged from 50.42% to 54.18%, whereas the heating efficiency of the diesel-fired heater was 71.19%. On the basis of the equal heating value of the fuels, the unit material and operating costs of the biomass furnace for wood, cotton stalks, corn cobs, and cow dung were USD 2.04, 1.86, 1.78, and 2.00 respectively against USD 4.67/h for the diesel heater. The capital and operating costs of the biomass furnace were about 50% and 43.7% of the diesel heater respectively, resulting in a seasonal saving of about 1573 USD. The produced smoke was tested as environmental friendly under the prescribed limits of the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS), which shows potential for its large-scale adoption and wider applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Asif Ali & Tahir Iqbal & Muhammad Jehanzeb Masud Cheema & Arslan Afzal & Muhammad Yasin & Zia ul Haq & Arshad Mahmood Malik & Khalid Saifullah Khan, 2021. "Development of a Low-Cost Biomass Furnace for Greenhouse Heating," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-16, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:9:p:5152-:d:549033
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/5152/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/5152/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Saidur, R. & Abdelaziz, E.A. & Demirbas, A. & Hossain, M.S. & Mekhilef, S., 2011. "A review on biomass as a fuel for boilers," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(5), pages 2262-2289, June.
    2. Lizana, Jesús & Ortiz, Carlos & Soltero, Víctor M. & Chacartegui, Ricardo, 2017. "District heating systems based on low-carbon energy technologies in Mediterranean areas," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 397-416.
    3. Nunes, J. & Silva, Pedro D. & Andrade, L.P. & Gaspar, Pedro D., 2016. "Key points on the energy sustainable development of the food industry – Case study of the Portuguese sausages industry," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 393-411.
    4. Soltero, V.M. & Chacartegui, R. & Ortiz, C. & Velázquez, R., 2018. "Potential of biomass district heating systems in rural areas," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 132-143.
    5. Unknown, 2016. "Energy for Sustainable Development," Conference Proceedings 253270, Guru Arjan Dev Institute of Development Studies (IDSAsr).
    6. Naqvi, Salman Raza & Jamshaid, Sana & Naqvi, Muhammad & Farooq, Wasif & Niazi, Muhammad Bilal Khan & Aman, Zaeem & Zubair, Muhammad & Ali, Majid & Shahbaz, Muhammad & Inayat, Abrar & Afzal, Waheed, 2018. "Potential of biomass for bioenergy in Pakistan based on present case and future perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 1247-1258.
    7. Chau, J. & Sowlati, T. & Sokhansanj, S. & Preto, F. & Melin, S. & Bi, X., 2009. "Techno-economic analysis of wood biomass boilers for the greenhouse industry," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(3), pages 364-371, March.
    8. Mirza, Umar K. & Ahmad, Nasir & Majeed, Tariq, 2008. "An overview of biomass energy utilization in Pakistan," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(7), pages 1988-1996, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anna Duczkowska & Ewa Kulińska & Zbigniew Plutecki & Joanna Rut, 2022. "Sustainable Agro-Biomass Market for Urban Heating Using Centralized District Heating System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-23, June.
    2. Eksi, Guner & Karaosmanoglu, Filiz, 2017. "Combined bioheat and biopower: A technology review and an assessment for Turkey," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1313-1332.
    3. Zailan, Roziah & Lim, Jeng Shiun & Manan, Zainuddin Abdul & Alwi, Sharifah Rafidah Wan & Mohammadi-ivatloo, Behnam & Jamaluddin, Khairulnadzmi, 2021. "Malaysia scenario of biomass supply chain-cogeneration system and optimization modeling development: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    4. Wajahat Ullah Khan Tareen & Zuha Anjum & Nabila Yasin & Leenah Siddiqui & Ifzana Farhat & Suheel Abdullah Malik & Saad Mekhilef & Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian & Ben Horan & Mohamed Darwish & Muhammad Aamir &, 2018. "The Prospective Non-Conventional Alternate and Renewable Energy Sources in Pakistan—A Focus on Biomass Energy for Power Generation, Transportation, and Industrial Fuel," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-49, September.
    5. Nabavi, Vahid & Azizi, Majid & Tarmian, Asghar & Ray, Charles David, 2020. "Feasibility study on the production and consumption of wood pellets in Iran to meet return-on-investment and greenhouse gas emissions targets," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 1-20.
    6. Wajahat Ullah Khan Tareen & Muhammad Tariq Dilbar & Muhammad Farhan & Muhammad Ali Nawaz & Ali Waqar Durrani & Kamran Ali Memon & Saad Mekhilef & Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian & Ben Horan & Muhammad Amir & Mu, 2019. "Present Status and Potential of Biomass Energy in Pakistan Based on Existing and Future Renewable Resources," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-40, December.
    7. Naqvi, Muhammad & Yan, Jinyue & Dahlquist, Erik & Naqvi, Salman Raza, 2017. "Off-grid electricity generation using mixed biomass compost: A scenario-based study with sensitivity analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 363-370.
    8. Uzair, Muhammad & Sohail, Syed Sarosh & Shaikh, Nasir Uddin & Shan, Ali, 2020. "Agricultural residue as an alternate energy source: A case study of Punjab province, Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 2066-2074.
    9. Melikoglu, Mehmet, 2017. "Vision 2023: Status quo and future of biomass and coal for sustainable energy generation in Turkey," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 800-808.
    10. Mäki, Elina & Kannari, Lotta & Hannula, Ilkka & Shemeikka, Jari, 2021. "Decarbonization of a district heating system with a combination of solar heat and bioenergy: A techno-economic case study in the Northern European context," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 1174-1199.
    11. Lotfali Agheli, 2016. "Demand for Natural Gas in Food and Beverage Industries of Iran," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 6(3), pages 588-593.
    12. Víctor M. Soltero & Ricardo Chacartegui & Carlos Ortiz & Gonzalo Quirosa, 2018. "Techno-Economic Analysis of Rural 4th Generation Biomass District Heating," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-20, November.
    13. Athar Mahmood & Xiukang Wang & Ahmad Naeem Shahzad & Sajid Fiaz & Habib Ali & Maria Naqve & Muhammad Mansoor Javaid & Sahar Mumtaz & Mehwish Naseer & Renji Dong, 2021. "Perspectives on Bioenergy Feedstock Development in Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-24, July.
    14. Papasidero, Davide & Pierucci, Sauro & Manenti, Flavio, 2016. "Energy optimization of bread baking process undergoing quality constraints," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(P2), pages 1417-1422.
    15. de Oliveira, Jofran Luiz & da Silva, Jadir Nogueira & Graciosa Pereira, Emanuele & Oliveira Filho, Delly & Rizzo Carvalho, Daniel, 2013. "Characterization and mapping of waste from coffee and eucalyptus production in Brazil for thermochemical conversion of energy via gasification," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 52-58.
    16. Loganath, Radhakrishnan & Senophiyah-Mary, J., 2020. "Critical review on the necessity of bioelectricity generation from slaughterhouse industry waste and wastewater using different anaerobic digestion reactors," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    17. Magdziarz, Aneta & Gajek, Marcin & Nowak-Woźny, Dorota & Wilk, Małgorzata, 2018. "Mineral phase transformation of biomass ashes – Experimental and thermochemical calculations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 128(PB), pages 446-459.
    18. Picardo, Alberto & Soltero, Victor M. & Peralta, M. Estela & Chacartegui, Ricardo, 2019. "District heating based on biogas from wastewater treatment plant," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 649-664.
    19. Villanthenkodath, Muhammed Ashiq & Mahalik, Mantu Kumar, 2021. "Does economic growth respond to electricity consumption asymmetrically in Bangladesh? The implication for environmental sustainability," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    20. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Hoang, Thi Hong Van & Mahalik, Mantu Kumar & Roubaud, David, 2017. "Energy consumption, financial development and economic growth in India: New evidence from a nonlinear and asymmetric analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 199-212.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:9:p:5152-:d:549033. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.