Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/S49025/01
Title:	Fundamental studies of the behaviour of metals in solid fuels for sustainable energy
Principal Investigator:	Jones, Professor JM
Other Investigators:	Brydson, Professor RMD
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Fuel and Energy
Organisation:	University of Leeds
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 February 2004	Ends:	30 April 2007	Value (£):	223,419
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Bioenergy Combustion
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 02 May 2003 Engineering Fellowships Sift Panel 2003 Deferred
Summary on Grant Application Form
Biomass is considered to be the obvious candidate for contributing to C02 reduction in the immediate and medium term, since it can be co-combusted witt coal in existing facilities. Smaller-scale facilities could conceivably run exclusively on biomass. The greatest challenge for energy from biomass utilisation for a sustainable process - near zero C02 emissions and minerals and nutrients recycling are the vision. It is recognised that some of the metals in these solid fuels can have a major impact on the thermal processes - be it pyrolysis, gasification, or combustion. They can act as catalysts for these processes and can impact on the release of fuel nitrogen - a potential source of nitric oxide in combustion, or ammonia in gasification. Together with P, S and CI they can cause slagging, fouling and corrosion, and environmental problems such as the emission of volatile components. In spite of this, very little is known on a molecular level about the behaviour of the metals and their interaction with the fuel conversion processes. The proposed programme of work seeks to apply state-of-the art instrumental techniques to study the interaction of metals (K, Ca, Fe) with solid fuel molecular structure and probe in situ how this interacto proceeds during thermal processing treatments. The catalytic role of the metal will be elucidated for model systems and mechanistic routes will be postulated from the spectroscopic, microscopic and analytical results. The feasibility of the proposed mechanistic routes will be evaluated by examining the stablility c proposed intermediates through molecular and ab initio modelling approaches.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.leeds.ac.uk