TITLE:
Thermal Diagnosis of Heat Conduction and Combustion Time of Fruits of the Brazil Nut Tree (Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl.)
AUTHORS:
Adenes Teixeira Alves, Lucieta Guerreiro Martorano, Gelson Dias Florentino, Dimas José Lasmar, Íres Paula de Andrade Miranda, Leila Sheila Lisboa, Jamal da Silva Chaar
KEYWORDS:
Residual Biomass, Thermographic Patterns, Non-Wood Forest Products
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology,
Vol.11 No.2,
February
26,
2020
ABSTRACT: The objective of this work was to evaluate the
spatial and temporal dynamics of the process of combustion of fruits of the
Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl.)
using thermographic images in order to characterize the potential of this
biomass as an energy source for use in ceramic kilns. Infrared thermography was
used as a diagnostic tool, and the trial was conducted in November 2018, in two blocks with two repetitions in each, with
the fruits organized so that the cavity was oriented upward and also downward.
The thermograms were analyzed using Flir Tools (6.3 v). The temperatures were the highest in the center of the
fruits (>160°C), attaining incandescence in 6 min 30 s. Heat was propagated from the center to the edge, and
this process was quicker for fruits with their cavities pointed upward. A
second order polynomial model explained combustion time with a maximum duration
of 7.2 minutes. The thermographic diagnostic has the
potential to be used in management strategies for this biomass as an energy
source, thus aggregating value to the residuals that are normally left in the
forest during harvest by extractivists.