Chunmei Yang

Solid bioenergy properties of Paulownia tomentosa grown in Korea

Paulownia tomentosa is one of fast-growing wood species in Korea. In order to evaluate the solid bioenergy properties of Paulownia tree, this study examined the heating value, moisture content (MC), pH and proximate analysis of stem, branch, root, bark and leaf. The heating values of wood parts were slightly higher than those of bark and leaf, and that of branch was the highest among all the samples. The higher moisture content of bark and leaf referred to their lower heating value. Also, the pH of stem, branch and root was similar and lower than those of bark and leaf. The ash content of bark and leaf was much higher than that of wood parts, which is the one of the reasons for effect on the lower heating value and higher pH. While, the volatile matter content (VMC) of bark and leaf was lower than those of wood parts. The bark showed the highest fixed carbon content (FCC), while the FCC of stem was the lowest among all the samples. The obtained results are encouraging that the Paulownia tree could be totally utilized as alternative fuels for bioenergy production.