Analysis of curing effect of bulk curing barns with different types of biomass combustion equipment

Abstract With the deteriorating global environment, the increasing demand for energy sources, humanity urgently need to explore clean and renewable energy to replace coal fuel resources in the field of tobacco curing. Biomass, a more environment-friendly energy source, is widely used but shows inconsistent results for many types of biomass combustion equipment in China. To provide basis for the clean curing, quality enhancement and curing efficiency improvement of tobacco leaves, the effect of five different types of biomass combustion equipment bulk curing barn (T1, a built-in biomass bulk curing barn with a special hearth for burning through a smoke pipe; T2, an external biomass bulk curing barn with a flame pipe through a smoke pipe; T3, a biomass semi-gasification combustion heating furnace bulk curing barn with a built-in hearth; T4, a type I built-in biomass bulk curing barn with integrated heat supply and heat exchange; T5, a type II built-in biomass bulk curing barn with integrated heat supply and heat exchange) on curing performance, biomass combustion efficiency, pollutant emissions, curing cost, economic characters, chemical composition content, aroma substance content and sensory quality of flue-cured tobacco leaves were compared and analyzed. Our results showed that the curing effect of the T4 and T5 treatments was better, the T2 treatment was worse, while the other treatments were moderate. In our data, the T4 and T5 treatments exhibited good curing temperature -rise performance and stable temperature performance with smaller temperature deviations. In addition, the T4 and T5 treatments resulted in lower curing costs, exhibited better economic characteristics, achieved more favorable coordination of chemical composition, offered superior sensory quality, and had a higher content of aroma substances in the flue-cured tobacco leaves compared to the other treatments. The curing effect of the built-in biomass bulk curing barn with integrated heating and heat exchange is superior, providing an important basis for the current low-carbon clean energy curing practices.