Miscanthus co-firing fails due to moisture issues and “fireballs”

In Missouri, MFA Oil’s attempts to co-fire coal with miscanthus pellets has failed, in part because the pellets were susceptible to moisture and then disintegrated. When the pellets were burned, they burned much faster than the coal and caused “fireballs” before entering the stoker. In order to make the fuel work, changes will need to be made either to the fuel’s composition or to how it’s stored, plus changes will be have to be made to the equipment.