| 摘要 |
<p>Fuels and fuel components comprising starch are provided, as well as methods for operating a combustor such as a boiler or an internal combustion engine by feeding a starch fuel to the combustor. The starch may be a common starch or a modified starch, such as a free-flowing, hydrophobic starch having a near-neutral dry product pH. The starch may be provided as a solid fuel such as a powdered fuel or as a fuel slurry. The fuels can include a starch as the primary combustible component and/or may include other fuel components such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, and alcohols. Methods are also provided for making a free-flowing hydrophobic starch by preparing an aqueous mixture comprising a starch, a siliconate, and an acid, where the aqueous mixture has a near-neutral pH, and drying the starch solids to obtain a hydrophobic starch having a near-neutral dry product pH.</p> |
