Paper details

Title:

Optimisation of Pine Sawdust Pelletisation Conditions

Author(s):

Mediavilla, I., Esteban, L.S., Carrasco, J.E.

Document(s):

Abstract:

Densification consists of forcing the particles together by applying mechanical force to create inter­particle bonding, which makes well­defined shapes and sizes, such as pellets. In order to optimise the pelletisation process, it is very important to know the fundamental agglomeration properties of biomass particles and the compaction mechanism. In this work, two factors which have influence on the pelletisation process have been evaluated: the specific pelletisation surface and the die compression, in order to define the optimum conditions to pelletise pine sawdust with regard to the pellets production, the energy demanded and the physical properties of pellets obtained. Experimental tests have been carried out in a pilot plant with a flat die pellet press (30 kW). The major conclusion of the work is that the specific pelletisation surface and die compression values selected as optimal to pelletise pine sawdust are: 5.6 cm2/kW and 24 mm. With these conditions, 6.1 dry kg of pellets/h kW are obtained with an energy requirement of 121 kWh/dry t. These pellets have a moisture content of 9.3 %, a bulk density of 720 kg/m3 and a mechanical durability of 97.9%.

Keywords:

pelletization, pilot plant, quality, sawdust, pelletizing

Topic:

Fuels from biomass

Subtopic:

Pellet production processes

Event:

18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition

Session:

OC5.4

Pages:

1598 - 1602

ISBN-13:

978-88-89407-56-1

ISBN-10:

88-89407-56-5

Paper DOI:

10.5071/18thEUBCE2010-OC5.4

Price:

FREE