Developing methodology for petrographic analysis of solid biomass in reflected light

Drobniak, Agnieszka; Jelonek, Iwona; Jelonek, Zbigniew; Mastalerz, María

doi:10.1016/j.coal.2022.103959

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Additionally, samples underwent petrographic analysis to assess the composition of the pellets and to identify any potential contaminants. Preparation of the microscopic plugs, 1,000-point petrographic analysis in re ected light along with the identi cation and classi cation of the pellet components was conducted following the methodology described by Drobniak et al (Drobniak et al 2022(Drobniak et al , 2023b. The identi ed components included woody and non-woody biomass, bark, charcoal, fossil and processed organic matter, inorganic matter, petroleum products, and binders and additives.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, comprehensive testing of solid biomass fuels is imperative to ensure their high quality, a crucial step in advancing the widespread adoption of sustainable and e cient biomass energy solutions. However, a signi cant number of biomass pellets on the Polish market are not certi ed, and limited information regarding fuel properties and biomass origin is available to consumers (Drobniak et al 2022). The lack of mandatory and rigorous quality control and certi cation processes has opened the door to subpar products that not only compromise the e ciency of biomass heating systems but also raise environmental and safety concerns (Jelonek et Beyond the quantity of the pellets tested, a noteworthy concern pertains to the type and frequency of fuel testing.…”

Section: Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although numerous countries around the world have adopted quality standards to govern the quality of biomass pellets, several studies have identi ed challenges and issues with the current standardized testing and have advocated for reevaluation of the standards ). One proposed enhancement to the current testing methods is the adoption of petrographic analysis in re ected light (Drobniak et al 2022(Drobniak et al , 2023b. While this method is rmly established and routinely employed in the examination of coal, source rocks, metals, ceramics, and polymers, utilizing it for evaluating solid biomass fuels has been very limited.…”

Section: Petrographic Composition Of Pelletsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…12). While bark is a type of biomass, it has been considered as an unwanted addition in pellet fuels due to its association with harmful particulate matter and smog emissions (Drobniak et al 2022). The presence of bark can also introduce an increased concentration of inorganic elements, including soil or sand residues that might originate from transportation.…”

Section: Petrographic Composition Of Pelletsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quality Assessment of Biomass Pellets Available on the Market; Example From Poland

Drobniak,

Jelonek,

Mastalerz

et al. 2024

Preprint

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This study evaluates the quality of 30 biomass pellets sold for residential use in Poland. It provides data on their physical, chemical, and petrographic properties and compares them to existing standards and the information provided by the fuel producers. The results reveal considerable variations in the quality of the pellets and show that some of the purchased samples are not within the DINplus and/or ENplus certification thresholds. Among all 30 purchased samples, only one passes the quality thresholds set by the US-PL BIO, a newly established quality certification in Poland that combines quality assessment following DINplus with optical microscopy analysis. The primary issues causing a decrease in pellet quality include elevated ash and fines content, compromised mechanical durability, too low ash melting temperature, and additions of undesired additions like bark, inorganic matter, and petroleum products. Our research highlights the need for improved fuel quality control measures, and transparent and accurate product labeling, as well as the need for a comprehensive and publicly available national database of solid biomass fuel producers and fuels sold. These are essential steps toward increasing customers’ awareness and trust, encouraging them to embrace biomass fuels as reliable and sustainable sources of energy.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Petrographic Composition Of Pelletsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Petrographic Composition Of Pelletsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Quality Assessment of Biomass Pellets Available on the Market; Example From Poland

Drobniak,

Jelonek,

Mastalerz

et al. 2024

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…Currently, microscopic analysis is successfully used to identify a wide range of contaminants in various grill fuels and wood pellets [ 10 , 12 , 15 , 16 ]. However, the process is laborious and time-consuming.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Deep Learning Approach to Intrusion Detection and Segmentation in Pellet Fuels Using Microscopic Images

Iwaszenko¹,

Szymańska²,

Róg³

2023

Sensors

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Pellet fuels are nowadays commonly used as a heat source for food preparation. Unfortunately, they may contain intrusions which might be harmful for humans and the environment. The intrusions can be identified precisely using immersed microscopy analysis. The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of autonomous identification of selected classes of intrusions using relatively simple deep learning models. The semantic segmentation was chosen as a method for impurity identification in the microscopic image. Three architectures of deep networks based on UNet architecture were examined. The networks contained the same depth as UNet but with a successively limited number of filters. The input image influence on the segmentation results was also examined. The efficiency of the network was assessed using the intersection over union index. The results showed an easily observable impact of the filter used on segmentation efficiency. The influence of the input image resolution is not so clear, and even the lowest (256 × 256 pixels) resolution used gave satisfactory results. The biggest (but still smaller than originally proposed UNet) network yielded segmentation quality good enough for practical applications. The simpler one was also applicable, although the quality of the segmentation decreased considerably. The simplest network gave poor results and is not suitable in applications. The two proposed networks can be used as a support for domain experts in practical applications.

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Quality assessment of biomass pellets available on the market; example from Poland

Drobniak,

Jelonek,

Mastalerz

et al. 2024

Environ Sci Pollut Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study evaluates the quality of 30 biomass pellets sold for residential use in Poland. It provides data on their physical, chemical, and petrographic properties and compares them to existing standards and the information provided by the fuel producers. The results reveal considerable variations in the quality of the pellets and show that some of the purchased samples are not within the DINplus and/or ENplus certification thresholds. Among all 30 purchased samples, only one passes the quality thresholds set by the PL-US BIO, a newly established quality certification in Poland that combines quality assessment following DINplus with optical microscopy analysis. The primary issues causing a decrease in pellet quality include elevated ash and fines content, compromised mechanical durability, too low ash melting temperature, and additions of undesired additions like bark, inorganic matter, and petroleum products. Our research highlights the need for improved fuel quality control measures, and transparent and accurate product labeling, as well as the need for a comprehensive and publicly available national database of solid biomass fuel producers and fuels sold. These are essential steps toward increasing customers’ awareness and trust, encouraging them to embrace biomass fuels as reliable and sustainable sources of energy.

show abstract

Developing methodology for petrographic analysis of solid biomass in reflected light

Cited by 12 publications

References 26 publications

Quality Assessment of Biomass Pellets Available on the Market; Example From Poland

Quality Assessment of Biomass Pellets Available on the Market; Example From Poland

A Deep Learning Approach to Intrusion Detection and Segmentation in Pellet Fuels Using Microscopic Images

Quality assessment of biomass pellets available on the market; example from Poland

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