The Effect of Environmental Conditions on the Degradation Behavior of Biomass Pellets

Gilvari, Hamid; Cutz, Luis; Tiringer, Urša; Mol, J.M.C.; Jong, Wiebren de; Schott, Dingena L.

doi:10.3390/polym12040970

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…These devices enable pellets to collide with each other and with the walls to mimic the transportation and handling conditions by use of an air stream or rotating the device. Research on handling and storage properties of biomass pellets has been recently taken into consideration by some researchers [5][6][7][8][9]. They highlighted the effect of transportation and handling systems on the number of generating fines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breakage behavior of biomass pellets: an experimental and numerical study

2020

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The presence and generation of fines and dust in the bulk of biomass pellets have inflicted several problems in the supply chain during transportation and storage, and the breakage behavior of pellets has been scarcely studied so far. Fines and dust are the consequences of impact and abrasive forces through the whole supply chain; however, the breakage happens at the particle level. Therefore, to study the fines generation, first, the breakage behavior of individual pellets should be understood, and then, the behavior of the bulk materials in operational conditions can be investigated. This paper aims to investigate the breakage behavior of individual pellets under experimental compression tests and to introduce a calibrated numerical model using discrete element method (DEM) in order to pave the way for further studies on pellet breakage. For that purpose, seven different types of biomass pellets were studied experimentally, and then, a calibrated model was introduced via the Timoshenko-Ehrenfest beam theory using DEM. Results show that the model could reasonably predict the breakage behavior of pellets under uniaxial and diametrical compressions. The findings could help to develop a new design of the equipment for transportation and handling of biomass pellets with the aim to reduce the amount of generating fines and dust.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breakage behavior of biomass pellets: an experimental and numerical study

2020

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“…These conditions were selected since they represent typical conditions of transatlantic transportation (from North America to Europe) 8,46 . Furthermore, at and above this temperature and RH value, deterioration 9,11 and off-gassing 8 have proven to be significant in the degradation of biomass pellets. The temperature and relative humidity inside the chamber were kept constant all the time and monitored continuously.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Depending on the transportation type, transport distance and storage conditions, biomass pellets are being stored for a period from up to one week or to three months in a fluctuating temperature and humidity environment 7 . Storage during extended periods of time, especially at high temperatures [8][9][10][11] , accelerates the degradation of pellets, reducing the quality of the fuel and consequently the fuel conversion behavior 12 . Recently, coupling advanced pretreatment processes 4 , such as torrefaction with pelletization, have opened new frontiers to enhance the physicochemical properties of raw biomass to stand the current environmental conditions during transport and storage 4,13 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Microstructural degradation during the storage of biomass pellets

et al. 2021

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The use of biomass pellets as a source of renewable energy has increased in recent times. However, pellet storage during transportation can compromise their properties, due to fluctuating temperature and humid environments. Here, we show that extended storage of one month at 40 °C and 85% relative humidity causes significant biomass pellet degradation. This was evidenced by higher pellet porosity, weight gain, increased inclusion body formation and creation of an internal network of cracks. We quantify the inclusion and pore growth processes at the surface and within the pellets, which has implications for subsequent thermochemical conversion. The global bioenergy transition may depend upon biomass pellets, and this study shows that storage conditions are critical in the supply chain, so to maintain their quality. Without the development of stronger policies to avoid premature degradation of biomass pellets, they may not realize their full potential as a bioenergy source.

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“…After reaching the compaction pressure value set in the test, the plunger stayed in this position for 30 s (retention time), and then exited from the die. A change in the temperature and relative humidity leads to higher moisture absorption and lower mechanical strength [ 35 ]. Because the relative humidity of the working environment was about 80%, the densified biomass pellets were put into a sealed bag after being taken out from the die to avoid moisture absorption.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Method of Adding Binder by High-Pressure Spraying to Improve the Biomass Densification

Zhang

Chen

et al. 2020

Polymers

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In order to cut down the usage amount of binder, mix it more evenly with the biomass raw materials and improve the quality of pellets in the densification process, this study explored the feasibility of promoting the densification of biomass by using a high-pressure spraying method to add liquid binder. In the study, a high-pressure sprayer was used to spray saturated brown sugar water into sawdust for densification tests. A three-factor orthogonal experiment was designed to analyze the physical characteristics of the pellets under different variables. Through analysis of range and multiple linear regression, the effect curve was drawn to analyze the impact of the high-pressure spraying method on densification. The results showed that under low compaction pressure of 14.9 MPa, the raw materials with adding 6% saturated brown sugar water can be densified into pellets, while the raw materials without binder cannot. Moreover, compared with the method of adding binder by stirring, the high-pressure spraying method obtained the pellets with fewer cracks on the surface and increased the relaxation density of pellets by 8.65%. Under high compaction pressure (75, 100, 124 and 149 MPa), the high-pressure spraying method has a significant effect on increasing the relaxation density, not only on the compressive strength.

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The Effect of Environmental Conditions on the Degradation Behavior of Biomass Pellets

Cited by 25 publications

References 28 publications

Breakage behavior of biomass pellets: an experimental and numerical study

Breakage behavior of biomass pellets: an experimental and numerical study

Microstructural degradation during the storage of biomass pellets

A Method of Adding Binder by High-Pressure Spraying to Improve the Biomass Densification

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