In search of guaranteeing global energy requirements, waste from different agricultural, forestry and industrial sources is presented as a renewable and sustainable energy source. The manufacture of solid fuels from biomass based on the densification of this to improve its mechanical and energy properties is one of the mechanisms of viable energy production from the technical-economic point of view. The biomass mixture is one of the topics currently researched, in which various factors can affect the final behavior of the briquettes. In this research the influence on the mechanical properties of briquettes obtained from the mixture between two biomasses is studied: rice husk and pine sawdust. A mixed factorial experimental factorial design is used, in which the process temperature, the proportion of the rice husk biomass over the total mass, and the compaction time are defined as experimental factors. Experimental statistical models are obtained that partially explain the behavior of several responses that characterize the mechanical properties of the briquettes based on the selected independent parameters. It was found that the mechanical durability of the briquettes is higher than 97.5%, meets the existing standards, like German Institute for Standardization (DIN) 51731, Theological Institute Batista Ebenézer (ITEBE) SS187120 or International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17225-2, for a compaction temperature of 110 °C and a proportion of rice husk that does not exceed 60% of the total biomass mixture in the briquette. The compaction time was also statistically significant to achieve a briquettes density and an appropriate elasticity modulus in the briquettes. The results of this research are of interest and can serve as a starting point for the design of the industrial process of densification of these two mixed biomasses.
In this paper a study on the process of densification of oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) is presented. An empirical-statistical model that allows the evaluation of densification process is obtained through an experimental factorial design. The main purpose of the experimental arrangement is to find the appropriate reference values for the experimental factors - moisture content, fiber length and compaction time-with which optimal performance responses of briquettes are achieved. Statistical models are obtained that explain in an acceptable way the influence of independent experimental factors on the mechanical properties of briquettes, such as briquettes density, durability index and compressive strength. It is possible to conclude that briquettes manufactured with the appropriate reference values, moisture content of 8% w.b., fiber length of 73.6 mm and a compaction time of 26.6 s respectively, meet mechanical and thermal requirements that are required in the most representative standards for biomass briquettes for energy purposes. Results obtained in the current investigation can be used as reference for the design of an industrial pilot plant destined to the densification of EFB of African oil palm.
The aim of this work was to study the behavior of sugarcane bagasse submitted to cutting, as a function of its moisture content, angle of the blade edge and cutting speed. The specific cutting energy and peak cutting force were measured using an experimental facility developed for this series of experiments. An analysis of the results of the full factorial experimental design using a statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed. The response surfaces and empirical models for the specific cutting energy and peak cutting force were obtained using statistical analysis system software. Low angle of the blade edge and low moisture content are, in this order, the most important experimental factors in determining a low specific cutting energy and a low peak cutting force respectively. The best cutting conditions are achieved for an angle of blade edge of 20.8° and a moisture content of 10% w. b. The results of this work could contribute to the optimal design of sugarcane bagasse pre-treatment systems.
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