Research on Effect of Spruce Sawdust with Added Starch on Flowability and Pelletization of the Material

Abstract

To verify the effect of added starch on flowability and pelletization of spruce sawdust, were prepared mixtures with addition of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 % (w/w) starch. The measured basic mechanical-physical properties of the individual mixtures have shown that starch improves flowability of the mixture (growing value of the ffc parameter), reduces impact of friction forces on the contact stainless material (reduced wall friction), thus reducing energy demands of the process as regards flow of the mixture through the hopper of a pellet press. High-speed camera simulations, which evaluate the immediate speed of particles during discharge of the hopper, have proved that addition of a material with different distribution of size and shape of the particles (starch) has a favourable effect on the overall flowability of the mixture. When pelletizing a mixture with starch, which has a lower angle of internal friction, the pelletizing pressure in the die is slightly lower and the resulting pellets have a slightly lower density. This feature is compensated by prevailing positive effects of the added starch on the pelletization, where the resulting pellets have higher durability, higher hardness and moisture resistance.

Characterization and Evaluation of Charcoal Briquettes Using Banana Peel and Banana Bunch Waste for Household Heating

“…4). In comparison with spruce sawdust briquettes, which were prepared with 5-20% starch binder (Jezerska et al, 2014), the banana bunch charcoal briquettes and the banana peel charcoal briquettes have lower hardness (≥50 kg). This was explained by the fact that the banana bunch charcoal briquettes and banana peel charcoal briquettes contain pore spaces and gaps, which can reduce the pellet resistance to deformation.…”

“…The mixtures have shown that clay improves plasticity and flowability of the mixtures. The flowability improvement provided by clay can be attributed to the fact that it reduces impact of friction forces on the contact male/female roller configuration in a roller press briquetter (Jezerska et al, 2014). The clay set through the loss of water, binding the banana peel charcoal and banana bunch charcoal into briquettes, which could be handled like ordinary lump charcoal in domestic stoves (Rousset et al, 2011).…”

“…These binders can increase the density, mechanical resistance, calorific value, flowability, durability, hardness and moisture resistance of charcoal briquettes (Jezerska et al, 2014). However, these compounds also generate smoke while burning due to the highly volatile matter contained in them.…”

Prospects for Production and Consumption of Second Generation Biofuels in Ukraine

“…Removing of the moisture by drying in the amount of about 12 tons (12% of the total initial weight) is quite difficult process, too. Thus, two dry products with a different biological value and different costs are obtained as the output (Jezerska, Zajonca, et al, 2014).…”

Impact of using additives on quality of agricultural biomass pellets

“…The latest challenges in the sector of biomass pelleting are to enhance the quality attributes of the products obtained in terms of better handling, longer storage time, better combustion, etc. An answer to this challenge was found by introducing various additives in pelleting recipes to improve quality [2][3][4][5][6]. The paper presents a series of experimental researches conducted on pellets obtained with and without additives to determine the influence of additives on the quality of final products.…”