Durability of pellets obtained from energy plants : review
2018
Zabava, B.-S., University Politehnica of Bucharest (Romania) | Voicu, G., University Politehnica of Bucharest (Romania) | Dinca, M.-N., University Politehnica of Bucharest (Romania) | Ungureanu, N., University Politehnica of Bucharest (Romania) | Ferdes, M., University Politehnica of Bucharest (Romania)
The interest in bioenergy, as a renewable energy source, has increased tremendously in the recent years. Biomass is a renewable source of energy that has an important contribution in reducing the use of conventional fuels and in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. In this context, an increasing attention is given to the production and use of environmentally friendly biofuels: pellets and briquettes, biogas, biodiesel and bioethanol. Pelleting and briquetting processes have been used for many years to produce densified biomass for fuel applications. Densified biomass fuels such as pellets are preferred as they provide better economic viability for transport, storage and handling. The aim of this review is to examine the main factors that influence the durability of the pellets, (such as: biomass characteristics, moisture content, size reduction, and also the pelleting conditions, including the use of binders, feedstock mixes and operating temperature), because the durability is considered a measure of the quality of the pellets. Pellet durability can also be affected by the storage conditions. The mechanical durability of pellets is the measure of the resistance of densified fuels towards shocks or abrasion in consequence of transport and handling processes. In the paper there are analysed all the parameters mentioned above for the pellets produced from different types of biomass (cereal residues, wood chips and energy crops), highlighting the influence of each on the process and their sustainability.
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