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Effects of torrefaction after pelleting (TAP) process on strength and fuel characteristics of binderless bio-pellets

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Abstract

Production of fuel pellets from torrefied biomass is an approach that has gained importance in recent years. As an alternative, effects of torrefaction after the production of biomass pellets (TAP process) were investigated in this study. For this purpose, binderless fuel pellets were prepared using ash tree (AT), hazelnut shell (HS), and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and then subjected to torrefaction at temperatures of 230–290 °C. The effects of post-torrefaction treatment on fuel quality, strength, water resistance, and combustion properties of bio-pellets were investigated. It was determined that the bio-pellets burned more stably and did not show excessive thermal reactivity after torrefaction. In addition, the water resistance of the bio-pellets was greatly improved as the torrefaction process changed the hydrophilic structure of the biomass to the hydrophobic structure. Pellets produced from raw biomass dispersed immediately when thrown into water, while torrefied pellets remained intact in water for more than 10 days. However, some decrease was observed in compressive strength and hardness properties, which indicate the mechanical strength of the pellets. Therefore, in order to justify the effects of the TAP process, it is necessary to consider a trade-off between the water resistance and the mechanical strength of the bio-pellets.

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Data availability

Data will be made available on reasonable request.

Code availability

Not applicable.

Abbreviations

AT:

Ash tree

d (0.1):

10% Of the particles are smaller than this diameter

d (0.5):

50% Of the particles are smaller than this diameter

d (0.9):

90% Of the particles are smaller than this diameter

(dw/dt)p :

Peak rate of burning (%/min)

DSC:

Differential scanning calorimetry

DTA:

Differential thermal analysis

DTG:

Derivative thermogravimetry

HHV:

Higher heating value (MJ/kg)

HS:

Hazelnut shell

İSTAÇ A.Ş:

Istanbul Environmental Management Industry & Trade Co.

ITorr :

Torrefaction index

RDF:

Refuse-derived fuel

T:

Burning time (s)

TAP:

Torrefaction after pelletization

TGA:

Thermogravimetric analysis

TOP:

Torrefaction before pelletization

T0.5 :

Temperature at which burning is halfway

Tb :

Burnout temperature (°C)

Ti :

Ignition temperature (°C)

Tp :

Temperature at peak burning rate (°C

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Istanbul Technical University—Scientific Research Projects Unit (BAP) for their support to our project with the number MYL-2018-41940.

Funding

We would like to thank Istanbul Technical University—Scientific Research Projects Unit (BAP) for their support to our project with the number MYL-2018–41940.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Engineering Department, Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering Faculty, Istanbul Technical University, 34469, Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey

    H. Haykiri-Acma & S. Yaman

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Correspondence to S. Yaman.

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Highlights

 > Effects of post-torrefaction on fuel properties of pellets were investigated.

 > Water-resistant binderless bio-pellet is produced by torrefaction after pelletization.

 > For torrefied pellets, there is an inversely proportional relationship between the fragility and water resistance.

Statement of novelty

The production of bio-pellets from torrefied biomass (TOP process) is a widely practiced approach. However, torrefaction after pelleting (TAP process) is rather a new approach and studies on this subject are quite limited. Softwoods have generally been used in the existing studies in the literature. In this study, bio-pellets produced by using biomass with very complex structure such as refuse-derived fuel (RDF), hardwood, and lignin-rich hazelnut shells without using any binder were torrefied. The physical properties and fuel characteristics (especially water resistance) of the bio-pellets after torrefaction were interpreted. The strength of this study is the investigation of the effects of the method of torrefaction after binderless pelleting on very different biomass species.

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Haykiri-Acma, H., Yaman, S. Effects of torrefaction after pelleting (TAP) process on strength and fuel characteristics of binderless bio-pellets. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 14, 3489–3500 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-022-02599-7

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