Characterization of Tar From Wood Pellet Production

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increased shift towards using renewable biomass as a source of energy generation. Wood pellets are widely used for energy production and are manufactured by densifying wood into pellets for increased energy efficiency. The manufacturing process of these pellets typically generates a tar-like byproduct resulting in increased production costs associated with waste disposal, equipment clean-up and handling operations. The current study focuses on characterization of this wood-based tar, which can create significant technological problems and environmental hazards. The tar was characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H-NMR), infrared spectroscopy (IR), solubility and moisture content. A total of 29 compounds were identified.