Effect of the addition of binders on the fuel characteristics of wood pellets

Abstract

This work was conducted to investigate the effect of the addition of binders, such as rapeseed flour, coffee waste, bark, pine cone and lignin powder, on the fuel characteristics of the pellets fabricated with larch and tulip tree sawdust. Moisture content, bulk density and higher heating value of most pellets fabricated with the binders exceeded the 1st-grade pellet standard designated by Korea Forest Research Institute, but ash content of the pellets fabricated with rapeseed flour or bark of 10 wt% on the dry weight basis of sawdust was satisfied with just the 2nd- or 3rd-grade standard. The durability of tulip tree-pellets was positively influenced by the addition of rapeseed flour, coffee waste or lignin powder and increased with increasing the amount of the binders. For larch-pellets, the increase of binders did not greatly affect the durability, and even the durability reduced with the increase of bark or pine cone. From the microscopic observation, the obvious feature of pellet surfaces was not identified by the type of binder but by the addition amount of the binder. In summary, the addition of binders contributed to the fuel characteristics of wood pellets, and particularly the characteristics of wood pellets fabricated with coffee waste improved greatly. Therefore, if the binders are secured sufficiently with a reasonable cost, it might be possible to commercialize wood/binder pellets, which have better fuel characteristics than conventional wood pellets.