• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.23-31
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• 2022

This study evaluated the potential of coffee waste (CW) and used frying oil (UFO) as an additive in the production of pitch pine (PIP) and Mongolian oak (MOK) pellets. Ash contents obtained from CW and UFO were 0.5% and <0.1%, respectively. The calorific values of UFO (31.4 MJ/kg) and CW (26.3 MJ/kg) are higher than PIP (20.6 MJ/kg) and MOK (19.1 MJ/kg). For pellets fabricated using a pilot-scale flat-die pellet mill, regardless of fabricating conditions, moisture content (MC) and bulk density of PIP and MOK pellets satisfied the A1 wood pellet standard for residential and small-scale commercial uses, as designated by the National Institute of Forest Science (NIFOS) of the Republic of Korea. When CW was used as an additive, durability of PIP pellets made with 12%-MC sawdust and MOK pellets increased. The optimal conditions for producing PIP and MOK pellets could be by adding 20 mesh CW as an additive and the using of 12%-MC sawdust. However, durability of PIP pellets and ash content MOK pellets did not satisfy the A1 wood pellet standard of NIFOS. Thus, further research is needed to improve the properties of wood pellets with additives.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.80-86
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• 2024

This study was conducted to evaluate the potential of rape stalk (RAS) as a raw material for the production of solid bio-fuels. RAS was immersed in an aqueous solution with acetic acid concentration of 1 percent, The content of reducing sugars separated from the RAS was analyzed. Glucose showed the highest content followed by xylose, galactose, arabinose and mannose. The immersed and non-immersed RAS were used for producing pellets with a pilot-scaled flat-die pellet mill. Bulk density and calorific values of the pellets improved with the use of the immersed RAS and the addition of wood particles. The values exceeded the minimum requirements for the A-grade of non-woody pellets (≧600 kg/m³ & ≧ 14.5 MJ/kg) designated by the ISO. Ash content of the pellets reduced with the immersion of RAS and the value satisfied the A-grade level (≦6.0%) of the ISO standard. The durability of the immersed RAS-based pellets was much higher than that of non-immersed IRS-based pellets, and the values were increased with the addition of wood particles. However, the durability did not meet the acceptance level for the B-grade of non-woody pellets (≧96.0%) designated by the ISO. These results suggested that the addition of binders in the production of non-woody pellets using an RAS immersed in acetic acid-based aqueous solution is required for the commercialization of the pellets.