• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.258-267
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• 2017

In this study, pitch pine (Pinus rigida, PIR) and Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica, QUM) pellets were fabricated with bark or/and drying waste liquor (DWL) of larch (Larix kaempferi, LAK) as an additive. Based on the results of fuel characteristics of the pellets, optimal conditions for producing the high-quality pellets were provided. In the analysis of chemical composition, bark contained holocelluose and lignin of 90% and over. DWL had 0.1% solid assumed to sugars which are generated from the oven-drying of LAK logs. QUM showed high ash content (2.2%) by containing of bark in the sawdust. Bark and DWL of LAK had high ash content of 4% and over. Calorific values of all specimens and additives were higher than that of the $1^{st}$-grade standard of wood pellets designated by NIFOS (18.0 MJ/kg). PIR and QUM pellets were fabricated with additive of 2 wt% based on the solid weight of oven-dried sawdust using a piston-type flat-die pelletizer, and thus ash content and calorific value of the pellets did not affect by the use of additive. Durability of the pellets increased with the use of additive. Durabilties of pellets, which were fabricated with bark as an additive and DWL as a controller of moisture content for sawdust, did not differ from those of pellets without additives and were lower than those of pellets either with bark or DWL. However, use of both bark and DWL for the production of wood pellets might be favorable because it can make a profit from the collection process of DWL. Based on the results of fuel characteristics of the pellets, QUM and PIR pellets were produced by a flat-die pelletizer. Moisture content (MC), bulk density and durability of the pellets improved with the use of additive. Particularly, sawdust MC of 10% and the addition of bark or DWL for PIR as well as sawdust MC of 12% and the addition of bark for QUM might be optimal conditions for the production of high-quality pellets. Except for the ash content of QUM pellets, other properties of PIR and QUM pellets exceeded the $1^{st}$-grade wood pellets standards of NIFOS.