Biomass pellet production with industrial and agro-industrial waste

Abstract

Based on a patented process for the treatment and reprocessing of waste and effluents from olive oil and cork industries (such as two-phase olive husks cork powder), new research has been carried out incorporating other industrial waste. In previous research, using only olive oil and cork waste, biomass pellets were obtained having high calorific values (20.6 MJ/kg and 22.2 MJ/kg), low moisture (8.9%) and relatively a low ash percentage (3.9%). Several new formulations and their relevance to the calorific value were now tested using other waste or byproducts. The potential inclusion of olive leaves from the olive oil industry, grape husks and grape seeds from the winery industry and chestnut shells (outer shell and inner skin) from the chestnut industry has been analysed. This process will contribute to solving environmental problems resulting from the discharge of those waste and effluents and to create a viable and profitable alternative to their storage and/or deposition in landfill. The increase of other biomass sources for these types of process is extremely important from an environmental and economic management point of view. This research shows that the use of different types of raw materials as biomass sources (giving different pellets formulations) results in a different final product with different physical and chemical characteristics that may improve its quality.