Biomass Pellets Production With Industrial AndAgro-industrial Wastes

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 wastes. In previous research, using only olive oil and cork wastes, we obtained biomass pellets with high calorific values (20.6 MJ/kg and 22.2 MJ/kg), low moisture (8.9%) and relatively low ashes percentage (3.9%). Several new formulations and its relevance in the calorific value were now tested using other wastes or by-products. We have analysed 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. This process will contribute to solving environmental problems resulting from the discharge of those wastes and effluents and to create a viable and profitable alternative to their storage and/or a deposition in landfill. The increase of others biomass sources on these types of process is extremely important as 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.