Abstract
The purpose of the research was to assess the quality of wood pellets available on the market. This assessment was made on the basis of the technical analysis and elemental composition: C, H, N, S. 14 different types of wood pellets available on the market were tested, each of them came from a different producer. In addition, an attempt was made to assess the content of organic matter in the tested pellets on the basis of methane fermentation. The innovation in the presented work is the use of biomethane production potential assessment for pellet fuel, which until now has been practised only in the case of substrates for biogas production. The parameters characterizing the tested pellets in energy terms did not differ significantly. The high calorific value and low ash and sulfur content indicated that the output biomass was of good quality. The differences in the production potential of biomethane of the tested pellets do not allow to state unequivocally that methane fermentation can be used to assess the quality of pellets and their contents of organic matter. However, the large BMP differences obtained for individual pellets suggest that some pellets may contain impurities inhibiting the methane fermentation process.
Highlights
Plant biomass is an attractive source of renewable energy
Any type of solid biomass can be subjected to compaction. Biomass subjected to this process should not contain mechanical impurities such as stones, sand. Their occurrence in the raw material may negatively affect the operation of the production line as well as pellets quality [1]
The purpose of the research was to assess the quality of wood pellets available on the market
Summary
Plant biomass is an attractive source of renewable energy. It is characterized by the widespread occurrence and availability, which boosts its popularity among agricultural producers and potential users of heat and electricity it can generate. Must be properly processed, because in its original state its density is low. Any type of solid biomass can be subjected to compaction. Biomass subjected to this process should not contain mechanical impurities such as stones, sand. Their occurrence in the raw material may negatively affect the operation of the production line as well as pellets quality [1]. The main raw material for pellets production is: wood waste - sawdust, shavings, vegetable waste - cereal, rapeseed as well as vegetable raw materials from agricultural crops - hay, straw [2]
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