Production and investigation of water absorbent fibre pellets from unutilised lignocellulosic biomass pre-processed in a twin-screw extruder

Abstract

Organic livestock farming requires all resource input to be organic as well. Competition for raw materials as bedding increases the demand for alternative bedding materials. The production of absorbent fibre pellets from underutilized lignocellulosic plant material is therefore a research area that needs further attention. Precise research on processing methods and absorbent quantity is essential for the development of sustainable, high-quality absorbent bedding pellets. Twin-screw extruded fibre from eight different raw materials were processed into absorbent pellets. These pellets were investigated for physical properties including absorbency, mechanical durability, particle-size distribution and bulk density in accordance with relevant standards. Due to the absence of a standardised method for assessing absorbency, a testing method was devised. This involved submerging the produced pellets in deionized water for durations of 30 s, 300 s, and 1200 s. This research analysed various raw materials for suitability in absorbent pellet production. Poplar pellets performed good in absorbency (130 %, 172 %, 194 % respectively) and mechanical durability (95 %). As a result, larger quantities of absorbent pellets could be produced from poplar if needed since poplar wood chips are of higher availability due to existing short rotation coppices. This article emphasised producing absorbent bedding pellets, prioritising, using twin-screw extruded lignocellulosic fibre, revealing significant raw material influence on absorption properties.