Moisture Content Of Residues Research Articles

Shredding Roller Effect on the Cannabis sativa L. Residues and Environment

Fiber cannabis has been grown in Lithuania for a long time, but its cultivation technologies have not been widely studied. However, the growing population and consumption forces us to look to alternatives and to make efforts and find solutions to facilitate the cultivation of fiber cannabis because the use of fiber cannabis can be for many different types of products. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the interaction of fibrous cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) residue and soil on the mechanical properties of the residue and the environment in cultivation technology using a shredding roller. The study determined the effect of the shredding roller on the moisture content of cannabis residues, lignin content, visual changes, and mechanical characteristics of breaking and cutting. Examining cannabis residues according to the dominant different diameters of 5-, 8-, and 10-mm organic cannabis residues, it was found that the highest efficiency of the shredding roller is when rolling 5 mm diameter cannabis residue stems. The efficiency of the shredding roller for reducing the mechanical characteristics of cannabis residues and the need for shredding force was up to 20.78%. The results obtained are significant if the cannabis crop used with the shredding roller is organic, as the smallest diameter plant residues would be the most abundant. Studies have concluded that the moisture content of cannabis residues, the visual changes, and the need for crushing force prove the efficiency of the shredding roller, and the cannabis cultivation technology influences the decomposition of cannabis residues.

Optimizing a Biowaste Treatment Design for Energy and Environmental Efficiency of an Integrated Farming System in Tien Giang Province

Agricultural wastes can be converted into biofuels. To meet the requirements of biofuels, the conditions of their manufacturing process for these products must be considered. The purpose of this research is to optimize experimental designs for converting biomass into energy products like pyrolysis and pelleting process. The products were optimized in terms of their energy performance while lowering CO2 emissions. In Tien Giang province, we experimented with pyrolysis and pelleting biowastes derived from an integrated farming system in acid sulfate soil. The experimental factors influencing the energy content of products were determined using statistical analysis and optimization methods, and the potential CO2 emissions from the products were calculated. The optimization results revealed that the ideal pyrolysis parameters were 120 minutes of combustion time at 400oC and 30% moisture content of orchard pruning residues. The best pellets were obtained by combining biogas sludge and biochar from mango pruning residues. These products will store approximately 900 kilograms of CO2 emissions a year. The optimized processes would benefit the environment and bring profits to the system.

Technical and Economic Analysis of the Implementation of a Self-Sustainable Briquetting Process for Electric Generation

The wood industry is an essential part of the economy of some regions in Brazil. Although the excess of wood residue is an environmental concern, it is also an alternative source for electricity generation. This allows for compliance with current legislation to minimize environmental impacts such as strategies to control the emission of pollutants and the decarbonization in the wood exploration activity. Despite this, the thermoelectric plants based on wood residues face problems associated with the low efficiency in generation due to the high moisture content of the residues, and challenges related to transport and storage. In this sense, this work is to evaluate the application of a self-sustainable briquetting plant as an alternative for solving the problems associated with the high moisture content, transport, and storage of wood residues. The aspects related to the construction of the briquetting plant and economic indicators associated with the economic feasibility, such as, the estimation of the net present value over the project lifecycle, internal rate of return and pay-back period, are also presented and discussed. The results demonstrated the feasibility of the plant mainly due to the better energy/volume ratio of the briquette (drying and compaction) and the transportation cost savings associated to the density of the compacted material.

Monitoring moisture and inorganic content of forest harvesting residues for energy production purposes: A case study

Forest harvesting residues are potentially a vast source of feedstock for bio-based energy facilities. However, the high moisture content of the residues lowers the energy density and adversely impacts the efficiency of transportation. Inorganic and ash contents of forest harvesting residues could also reduce the efficiency of combustion processes and cause fouling, slagging, and corrosion in forest residue-burning apparatuses. The main objective of this research was to conduct measurements to monitor moisture, ash, and inorganic (Ca, K, Mg) contents of forest harvesting residues throughout the year. This would help to decide the optimum size of the residue, height and orientation of the residue pile, as well as the optimum season (that is, when those contents are at their lowest) to remove the residues from the forest to biomass-based facilities. Samples of aspen and pine residues, together with temperature, humidity, and precipitation measurements, were taken bi-weekly in two sites at Cynthia and Drayton Valley, Alberta, Canada, from early spring to early fall, and analyzed for two successive years. The results suggest mainly small-size residues should be stored in toll piles until late September and the piles of such residues should be oriented southward before removing them from the forest.

Preparation and Characterization of Combed Sawmill Slab Residues from Chinese Fir and its Scrimber

To effectively utilize sawmill slab residues, self-manufactured combing equipment was used to transform residues into individual bundle sticks. The scrimber was prepared from Chinese fir by hot pressing the resulting bundle sticks. In this study, the combing process and effects of density on the mechanical and physical properties of the scrimber were investigated. The morphology of the scrimber was tested with computed tomography. The results showed that a rotary speed of 120 rpm for the coarse roller and a rotary speed of 360 rpm for the fine roller combed along the grain were the optimum combing parameters to prepare a uniform individual bundle of sticks. The moisture content of the feeding sawmill residues was above 30%. The scrimber prepared via bundle sticks is a new type of structural scrimber, and the density of the scrimber influenced the physical and mechanical properties. As the scrimber density increased, the modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity, and internal bond gradually increased, while the 24-h thickness swell decreased. The studied method enhanced the density and improved the physical and mechanical properties. The striped structural characteristic of the scrimber was evident, and the density distribution varied for different faults.

PROXIMATE AND ULTIMATE ANALYSIS OF FUEL PELLETS FROM OIL PALM RESIDUES

This study carried out an investigation on the proximate and ultimate analysis of fuel pellets from oil palm residues such as palm kernel shell, PKS, palm fibre, PF and empty fruit bunch, EFB using the ASTM standards. The results obtained were compared. The percentage moisture content of the pellets, PKS, PF and EFB were 9.68%, 10.77%, 12.07% respectively. This is significantly lower than the percentage moisture content of the raw residues given as 10.23%, 11.10% and 15.01% respectively. High volatile matter content in the fuel pellets indicates that there would be ease of ignition during combustion. The results also show that the pellets have a lower ash content of 0.69%, 3.69% and 3.72% as against that of the raw residues, which is 3.24%, 7.90% and 4.48% respectively. There was really no significant reduction in emission of sulphur gases between the fuel pellets and the raw residues except for the Palm Fibre, PF, pellets and raw residues that varies. Essentially, from the general results obtained from the analysis, it can be deduced that pellets are more suitable for boilers in steam power plants. Â http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v36i3.44

PROXIMATE AND ULTIMATE ANALYSIS OF FUEL PELLETS FROM OIL PALM RESIDUES

This study carried out an investigation on the proximate and ultimate analysis of fuel pellets from oil palm residues such as palm kernel shell, PKS, palm fibre, PF and empty fruit bunch, EFB using the ASTM standards. The results obtained were compared. The percentage moisture content of the pellets, PKS, PF and EFB were 9.68%, 10.77%, 12.07% respectively. This is significantly lower than the percentage moisture content of the raw residues given as 10.23%, 11.10% and 15.01% respectively. High volatile matter content in the fuel pellets indicates that there would be ease of ignition during combustion. The results also show that the pellets have a lower ash content of 0.69%, 3.69% and 3.72% as against that of the raw residues, which is 3.24%, 7.90% and 4.48% respectively. There was really no significant reduction in emission of sulphur gases between the fuel pellets and the raw residues except for the Palm Fibre, PF, pellets and raw residues that varies. Essentially, from the general results obtained from the analysis, it can be deduced that pellets are more suitable for boilers in steam power plants. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v36i3.44

Optimization of sawmill residues collection for bioenergy production

The collection of sawmill residues is an important logistic activity for the pulp and paper industry, which uses the biomass as a source of energy. We study a vehicle routing problem for a network composed of a single depot and several sawmills. The sawmills serve as potential suppliers of biomass residues to the depot, which in turn processes and distributes the residues to the pulp and paper mills. This problem consists of identifying the best daily routing schedule for a fixed number of trucks. The objective is to maximize the ratio of energy returned on energy invested, while satisfying a minimum daily amount of dried biomass residues. There are several random components in the problem, including the availability and moisture content of the biomass residues. We use a combination of scenario analysis and heuristics to solve this stochastic vehicle routing problem. A performance comparison of the proposed method reveals an estimated daily energy savings of 6 GJ over the benchmark method.

Waste to worth: vegetable wastes as animal feed.

Abstract The chemical composition, nutritional value and use of a number of vegetable wastes (VWs) and by-products such as baby corn, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, cucumber, jackfruit, peas, potato, sweet corn (SC), tomato, and radish leaves, among others in ruminant and monogastric diets, are presented in this publication. These products are rich in both protein and energy. Bottle gourd pulp, cabbage leaves, pea pods (PP), potato vines, pumpkin oil meal, radish leaves, snow peas, sugar beet leaves and tomato pomace have around or more than 20% crude protein (CP). The remaining VWs contain 10-19% CP, except carrot pulp, jackfruit waste, SC husk, SC cob and SC husk plus cob, which have less than 10% CP. Most of these wastes have high acceptability and palatability, and products such as sarson saag waste and PP supplemented with mineral mixture and common salt can be fed ad libitum to the livestock as complete feed. The major constraints in using these products as livestock feed are their high moisture content and presence of contaminants, mainly pesticides and pesticide residues. Drying and ensiling have been used for enhancing shelf life and making their incorporation in animal feeds easier. There is a need to monitor pesticide and pesticide residues, mycotoxins, heavy metals and antinutritional factors before using vegetable products in animal diets. Full potential of these unconventional feed resources can be realized by concerted commercial efforts. These resources are yet untapped and their efficient use will enlarge feed resource base, enhance feed availability and bring the wasted food back to human food chain.

Modelling the effect of weather on moisture fluctuations in maize stalk residues, an important inoculum source for plant diseases

Maize residues on the soil surface are a major inoculum source of several fungal pathogens of maize. Because the moisture content of crop residues can greatly affect fungal survival and inoculum production, we studied the effects of rainfall and relative humidity (RH) on the moisture content in maize stalk residues on bare soil and on soil under a wheat crop at the heading stage (i.e., when the canopy provides the maximum soil cover). The moisture content of residues that were initially saturated and that were then placed on soil outdoors declined to a minimum value after approximately 32h. On each of the following days and in the absence of rain, the moisture content showed a diurnal pattern with decreasing values between 08.00 and 18.00h and increasing values between 18.00 and 08.00h. The pattern was the opposite for vapor pressure deficit. A simple model was developed to predict the wetting–drying dynamics of maize stalk residues based on environmental conditions. The model has three compartments: (i) wetting of maize stalk residues during rain; (ii) drying after rain; and (iii) diurnal fluctuations in the absence of rain. The model was calibrated and then validated against independent data collected in Italy and France. Comparison of observed vs. predicted data showed no systematic deviations of model predictions from real observations, with R2=0.84 and standard error of estimates=8.7%. The correlation concordance coefficient (=0.89) and model efficiency (=0.75) showed a satisfactory goodness-of-fit to the real data, with a slight overestimation (coefficient of residual mass=0.11). The model should be a useful component of models for those plant pathogens, including Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium verticillioides and Gibberella zeae, that produce inoculum in maize residues.

Bioconversion of tangerine residues by solid-state fermentation with Lentinus polychrous and drying the final products

Tangerine residues can be effectively used by converting them into valuable foods/feeds through a procedure of solid-state fermentation using an edible mushroom. The objectives of this investigation were to determine if tangerine residues support the growth of Lentinus polychrous Lév. and to investigate fluidized-bed drying of the fermented tangerines. It was found that this edible mushroom at the mycelial stage grew better on the tangerine residues in a flat form than that in a clumpy form. The initial moisture content of the tangerine residues showed no impact on the mycelium growth. During fermentation, the protein content was significantly increased. The phenolic content and DPPH scavenging activity were gradually reduced. Drying characteristics of the fermented tangerine residues are described. Fluidized-bed drying enhanced the phenolic content and DPPH activity. The final products of dried and fermented tangerine residues demonstrated a high potential for the development of proteinaceous and antioxidative food/feed ingredients.

Characteristics of Asphalt Binders Foamed in the Laboratory to Produce Warm Mix Asphalt

AbstractFoamed asphalt binders are increasingly being used to produce warm mix asphalt. This paper presents the findings from a study conducted to (1) identify a repeatable and accurate method to characterize the quality of asphalt binder foams, and (2) use this method to evaluate the influence of water content, binder type, and foaming device on the quality of foamed binders. Laser and ultrasonic distance-measuring tools were used in combination with digital imaging of the foamed surface to quantify and better understand the expansion and decay of foamed asphalt binders over time. Measurements obtained from these methods were used to evaluate the extent and stability of foams produced using three different asphalt binders at three water contents and two laboratory foaming devices. Rheological properties and moisture content of selected binder residues were also measured. Results indicate that both the laser- and ultrasonic-based methods were promising in terms of their ability to provide a repeatable and...

A techno-economic analysis of using mobile distributed pyrolysis facilities to deliver a forest residue resource

Distributed mobile conversion facilities using either fast pyrolysis or torrefaction processes can be used to convert forest residues to more energy dense substances (bio-oil, bio-slurry or torrefied wood) that can be transported as feedstock for bio-fuel facilities. Results show that the levelised delivered cost of a forest residue resource using mobile facility networks can be lower than using conventional woodchip delivery methods under appropriate conditions. Torrefied wood is the lowest cost pathway of delivering a forest residue resource when using mobile facilities. Cost savings occur against woodchip delivery for annual forest residue harvests above 2.5 million m(3) or when transport distances greater than 300 km are required. Important parameters that influence levelised delivered costs are transport distances (forest residue spatial density), haul cost factors, and initial moisture content of forest residues. Relocating mobile facilities can be optimised for lowest cost delivery as transport distances of raw biomass are reduced.

Critical moisture content for microbial growth in dried food-processing residues

Food-processing residues are good feedstocks for biofuel and biochemical production because they have high energy content and are abundant. Year-round biofuel and biochemical production requires proper storage to prevent microbial decomposition and thermal runaway. In this study, microbial activity of tomato pomace (TP), grape pomace (GP), fermented grape pomace (FGP) and sugar beet pulp (SBP) was monitored at nine different moisture contents. Maximum and cumulative respirations for each feedstock with respect to moisture content followed a sigmoidal relationship. The critical moisture content below which no microbial activity was detected for SBP, TP, FGP and GP was 24-31, 16-21, 23-33 and 43-46% (dry basis) respectively. A logarithmic relationship was observed (R(2) = 0.94) between critical moisture content and initial water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content of the processing residues. The critical moisture content below which no microbial activity was detected and the relationship between critical moisture content and initial WSC content were determined in this study for four food-processing residues. Both parameters permit evaluation of the potential for deterioration of food-processing residues during storage based on moisture content and WSC content.

Competition for the biomass resource: Greenhouse impacts and implications for renewable energy incentive schemes

Abstract In Australia, the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) scheme, which targets a 9.5 TWh per annum increase in renewable electricity generation by 2010, is stimulating interest in bioenergy. Development of bioenergy projects may cause competition for biomass resources. For example, sawmill residues are an attractive feedstock for bioenergy, but are also utilised for particleboard manufacture. This study compares the greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation impacts of alternative scenarios where sawmill residues are used either for generation of electricity or for manufacture of particleboard. The study considers a theoretical particleboard plant processing 100 kt feedstock of dry sawmill residues per annum. If the sawmill residues are used instead for bioenergy, and the particleboard plant utilises fresh plantation biomass, 205 kt CO 2 eq emissions are displaced. However, GHG emissions for particleboard manufacture increase by about 38 kt CO 2 eq, equivalent to 19% of the fossil fuel emissions displaced, due to the higher fossil fuel requirements to harvest, transport, chip and dry the green biomass. Also, plantation carbon stock declines by 147 kt CO 2 eq per year until a new equilibrium is reached after 30 years. This result is influenced particularly by the fossil fuel displaced, the relative efficiency of the fossil fuel and bioenergy plants, the moisture content of the sawmill residues, and the efficiency of the dryer in the particleboard plant. Under MRET, calculation of Renewable Energy Certificates is based solely on the quantity of power generated. This study illustrates that indirect consequences can reduce the GHG mitigation benefits of a bioenergy project. Increased emissions off-site, and loss of forest carbon stock, should be considered in calculating the net GHG mitigation benefit, and this should determine the credit earned by a bioenergy project.

Zinc sulfide as a solid phase additive for improving the processing characteristics of ferrihydrite residues

The effect of ZnS powders as additives for improving the physical and chemical properties of ferrihydrite residues has been studied in both kinetic and batch experiments. Four ZnS samples were compared: two industrial ZnS concentrates, high purity ZnS pieces, and a sample of synthetic ZnS nanoparticles. The industrial ZnS concentrates were found to be the most effective for promoting the transformation of ferrihydrite to hematite, and this effect was found to be due to their lower surface charge at pH 3, which promotes formation of mixed ZnS/ferrihydrite aggregates. For the high purity ZnS samples, aggregation was not favoured, and only goethite formation was promoted. The effect of particle size of the ZnS additive was also studied, and it was found that samples of smaller average particle size were more effective in promoting phase transformation. Measurement of filtration times and moisture content of ferrihydrite residues precipitated in the presence of ZnS showed only minor improvement in physical handling and indicated that better control of surface properties of the additive would be needed to optimise its effect on phase transformation.