Pellet Durability Index Research Articles

The pelletization and torrefaction of coffee grounds, garden chaff and rapeseed straw

Waste biomass pelletization is a suitable process for obtaining energy dense solid fuel. If the pellets are further processed by torrefaction, both their qualitative and energy parameters are changed. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the torrefaction process on pellets made from coffee grounds, garden chaff and rapeseed straw. Mechanical parameters, such as the pellet durability index, the wettability index of the pellets, their water moisture resistance, hardness, or specific and bulk density were determined for evaluation. Furthermore, pellet energy parameters such as the heat of combustion, calorific value, or elemental analysis were compared. Pelletization of the above-mentioned waste biomass and the torrefaction of the pellets were carried out in pilot plants. The first results showed that the torrefaction process for all samples increased the values of the heat of combustion or the values of the carbon content. The energy value of the pellets increases. The higher heating value of torrefied coffee ground pellets reached 26 MJ kg−1. The ash content also increases with these values. A simple energy balance has been carried out. Therefore, the study shows an insight into the energy use of coffee grounds and chaff from the garden compared to the results of the rapeseed straw pellets for the pelletization and torrefication process.

Beneficial Effects of Graded Levels of Fish Protein Hydrolysate (FPH) on the Growth Performance, Blood Biochemistry, Liver and Intestinal Health, Economics Efficiency, and Disease Resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila of Pabda (Ompok pabda) Fingerling

Fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) is the enzymatic hydrolysis of protein into smaller peptide and free amino acids, which has recently captured considerable attention as a supplementary ingredient in the aqua-feed industry sector. The present research aimed to observe the physiological, biochemical, and bacteriological study of FPH-treated diets and its effects on growth, hematology, plasma biochemistry, liver and gut histopathology, and resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila infection in Pabda (Ompok pabda). Four experimental diets (35% crude protein) were formulated with graded FPH supplementation (0, 0.5, 1, and 2%). The feed physiological parameters such as expansion ratio, bulk density, water stability, and floatability were not significantly affected by dietary FPH levels (p > 0.05), except for the pellet durability index (PDI). Furthermore, the diets with 1% and 2% FPH were more palatable to fish than other treatment diets. The total bacteria (TB) in fish diets and guts followed an increasing trend with the increase in various levels of FPH in diets. The significantly highest body weight, specific growth rate (SGR), total biomass (TB), survival rate (SR), condition factor (CF), and hepatosomatic index (HSI) were noted in 2% FPH-fed fish when compared with other treatment groups (p < 0.05). The feed intake of fish was significantly increased when increasing the FPH in diets (p < 0.05). The fish fed with a 2% FPH diet had significantly higher neutrophil, monocyte, lymphocyte, red blood cell, and platelet levels (p < 0.05). The blood glucose, creatinine, total protein, and globulin were significantly lower in control fish compared to other treatment groups (p < 0.05). The histopathological observation of mid intestine tissues displayed that 2% of FPH-diet-fed fish had a well-anchored epithelial wall with well-arranged goblet cells, a long villus structure, stratum compactum, and tunica muscularis compared to other treatments of FPH. The inclusion of FPH in diets up to 2% significantly improved the liver health of fish. The fish fed with 2% FPH had a significantly lower cumulative percent mortality (16.67%) against A. hydrophila infection in the bacterial challenge test (p < 0.05). Therefore, the present results suggested that using 2% FPH in the aqua-feed industry improves the growth performance, health status, and disease resistance of Pabda fingerlings in captivity.

Pelletisation of peat moss using binder from palm oil refinery waste (spent bleaching earth) and binder from grey oyster mushroom plantation waste (spent mushroom substrate)

Spent bleaching earth (SBE); a solid waste generated from refining palm oil process and spent mushroom substrate (SMS); a waste generated from grey mushroom plantation were explored as potential binding agents. The experimental work of pelletisation using a pelleting machine was carried out by varying the ratio of peat moss (PMS) to spent bleaching earth (SBE) and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) at 90:10, 80:20 and 70:30 (by weight %). Several analyses were conducted to determine the physical and thermal degradation characteristics of the peat moss pellet at different level of binders. Density and hardness tests were performed for physical analysis. Results from durability test shows that pellet from the tested ratios achieved pellet durability index (PDI) value of more than 97.5%. In terms of pellet hardness, pellet mixed with SBE was found to decrease its hardness when the amount of SBE in the mixture increases. On the contrary, for peat soil pellet mixed with SMS, when the amount of SMS in the mixture increases, the pellet hardness also increases. In terms of water resistance, peat soil pellet mixed with SBE showed high resistance towards moisture whereas peat soil pellet mixed with SMS was found to break during the test when the amount of SMS binder increased. The pelletisation of peat soil aimed to increase the density and strength of the material and consequently provide better thermal degradation characteristics It can be concluded that the most ideal formula among the tested ratios to produce biosolid fuel pellet with SBE as binding agent was 90:10 PMS:SBE whereas for pellet with SMS as binding agent was 70:30 PMS:SMS. This study thus brings opportunity for spent bleaching earth and spent mushroom substrate as potential binding agents to aid pelletisation of raw/biomass material.

Effects of different processing techniques of broken rice on processing quality of pellet feed, nutrient digestibility, and gut microbiota of weaned piglets.

The present study was conducted to assess the effect of different processing techniques of broken rice on processing quality of pellet feed, growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood biochemical parameters, and fecal microbiota of weaned piglets. A total of 400 crossbred piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) with a mean initial body weight (BW) of 7.24 ± 0.52 kg were used in a 28-d experiment. Piglets were randomly distributed to one of 4 treatment and 10 replicate pens per treatment, with 10 piglets per pen. The dietary treatments were as follows: CON, corn as the main cereal type in the dietary; BR, 70% of the corn replaced by broken rice; ETBR, 70% of the corn replaced by extruded broken rice; EPBR, 70% of the corn replaced by expanded broken rice. Extruded broken rice and expanded broken rice supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) increased hardness, pellet durability index, crispness, and starch gelatinization degree. Extruded broken rice and expanded broken rice generated a higher (P < 0.05) average daily feed intake, increased (P < 0.05) average daily gain, decreased (P < 0.05) feed conversion ratio, and lowered (P < 0.05) the diarrhea rate. Piglets fed extruded broken rice displayed high apparent total tract digestibility levels of dry matter (P < 0.05), gross energy (P < 0.05), crude protein (P < 0.05), and organic matter (P < 0.05). In addition, extruded broken rice and expanded broken rice supplementation had increased Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium levels in gut, whereas a lower abundance of the potential pathogens Clostridium_sensu_strictio_1 and Streptococcus was observed. Dietary supplementation of extruded broken rice and expanded broken rice failed to show significant effects on blood biochemical parameters. Combined, 70% corn substituted with broken rice failed to show significant effects. Collectively, extruded broken rice and expanded broken rice supplementation had positively enhanced the pellet quality, growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and gut microbiota of weaned piglets.

Assessment of the Physical and Energetic Properties of Fuel Pellets Made from Sage Waste Biomass with the Addition of Rye Bran.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of rye bran addition on the pelleting process of sage waste biomass, and the quality and energetic properties of fuel pellets. The pelleting process was conducted on an SS-4 test stand equipped with a P-300 pelletizer with flat die roller compactors. The addition of 20% rye bran reduced the pelletizer's power/energy consumption from 3.75 kW/107 kWh t-1 (0% rye bran content) to 3.19 kW/91 kWh t-1, decreased physical and bulk density, and increased the pellet durability index (PDI). The higher heating value-HHV (19.39 MJ kg-1 at 10% humidity) and the lower heating value-LHV (18.17 MJ kg-1) of sage waste biomass indicate that this plant material is highly suitable for heat generation. The addition of 20% rye bran decreased HHV by 2.07% and LHV by 2.67%.

Effect of Organic Pellet Binders on Physic and Nutrient Quality as an Eco Feed Product

Environmentally friendly products are currently a concern for the community to consume. The increase in livestock products is also in line with the increasing need for feed. Some chemicals materials are used in producing feed have been prohibited from being used. Organic binder for pellet feed is one of the solutions to replace these non-organic materials. In this study, two dosages of molasses and bentonite as organic pellet binders were tested on the quality of pellet feed with factorial arrangement. The parameter was physic quality pellet such as hardness, durability, friction and density. Chemical component of pellet product such as dry matter, ash, protein, fat and fibre. Organic binder of 5% molasses and 5% bentonite were optimum to obtain better physical pellet condition. In addition, 5% of molasses binder resulted in highest pellet durability index (93.40%). As conclusion, molasses and bentonite are suggested as organic binders for producing good quality pellet feed.

Influence of Expander Conditioning Prior to Pelleting on Pellet Quality, Broiler Digestibility and Performance at Constant Amino Acids Composition while Decreasing AMEN.

Physical pellet quality and AMEN concentration are strongly related to each other in broiler feeding. A study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between dietary AMEN concentration and feed processing on pellet quality, nutrient digestibility, broiler performance, serum markers, and yield of commercial cuts. Six diets were formulated. The first diet had the recommended AMEN concentration, each further diet was calculated with 40 kcal/kg less, from 0 to -200 kcal/kg, resulting in six levels for each feed phase: starter (1-14 d), grower (15-28 d), and finisher (29-35 d). These diets were processed with and without expander conditioning prior to pelleting, using an average corn particle size of 1.6 mm, ground with a roller mill. A total of 1008 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens were placed in a 6 × 2 (6 energy levels and 2 conditionings) factorial trial with six boxes as replications, with three in each broiler performance trial period. Excreta were collected 2 days before the end of each feed phase for apparent total tract digestibility measurement. On day 36, four broilers from each replication (pen) were weighed and then euthanized for blood collection, following which the gastrointestinal organs were weighed, and the ileal and gizzard contents were collected. On day 37, all remaining broilers were slaughtered after fasting to measure commercial cuts and abdominal fat. The results show that the pellet durability index (PDI) was most affected by energy reducing and expander conditioning prior to pelleting, and it was better when diets had energy reduced by 40 to 200 kcal/kg (p &gt; 0.001), as when expander conditioning was used. Digestibility of nutrients was slightly affected by treatments, as was the broiler performance; however, feed efficiency was improved in broiler-fed diets without AMEN reduction and when an expander was used, with p = 0.050 and p = 0.031, respectively. No effects were observed on the weight of gastrointestinal tract organs and serum markers, except for liver (p = 0.037) and α-amylase (p = 0.047). The lowest liver weight and lowest serum protein, cholesterol, triglyceride, gamma-glutamyl, and lipase concentrations were obtained when diets were formulated without energy reduction (Ross-0). There was no effect on commercial cuts relative to live weight at slaughter. The energy reduction was well reflected in the proportion of abdominal fat, which decreased when AMEN was reduced (p = 0.001). The present study shows it is possible to use diets with up to 200 kcal/kg reduction in AMEN without losses in performance, and the use of expander conditioning prior to pelleting promotes higher pellet quality and broiler feed efficiency.

Towards Large Particle Size in Compound Feed: Using Expander Conditioning Prior to Pelleting Improves Pellet Quality and Growth Performance of Broilers.

Simple SummaryThe poultry meat industry is an important producer of high-quality protein. Broilers require well-balanced and processed diets, which should be environmentally friendly and produced in a sustainable way. The current study was designed to explore opportunities in the feed processing line; it aimed to improve resource savings and broiler performance by changing the particle size of the major ingredients in the diet using hammer or roller mills, and then, pelleting the compound diet using two different conditionings, with an expander or without, prior to pelleting. The hypothesis was that broilers perform better when fed diets processed using a combination of grinding the coarse particles with a roller mill and expanding them before pelleting. The results show that the processing line promotes intense secondary grinding, reducing the particle size. The use of a roller mill, coarse particles and an expander resulted in increased energy utilization, nutrient digestibility and feed conversion ratio of the broiler chickens. During the processing of compound feed for broilers, several changes occur that affect the physical and probably the nutritional properties of pellets, influencing animal performance. The effects of mill type, particle size (PS) and expander conditioning prior to pelleting (E + P) were combined to generate pellets. A 2 × 3 × 2 factorial arrangement was designed with two mill types (a hammer mill (HM) or roller mill (RM)), three PSs (0.8, 1.2 or 1.6 mm) and two E + Ps (with or without expander processing prior to pelleting), with six replications of 12 unsexed Ross 308 broilers each. All the processing lines reduced the PS from mash to finished pellets via secondary grinding, by 2.35 times on average. However, RM grinding required less electric power (p < 0.001). The intended PS (0.8, 1.2 or 1.6 mm) did not affect this energy consumption. E + P and the PS interacted for the pellet durability index (PDI) (p = 0.006). The worst PDI in the pellets was observed when a PS of 1.6 mm without E + P was used. Only E + P positively affected starch (p < 0.001) and amino acids’ ileal apparent digestibility (p < 0.01). Organic matter (OM) (p = 0.02) and fat (p < 0.001) digestibility, as well as AMEN (p = 0.005) content, were influenced by the PS (main effect), whereas E + P and mill type interacted with these values (p < 0.005). Lower OM digestibility and AMEN content were observed when RM without E + P was used (p = 0.001). The feed conversion ratio (FCR) was enhanced and feed intake (FI) was improved with E + P. The combination of the RM mill, a 1.6 mm mean PS, and E + P improved FCR (three-way interaction, p = 0.019)), showing that for a higher PS, E + P is necessary for animal performance. Carcass yield was, on average, 80.1%. No effects on commercial cuts (breast, legs and wings) were observed. In contrast, abdominal fat was affected by mill type * PS (p = 0.012) and E + P * PS (p = 0.048) in a two-way interaction. The highest abdominal fat indicated an imbalance in the amino acid (AA)-to-AMEN ratio. Coarse PS promoted heavier gizzards (p = 0.02) but E + P tended to reduce them (p = 0.057). The processing steps improved pellet quality and feed efficiency associated with RM, coarse PS and E + P, highlighting the positive effects of E + P on abdominal fat and AMEN content, which should be adjusted to AA or reduced at formulation. However, these results are for an experimental processing plant and may not necessarily apply to larger plants, so the use of these data and methods should be considered as guidelines for replication at production sites.

Using machine learning regression models to predict the pellet quality of pelleted feeds

Pelleted feeds are widely used in monogastric animal production systems because they not only improve animal performance (increasing digestibility and feed consumption) but are convenient to store and handle. However, pellet quality can be affected by many factors. While previous studies have reported the effect of a single or several factors on pellet quality, no studies have investigated how pellet quality can be affected by the large number of factors that vary during feed manufacturing. Therefore, the current study reports using machine learning regression models to predict pellet quality using commercial feed mill data. A dataset consisting of 2471 observations describing the pellet manufacturing process, the feed formulation, and environmental conditions (e.g. outdoor temperature) were collected from two feed mill lines for 8 months. Sixteen features (13 continuous, 3 categorical) were used for building the regression models, and the output was the pellet durability index (PDI) of the pelleted feeds. Twelve regression algorithms including Linear Regression (LR), Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression, Ridge Regression (RR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Linear Support Vector Regression (LSVR), Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DT), Gradient Boosting Regression (GBR), Adaptive Boosting Regression (ABR), Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) neural network, K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), and Stacking Regression (SR) were examined in this study. Feature importance analysis using permutation importance was performed to identify what features were most relevant for each model. Average outdoor temperature, bakery byproduct and wheat inclusion levels, as well as production line all had high permutation importance values, while the fat added into the mixer (with controls at the mill already in place to limit it) was less important than most features. The cleaned dataset was preprocessed and then split into a training (80 % of total samples, n = 1147) and a testing (20 % of total samples, n = 287) set. A 5-fold cross-validation process was applied and learning curves were used to verify the presence of overfitting for each algorithm before and after tuning the hyperparameters on the training set. The models that exhibited overfitting were excluded from the final results and only models with tuned hyperparameters were evaluated on the testing set. The SVR algorithm was selected as the best overall model for predicting PDI, as it had the lowest mean absolute and mean squared prediction errors (MAE = 3.280, MSPE = 16.192), and the second highest concordance correlation coefficient (CCC = 0.636). In conclusion, this study shows that feed mill features describing manufacturing parameters, feed formulation, and environmental data can be successfully used to build machine learning regression models for pellet quality prediction.

Effects of fish meal replacement by three protein sources on physical pellet quality and growth performance of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

The study investigated the effects of replacing fish meal with cottonseed protein concentrate (CPC), Tenebrio molitor (TM) and Clostridium autoethanogenum protein (CAP) on physical pellet quality and growth, feed utilization of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). A control diet (FM) was designed to contain 200 g/kg fish meal, then, 60 g/kg CPC, TM and CAP were used to replace the same amount of fish meal, respectively, to form four diets by pelleting. After the evaluation of physical quality, the four diets were fed to shrimp with initial body weight of 7.72 ± 0.01 g for 6 weeks. The results indicated that pellet hardness and bulk density were significantly increased (P < 0.05), when fish meal was substituted by CPC, TM and CAP, but no significant differences in starch gelatinization degree and pellet durability index were detected among the four diets (P > 0.05). In addition, the dissolution loss and powder content in CPC and CAP diets were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Compared to FM group, TM group presented significantly higher feed conversion ratio (FCR) and lower protein retention(P < 0.05), but the other two groups showed no significant differences in growth performance (P > 0.05). Hepatopancreas amylase activity in CPC and CAP groups was significantly higher than that in FM group (P < 0.05), while no significant differences in the activities of hepatopancreas protease and pyruvate kinase, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were found among the four groups (P > 0.05). The hepatopancreas and intestinal histology were normal in all groups without obvious injury. In conclusion, in the pelleted feed containing 200 g/kg fish meal, the replacement of 60 g/kg fish meal with CPC and CAP improved the physical pellet quality and had no negative effects on growth performance and nutrient utilization, but the replacement of 60 g/kg fish meal with TM decreased the growth performance and nutrient utilization of Pacific white shrimp.

The effects of various levels of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and a dacitic (rhyolitic) tuff breccia on pellet production rate and durability

Distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) has been associated with a reduction in pellet production efficiency and quality in animal diets, whereas some minerals may improve pellet efficiency by scouring the surface of the pelleting die holes, reducing friction. The objective of this study was to understand the relationship between DDGS and a dacitic tuff breccia (DTB) based on pellet production rate and pellet durability index (PDI). The experiment was conducted in a complete block design, with a factorial arrangement 5 × 2, and repeated on 2 d. DDGS levels (0, 4, 8, 12, and 16%) and DTB (0 and 0.25%) were the main effects. Interactions between DDGS and DTB were observed for production rate throughout the study, however, the effects were not consistent between days. DTB inclusion improved the production rate of diets containing 12% DDGS on day 1 ( P = 0.010), whereas, on day 2, this positive effect was observed in DTB diets with 4 and 8% DDGS compared to their respective controls ( P = 0.001). DTB inclusion had a positive main effect on PDI on day 1 ( P > 0.015), however, this result was not observed on day 2 ( P > 0.314). Increasing levels of DDGS in the diet had a positive influence on PDI throughout the experiment ( P < 0.001). The results showed the potential of DTB in improving pellet production rate when dietary DDGS inclusion ranged from 4% to 12%.

Effect of Die Geometry and Moisture Content on Pelletizing of Palm Pruning Residues

Palm pruning residues are potential pellet raw material, which are quite abundant in regions with hot climates. In pelletizing process, raw material properties and pellet machine features are the main factors affecting the final pellet quality. In this study, 5 mm sieve hole diameter milled palm pruning residues was pelleted using two different pellet dies and two different pelletizing moisture. First die (D1) has 25 mm total length, 17° inlet angle and 10 mm inlet depth. The second die (D2) has 35 mm total length, 33° inlet angle and 5 mm inlet depth. The inlet and outlet hole diameter of both die are 11 mm and 8 mm, respectively. Pelleting moisture is fixed at two different levels as 10% (M10) and 14% (M14). The change of production parameters and pellet physical properties were investigated according to the die type and moisture content parameters. Increasing pelletizing moisture had a positive effect on the production capacity and it was obtained as 82.44, 103.1, 134.05, 145.49 kg h-1 for D1-M10, D1-M14, D2-M10 and D2-M14 pellets, respectively. The increase in pelletizing moisture caused degradation of the pellet forms, which is more evident in the pellets produced in the D1 die. Pellets produced in the D2 die are more compressed and denser and lower moisture content. The increase in total die length resulted in heavier and denser pellet production, resulting in higher production capacity and low specific energy consumption. Pellet durability index (%, ar) of D1-M10, D1-M14, D2-M10 and D2-M14 were measured as 95.53; 92.29 and 97.74; 98.32, respectively. It was concluded that the longer active die length can tolerate high moisture content pelletizing, and durable pellets can be produced in a wide moisture content range. In addition, die conical dimensions and die length are the factors that needs to be optimized according to different raw materials.

Potential of Dimensional Measurements of Individual Pellets for Evaluating Feed Pellet Quality

HighlightsPellet length but not width increased significantly with increasing inclusion of a pellet binder in a pelleted feedMachine vision capably and rapidly measures pellet lengthThe narrow range in pellet length measurements prevents its use as an effective discriminator of pellet qualityPellet durability index from aggressive pellet durability testing is the better discriminator of feed pellet qualityAbstract. Pellet durability index (PDI) detailed in ASAE Standard S269.4 (ASAE Standards, 2007) has been the widely accepted measure for pellet quality in the U.S. and, by extension, the measure for evaluating the effect of ingredients and pelleting process variables on the quality of pelleted feed products. The PDI is calculated as the mass percentage of intact pellets remaining after tumbling a 500 g sample in a tumbling can durability tester for 10 min. In the case where pellet quality is good, oftentimes the resulting PDI for different experimental treatments are very close in magnitude. In these situations, it is desirable to have another measurement that would allow for finer discrimination among treatments. It was hypothesized that the average linear dimensions of animal feed pellets in a unit mass sample would vary as a function of formulation and pelleting process variables for a consistent knife setting in the pellet mill. This hypothesis was tested in a study involving effectiveness testing of varying inclusion levels of a potential pellet binder in a typical corn-soy swine diet pelleted by both conventional and cold pelleting processes. Pellet lengths and diameters measured by a machine vision implemented in ImageJ matched to measurements taken manually and varied with treatments. Pellet length varied with treatments but could not be a good discriminator of pellet durability between pelleted products because of the narrow range in measurement numbers (8.53 to 11.15 mm by machine vision). With the wider range in numerical values of the PDIs obtained through aggressive durability testing (23.0% to 81.0% in a tumble can with steel hexagonal screw nuts versus 91.0% to 97.5% in a tumble can without hexagonal nuts), PDI from aggressive testing is the better discriminator of quality among pelleted products because of its greater resolution. Keywords: Animal feed, Durability, Linear dimensions, Machine vision, Pellet, Pellet binder, Pelleting, Quality.

Physical and chemical quality of forage feed pellets with different types of materials and compositions

The aimed of this study was to determine the physical (durability) and chemical quality of forage feed pellets with different raw materials and compositions. This study used two (2) weed raw materials with different forms, namely in the form of fresh and in the form of hay that has been milled. Each raw material was formulated and processed in the same way, a mixture of forage and rice bran, consisted of 90%: 20% and 80%: 20% (calculated based on dry matter, mixed in as fed), pelleted, then dried in the sunshine. Each treatment has three (3) replications. Dried forage pellets were tested with the PDI (pellet durability index) test and chemical quality test (proximate) in the Forage and Pasture Science Laboratory. The experimental design used a Randomized Completely Block Design where there were blocks of material types and blocks of material composition. The variables observed were physical quality in the form of PDI and chemical quality in the form of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF), extract ether (EE) and nitrogen-free extract (NFE). The data were statistically analysed with program SPSS version 26. If there was a significant difference, it was continued with the least significant different (LSD) test. The conclusion of this study was that the physical quality of forage pellets (PDI number) made from weed (Synedrella nodiflora) or Legetan was affected by composition, but neither hay nor fresh weed material affected its quality. The type of raw material in the form of hay and fresh affects the chemical quality of forage pellets in the form of DM, OM, CP, CF and NFE, but does not affect EE. EE was influenced by the composition of the pellets

Wood Pellet Production with the Inclusion of Rice Hull Derived Bio-oil

Highlights Inclusion of heavy bio-oil (0.5%) improved pellet PDI by 0.4 percentage points when compared to the control. Inclusion of heavy bio-oil (0.5%) improved the HHV by 0.4 MJ kg-1 when compared to the control. Inclusion of heavy bio-oil (at 0.3% and 0.5% levels) improved the NPV over the control by $279K and $959K, respectively. Abstract.Rice hulls or husks have the potential to aid in wood pelletization as they possess high calorific values. However, this material also has a high ash content and is therefore not viable to be of use in the pelletization process without modification. This study focuses on using rice hull-derived bio-oil from pyrolysis, which decreases the overall ash content when compared to the original rice hulls and was postulated as a means to improve wood pellet characteristics (e.g., pellet durability index and the calorific value). Two groups of rice hull-derived bio-oil were used as an additive in wood fiber pelletization: Group 1 consisted of heavy bio-oil (products with a distillation vapor temperature only above 100°C) at a 0.2% (H2) and 0.5% (H5) additive inclusion rate (dry basis) with a matched control group (C1), and Group 2 consisted of bio-oil with light keys (products with a distillation vapor temperature of 20°C to 95°C and above 100°C) added from distillation process at a 0.2% (L2) and 0.5% (L5) concentration (dry basis) with a matched control group (C2). The C1, H2, H5, C2, L2 and L5 treatments had a mean pellet durability index (PDI) of 97.6%, 97.7%, 98.0%, 98.2%, 98.2%, and 98.3%, respectively. The C1, H2, H5, C2, L2, and L5 treatments had average bulk density values of 683.2, 678.4, 678.4, 673.6, 687.2, and 681.6 kg m-3, respectively. The mean higher heating values (HHV) for the C1, H2, H5, C2, L2, and L5 treatments were 24.6, 24.8, 25.0, 24.0, 24.0, and 24.0, MJ kg-1, respectively. The normalized energy requirements for production for the C1, H2, H5, C2, L2, and L5 treatments were 105.7, 96.3, 96.7, 97.9, 97.4, and 93.2 kWh Mg-1, respectively. An economic feasibility analysis showed that the discounted net present value (NPV) at a rate of 12% could be improved when using the H2 and H5 additives when compared to the control. Keywords: Biomass, Bio-oil, Hull, Husk, Pelletization, Pellets, Rice, Wood.

Analysis of Retention Time and Steam Pressure Variations in the Conditioning Process on the Moisture Content of Feed in the Packaging Process

Pellets are compressed feed, compacted through a mechanical process. Pellets can be molded in the form of lumps and small cylinders with different diameters, lengths, and levels of strength. The right moisture content value will maximize the quality of the pellets and increase the value of the Pellet Durability Index(PDI). Many factors affect the moisture content in the feed such as changing the steam pressure configuration, adding moisture to the mixing process, changing the retention time configuration, and other methods. The method tested was to provide variations on the configuration of retention time and steam pressure on the Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) which aims to determine the increase in moisture content in the feed. Variations of retention time configuration tested were 50 seconds, 55 seconds, 60 seconds, 65 seconds, 70 seconds with variations in the Steam pressure configuration in the test were 1.4 bar and 1.6 bar. The test results prove that the retention time of 65 seconds with a steam pressure of 1.4 bar is the best configuration with an increase in moisture content of 2.67% with a difference in moisture content of bagging to the mixing of -0.46.

Coating beef tallow with calcium soap improves dietary pellet quality and promotes an effective diet-induced obese mouse model

The obesity model is predominantly formed by feeding animals that are prone to obesity with high-fat diets, but this dietary intervention is not standardized. It is very difficult to pellet most high-fat diets, as they become rapidly oxidized due to their high-fat content. This study aimed to use calcium soap (Ca-soap) of beef tallow as a source of fat in high-fat mouse diets and to investigate its effects on pellet quality and its effectiveness in an obesity model. In the experiment, three diets were formed: a control diet (CD), a high-fat diet with beef tallow (HFD), and a high-fat diet containing beef tallow and Ca-soap of beef tallow (Ca-HFD). A total of 36 male C57BL/6 J mice aged six weeks were randomly divided into 3 groups: the Control (C), High-Fat (HF), and High-Fat with Ca-soap (Ca-HF) groups. The experiment lasted 20 weeks. Ca-HFD and HFD had higher hardness and pellet durability index (PDI) values than CD. Ca-HFD had a lower peroxide value than that of the HFD. At the end of the study, average body weight, body weight gain, food consumption, and calorie consumption were found to be the highest in the HF group and the lowest in the C group. The highest epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) ratio of the mice was seen in the Ca-HF group. Plasma triglyceride and insulin values ​​were higher in the HF group than in the C group. The highest level of steatosis was observed in the HF group. High body weight gain, fat deposition, hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, glucose tolerance, and hepatic steatosis were observed in C57BL/6 J male mice fed the high-fat diets, but only HFD caused hyperinsulinemia. HFD and Ca-HFD can be used to model obesity, but only HFD can be used in type 2 diabetes modeling.

Relationship between pellet durability index and hardness of pellet with various binder for broiler finisher phase

Feed quality is not only in terms of nutrition but also from physical quality. Good physical quality will increase feed consumption and improve the performance of broilers finisher phase. One feed that is usually given is pellets. This research aims to determine the effect of using molasses, tapioca flour and bentonite binder on relationship between pellet durability index and hardness of pellet for broiler finisher phase. The experimental design used was a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 replications. The treatments were feed of broiler finisher phase with the addition of binder, as follows: P0 (without binder); P1 (molasses 2%); P2 (tapioca flour 2%) and P3 (bentonite 2%). To determine the relationship between pellet durability index (Y) and hardness (X) using simple linear regression analysis. The research results showed that the pellet durability index is strongly influenced by the level of pellet hardness where the higher hardness value will increase pellet durability index, with a correlation of 79.80%.

PSII-17 Phosphorus Release Values in Growing Pigs Fed Increments of Optiphos Plus Phytase in Pelleted Diets

Abstract The efficacy of phytase (Pase) from OptiPhos Plus G (Huvepharma, Peachtree City, GA) was compared to inorganic phosphorus (iP) supplements to assess phosphorus equivalency. In 6 replicate 28-d trials, 288 crossbred F2 (Duroc X LR X LW) pigs (20.0 kg, 6 pigs/pen, 48 pens) were randomly assigned to 1 of 8 diets. Pig sex was balanced within pens. Basal corn-soybean meal diets, formulated to exceed nutrient requirements except for Ca and P, supplied 1.30% lysine from the same amounts of all ingredients. Sand was used to balance variable amounts of monocalcium phosphate and limestone. Diets supplied either 0.061, 0.156, or 0.241% iP from monocalcium phosphate or increments of 250, 500, 750, 1,000 and 1,500 FTU/kg from Pase. All diets were pelleted (160°F, 2.5 tons/hr). The modified pellet durability index averaged 92.8% and 88.7% for all diets in each of 2 mixes. Non-linear growth responses to increments of iP and Pase were detected (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Using nonlinear regression models, maximum gain was calculated at 0.23% iP and 1144 FTU/kg Pase (equivalent to 0.31% available P or 0.38% STTD P). Likewise, from non-linear responses (P &amp;lt; 0.05), maximum response in whole-body bone mineral content (WBBMC) from analysis of dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scans were calculated at 1227 FTU/kg Pase. The maximum Pase response for WBBMC was below expectations and raised concerns for potential Ca limitations in diets at higher Pase supplements. Only linear WBBMC responses (P &amp;lt; 0.001) to iP levels were detected. Responses across iP and Pase treatments for femur bone mineral content reflected the same conclusions as responses to WBBMC. As growth responses to iP and Pase diets were non-linear, simple conversions of phytase activity to phosphorus release was not straight-forward. However, non-linear equations can predict economic values of target levels as a function of ingredient costs.

Effect of whole-grain rice on pellet quality, geese performance, and economic benefits

This study evaluated the effects of whole-grain rice ( WGR ) on pellet quality, geese performance, and economic benefits. A total of 360 one-day-old healthy male Jiangnan White goslings with similar body weight ( BW ) were randomly divided into 2 groups with 6 replicates per group and 30 geese per replicate. Pelleted diets were prepared with WGR for the experimental group and crushed rice ( CR ) for the control group to create the 2 treatments. Dietary rice (unhusked) inclusions were 20% for 1 to 21 d and 40% for 22 to 70 d. The pellets from d 1 to 21 were crumbled. Prepelleted WGR significantly decreased pellet length, hardness and pellet durability index. WGR pellets had significantly higher fine ratio (≤2.8 mm) and starch gelatinization than CR pellets. The different treatments did not affect BW on 21, 42, and 70 d of age or average daily feed intake ( ADFI ), average daily gain, and feed to gain ratio (F/G) from 1 to 70 d. However, compared with the CR diet, the WGR diet increased ADFI and F/G from 1 to 21 d. At 70 d of age, similar slaughter performance, relative viscera weight, and meat quality of geese were observed, except for a significant increase in the spleen ratio in the WGR treatment compared with the CR treatment. From the observation, pelleting with WGR reduced the cost of feed manufacture by decreasing the electricity use of grinding and had no negative effect on feed cost per/kg weight gain of geese. Even with the decreased pellet quality, we recommend replacing CR in geese diets with WGR from 22 to 70 d of age in view of the geese performance, economic benefits, and electricity savings.