Commoditization of biomass: dry torrefaction and pelletization - a review
Abstract
Biomass is one of few renewable energy sources that is not intermittent and may be used in the same way as fossil fuels. There are some important constraints, imposed by the nature of biomass, that do not allow it to become a tradable commodity in the same way as solid fossil fuel. Torrefaction is a thermal process that is used to upgrade raw biomass into solid biofuel, more uniform with respect to its properties. Properties are changed in a way that makes torrefied fuel resemble coal more closely. That opens up some new opportunities in terms of use of biomass in furnaces designed for coal, without necessitating major changes to the installation. Biomass pre-treated this way is more suitable for co-burning with coal. Pelletization is a densification process that allows the specific energy density of biomass to be increased. The process makes biomass more uniform in size. This is beneficial with respect to transport cost, other handling operations (loading, unloading, feeding) and storage. This article gives an overview of dry torrefaction technologies, changes in fuel properties due to torrefaction and possibilities of combining torrefaction with pelletizing. Everything is analyzed in the context of a single goal - increasing the use of biomass by making it a commodity fuel.
Published
2014-10-20
How to Cite
MOŚCICKI, Krzysztof Jerzy et al.
Commoditization of biomass: dry torrefaction and pelletization - a review.
Journal of Power Technologies, [S.l.], v. 94, n. 4, p. 233--249, oct. 2014.
ISSN 2083-4195.
Available at: <https://papers.itc.pw.edu.pl/index.php/JPT/article/view/562>. Date accessed: 24 dec. 2024.
Issue
Section
Combustion and Fuel Processing
Keywords
commoditization of biomass, torrefaction, pelletization
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).