Search results for "Pellets"

Forming pressure dependence of the ferroelectric domain structure in green barium titanate pellets

1995

Abstract Modifications of the X-ray diffraction line profiles by die pressing of fine grained powders of barium titanate have been studied. Two main parameters have been considered: the forming pressure and the mechanical characteristics of the binder. The higher the forming pressure, the greater the modifications of the line profiles. Furthermore, the phenomena seems to be related to pressing only; no significant effect related to the nature of the binder has been shown. The modifications of the diffraction line profiles are interpreted by considering a reduction of the size of the ferroelectric domains during pressing. In order to confirm this interpretation, the behaviour of the domain s…

Characterization and pilot scale fluidized bed gasification of herbaceous biomass: A case study on alfalfa pellets

2015

Abstract Pilot-scale bubbling fluidized bed gasification tests of alfalfa pellets were performed at two different operational periods ranged on the basis of the two given equivalence ratio (ER) (the ratio between actual air and the stoichiometric air) namely as 0.25 and 0.30. During the test, the solid feeding rate was kept constant at 4.7 kg/h while the air input was varied and thus the ER. Increasing air from 4.16 to 4.99 N m3/h contributed to the evolution pattern of several parameters such as the rise in gas lower heating value (LHV) and gas yield, the average maximum of which were 4.2 MJ/N m3 and 1.5 N m3/kg respectively. Gas composition was mainly boosted by the concentration of CO, a…

Torrefaction technology for solid fuel production

2011

Environmental performance of wood pellets' production through life cycle analysis

2016

Abstract Forests play a key role as the source of an essential renewable material and/or fuel: wood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the environmental impacts related to high-quality pellet production for domestic heating following the LCA (life cycle assessment) methodology and considering a cradle-to-gate perspective in the Tuscany region. This is representative and interesting for Italian pellet factories and for similar factories located in Central Europe, considering the Italian contribution to the production capacity of that area. All of the activities involved, from wood extraction in no-industrial forests to packed pellet production, ready for delivery to final users, were tak…

On the self-heating behavior of upgraded biochar pellets blended with pyrolysis oil: Effects of process parameters

2020

Abstract Biochar obtained from biomass pyrolysis is a promising carbon neutral material which can be used in substitution of fossil coal and coke in metallurgical applications. Biochar’s mechanical properties improve significantly without compromising reactivity, when upgraded by densification with pyrolysis oil and reheated. However, upgraded biochar pellets use in the industry is limited due to the risks associated with self-heating. This issue must be seriously considered for further industrial production of upgraded biochar pellets. Self-heating oven tests are generally time-consuming and limit the possibility of testing various potential solutions. The aim of this work was both to inve…

From wood pellets to wood chips, risks of degradation and emissions from the storage of woody biomass – A short review

2016

Abstract The compounds in stored woody biomass degrade as a result of chemical and/or biological processes during storage. These processes produce gaseous emissions. Recent studies concerning gaseous emissions from wood pellet storages are reviewed herein. The applicability of the results from pellet research to wood chips is discussed. Thorough scientific understanding on the storage phenomena of wood chips is extremely important as the threat of climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have led to an increased need to large scale wood chip storage to ensure supply. Typically the gases produced from stored woody biomasses are carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO 2…

Torrefied versus conventional pellet production – A comparative study on energy and emission balance based on pilot-plant data and EU sustainability …

2015

Abstract Torrefaction is an emerging technology which enables greater co-firing rates of biomass with coal. To date however there has been a lack of real production data from pilot-scale torrefaction plants. Without such data any environmental benefits of torrefied pellet production are difficult to quantify. In this study data on consumable inputs from a semi-industrial torrefaction plant and the physical properties of produced pellets are used to analyse energy input and air emissions of torrefied pellet production and product transport. EU sustainability criteria are used to compare CO2-equivalent emissions from torrefied and conventional pellet production starting from harvesting of log…

The effects of biomass co-gasification and co-firing on the development of combustion dynamics

2018

Abstract Effects of wheat straw co-firing with gas (propane flame) and co-gasification/co-combustion with wood pellets on the development of thermo-chemical conversion of biomass pellets and on heat energy production were experimentally studied and analyzed with the aim to improve the gasification/combustion characteristics and the applicability of wheat straw as an alternative energy source for cleaner heat energy production. The results suggest that the wheat straw co-firing with propane provides an enhanced thermal decomposition of pellets with more complete combustion of volatiles increasing thus the heat output at thermo-chemical conversion of wheat straw and the produced heat energy p…

Paediatric solid oral dosage forms for combination products: Improving in vitro swallowability of minitablets using binary mixtures with pellets

2023

There is a growing interest in determining and improving the acceptability of solid oral dosage forms (SODF) in paediatric populations. Combination products can be an interesting solution to combine two active pharmaceutical ingredients. This study shows that binary mixture of paediatric SODF could enhance formulation swallowability and palatability. Using the Paediatric Soft Robotic Tongue (PSRT) – an in vitro device inspired by the anatomy and physiology of 2-year-old children – we investigated the oral phase of swallowing of multi-particulate formulations, i.e., pellets (350 and 700 µm particles), minitablets (MTs, 1.8 mm), and their binary mixtures (BM), by measuring the oral swallowing…

Evidence suggests an opportunistic entomophagous diet of the White Stork Ciconia ciconia in Sicily during breeding and post-breeding periods

2022

Insects are known to represent a critical part of the White Stork Ciconia ciconia diet throughout its breeding range. Yet, the composition of the diet in the storks breeding in the Mediterranean regions remains poorly explored. Here, we investigated the diet of a population of white storks from Sicily through pellets collected in 2003, 2007, and 2020. A total of 1,928 prey items were identified and classified into six categories. Insects dominated the diet in all years and represented 99.06% of the whole prey number. Two orders of insects were mainly consumed, namely Orthoptera, which were the most frequent prey, followed by Coleoptera. Within these, carabid beetles were dominant, followed …