Binderless solid fuel pellets from solid waste of pulp and paper industry

บทคัดย่อ

This research studied the preparation of solid fuel pellets from wood dust waste of the pulp and paper industry. Pelletization by a hydraulic press at 20 to 50 bar was utilized to produce fuel pellets with diameter of 1 or 1.5 cm and height of 1.25 cm. The properties of fuel pellet including calorific value (heating value), pellet density, bulk density, moisture and ash content were characterized. These results demonstrated that the minimum pressure required to produce binderless pellets with a 1 cm diameter was 30 bar and this increased to 40 bar for pellets of a 1.5 cm diameter. The heating value of the resulting fuel pellets was between 15,401–16,388 kJ/kg, which is significantly higher than the unpelletized raw material (14,986 kJ/kg). Density of the fuel pellets was between 0.51–0.69 g/cm³ and the bulk density was 0.30–0.40 g/cm³. Densification of raw material through pelletization increased the bulk density of sample, thus reducing transportation and storage costs. In addition, the uniform size and shape made pelleted fuels easier to handle and reduced hazards associated with dust. Such processes are ideal for creating new opportunities for the development of solid fuels from paper wastes and could provide an opportunity for power generation within the pulping mill.