Ultrasonic vibration-assisted pelleting of cellulosic biomass for ethanol manufacturing: An investigation on pelleting temperature

Ethanol made from cellulosic biomass is an alternative to petroleum-based liquid transportation fuels. However, large-scale manufacturing of cellulosic ethanol is hindered by the low density of cellulosic biomass. Experiments have shown that ultrasonic vibration-assisted (UV-A) pelleting could compress low-density raw biomass into high-density pellets, and pelleting temperature increased during pelleting process. However, pelleting temperature was not fully investigated. This paper reports an investigation on pelleting temperature in UV-A pelleting of wheat straw. The precision of temperature measurement was first evaluated. Relationships between pelleting temperature and pelleting time were then investigated. Also, the pattern of pelleting temperature distribution was evaluated by ranking the pelleting temperatures at six different locations in a pellet. Finally, effects of three input variables (ultrasonic power, pelleting pressure, and pellet weight) on pelleting temperature were discussed. Results reported in this paper are the foundation of a follow-up paper reporting relationship between pelleting temperature and pellet quality (density, durability, and sugar yield).

由纤维素生物质制成的乙醇是石油基液体运输燃料的一种替代品。然而，纤维素生物质的低密度阻碍了纤维素乙醇的大规模生产。实验表明，超声振动辅助（UV - A）制粒能够将低密度的原始生物质压缩成高密度的颗粒，并且在制粒过程中制粒温度会升高。然而，制粒温度尚未得到充分研究。本文报道了对小麦秸秆超声振动辅助制粒过程中制粒温度的研究。首先评估了温度测量的精度。然后研究了制粒温度与制粒时间之间的关系。此外，通过对颗粒内六个不同位置的制粒温度进行排序，评估了制粒温度的分布模式。最后，讨论了三个输入变量（超声功率、制粒压力和颗粒重量）对制粒温度的影响。本文所报道的结果是后续一篇报道制粒温度与颗粒质量（密度、耐久性和糖产量）之间关系的论文的基础。