Biomass densification testing equipment for the development of high quality biomass pellets

生物质通常来自植物材料的纤维部分，因此它本身重量轻，体积密度低。以松散的形式运输和储存它在成本和实践上都是令人望而却步的。总体目标是以低成本向生物转化设施提供优质生物质。通过致密化提高生物质的体积密度对生物能源系统的成功至关重要。高密度粒状生物质可以使用传统的散装处理设备进行处理，从而使生物质的处理安全和廉价。加拿大每年从森林残留物中生产大约100万吨木屑颗粒，工厂主要位于不列颠哥伦比亚省。该行业正以超过20%的速度增长，其中80%以上的颗粒出口到欧洲。为了协助加拿大的这一行业并促进可再生生物质能源的使用，我们一直在UBC清洁能源研究中心进行研究，以解决与木屑颗粒加工和处理相关的问题，例如木屑颗粒的质量控制（湿度、密度和成分）、废气以及与加工、储存和运输环境相关的安全问题。我们在UBC与加拿大木屑颗粒协会、BIOCAP、加拿大农业部、FERIC、NRCan和NSERC合作进行的研究将展示使用木屑颗粒作为可再生燃料用于供热和发电的环境效益，确保木屑颗粒储存和处理的健康和安全，优化木屑颗粒的耐久性和保质期，提高木屑颗粒的能量密度，整合和优化木屑颗粒供应链的成本、质量、和数量。拟议的实验室规模的研磨和压实设备对我们实现这些目标至关重要，因为尺寸减小和压实是生物质致密化过程的两个关键步骤，这是能源密集型的，并决定了木屑颗粒产品的质量。

Biomass generally comes from the fibrous part of the plant material and thus it is inherently light weighted with low bulk density.  Transporting and storing it in a loose form is prohibitive in cost and in practice.  The overall objective is to deliver premium quality biomass at a low cost to bioconversion facilities.  Increasing the bulk density of biomass through densification is critical to the success of the bioenergy systems. High density granulated biomass can be handled using conventional bulk handling equipment thus making handling of the biomass safe and inexpensive.       Approximately one million tonnes of wood pellets have been produced in Canada each year from forest residues, with plants mainly located in British Columbia. The industry is growing at a rate of more than 20%, with more than 80% pellets exported to Europe. To assist this industry in Canada and to promote the use of renewable biomass energy, we have been conducting researches at UBC's Clean Energy Research Center to solve problems associated with wood pellets processing and handling, such as quality control (moisture, density and composition) of the wood pellets, off-gassing and safety issues related to processing and storage and transport environment. Our researches at UBC in collaboration with Wood Pellet Association of Canada, BIOCAP, Agriculture Canada, FERIC, NRCan and NSERC will demonstrate the environmental benefit of using wood pellets as renewable fuel for heat and power generation, ensure health and safety in storage and handling of wood pellets, optimize durability and shelf-life of wood pellets, enhance energy density of wood pellets and integrate and optimize wood pellet supply chain with respect to cost, quality, and quantity.       The proposed laboratory-scale grinding and compaction equipment is essential for us to achieve those goals, because size reduction and compaction are two key steps of the biomass densification process, which are energy-intensive and determine the quality of wood pellet product.