Thermal energy of pellets from biomass supplemented with microalgae

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Alternative energy sources, such as biomass, have been recommended as substitutes for fossil fuels to help the environment and the economy. Myera Group has been working on developing an integrated biomass pellet-stove with a micro steam-turbine for a sustainable heat and power supply in northern Canadian regions. This project builds on the completed feasibility study (NSERC Engage project) of such an integrated system. Pelletization of biomass improves the handling properties and energy characteristics of raw biomass, making it a more viable energy source. However, pellets from agricultural residues such as straw or oat hulls have lower calorific value and can easily disintegrate causing dust and problems during handling and transportation. To effectively pelletize these materials and to increase the biomass thermal energy, an addition of high lipid content algae (Scenedesmus quadricaude) to raw biomass as the binding agent is proposed. The biomass source material such as straw and oat hulls will be ground and three particle sizes will be selected to produce compacts. Different ratios of source material of a different particle size and various quantities of the binding agent such as algae biomass produced by Myera Group will be investigated. The mixture will be compacted to various levels of pellet density from 800 to 1200 kg/m3. Optimal pellet's biomass composition from the energy and durability point of view will be determined. In the future plans, the company will conduct experiment with the combined heat and power system using pellets characterized in this project.