Woody Biomass Size Reduction with Selective Material Orientation

Abstract 

Roundwood logs from forests and energy plantations must be chipped, ground, or otherwise comminuted into small particles prior to conversion to solid or liquid biofuels. Results & discussion: Rotary veneer followed by cross-grain shearing is demonstrated to be a novel and low energy consuming method for primary breakdown of logs into a raw material having high transport and storage density. Processing of high-moisture raw logs into 2.5-4.2-mm particles prior to drying or conversion consumes less than 20% of the energy required for achieving similar particle size with hammer mills, while producing a more uniform particle shape and size. Conclusion: Energy savings from the proposed method may reduce the comminution cost of woody feedstocks by more than half.

About the Publication 

Dooley, J.H., D.N. Lanning, and C.J. Lanning. 2013. Woody biomass size reduction with selective material orientation. Biofuels 4(1):35-43.