Benefits of dry comminution of biomass pellets in a knife mill

The potential benefits of dry comminution in a knife mill for a diverse range of biomass 6 pellets are explored. The impact of dry comminution on energy consumption, particle size and shape, 7 is examined as well as the link between milling and mechanical durability. Biomass pellet comminution 8 ene...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Williams, Orla, Lester, Edward, Kingman, Sam, Giddings, Donald, Lormor, Stephen, Eastwick, Carol
Format: Article
Published: Elsevier 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/43331/
_version_ 1848796665309298688
author Williams, Orla
Lester, Edward
Kingman, Sam
Giddings, Donald
Lormor, Stephen
Eastwick, Carol
author_facet Williams, Orla
Lester, Edward
Kingman, Sam
Giddings, Donald
Lormor, Stephen
Eastwick, Carol
author_sort Williams, Orla
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description The potential benefits of dry comminution in a knife mill for a diverse range of biomass 6 pellets are explored. The impact of dry comminution on energy consumption, particle size and shape, 7 is examined as well as the link between milling and mechanical durability. Biomass pellet comminution 8 energy was significantly lower (19.3-32.5 kW h t-1 [fresh] and 17.8-23.2 kW h t-1 [dry]) than values 9 reported in literature for non-densified biomass in similar knife mills. The impact of drying was found 10 to vary by feedstock. Dry grinding reduced milling energy by 38% for mixed wood pellets, but only 2% 11 for steam exploded pellets. Particle size and shape, particle distribution dispersion, and distribution 12 shape parameters changes between fresh and dry milling were also material dependent. Von Rittinger 13 analysis showed that to maximise mill throughput, pellets should be composed of particles which can 14 pass through the screen and thus have a neutral size change. A strong correlation was found between 15 pellet durability and energy consumption for fresh biomass pellets. Dry grinding has the potential to 16 significantly reduce energy consumption without compromising the product particle size, as well as 17 enhancing product quality and optimising biomass pellet comminution and combustion.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T19:51:35Z
format Article
id nottingham-43331
institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T19:51:35Z
publishDate 2017
publisher Elsevier
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling nottingham-433312020-05-04T18:49:37Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/43331/ Benefits of dry comminution of biomass pellets in a knife mill Williams, Orla Lester, Edward Kingman, Sam Giddings, Donald Lormor, Stephen Eastwick, Carol The potential benefits of dry comminution in a knife mill for a diverse range of biomass 6 pellets are explored. The impact of dry comminution on energy consumption, particle size and shape, 7 is examined as well as the link between milling and mechanical durability. Biomass pellet comminution 8 energy was significantly lower (19.3-32.5 kW h t-1 [fresh] and 17.8-23.2 kW h t-1 [dry]) than values 9 reported in literature for non-densified biomass in similar knife mills. The impact of drying was found 10 to vary by feedstock. Dry grinding reduced milling energy by 38% for mixed wood pellets, but only 2% 11 for steam exploded pellets. Particle size and shape, particle distribution dispersion, and distribution 12 shape parameters changes between fresh and dry milling were also material dependent. Von Rittinger 13 analysis showed that to maximise mill throughput, pellets should be composed of particles which can 14 pass through the screen and thus have a neutral size change. A strong correlation was found between 15 pellet durability and energy consumption for fresh biomass pellets. Dry grinding has the potential to 16 significantly reduce energy consumption without compromising the product particle size, as well as 17 enhancing product quality and optimising biomass pellet comminution and combustion. Elsevier 2017-06-13 Article PeerReviewed Williams, Orla, Lester, Edward, Kingman, Sam, Giddings, Donald, Lormor, Stephen and Eastwick, Carol (2017) Benefits of dry comminution of biomass pellets in a knife mill. Biosystems Engineering, 160 . pp. 42-54. ISSN 1537-5110 Biomass; Knife mill; Particle size; Particle shape; Pellet durability; Drying http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S153751101730154X doi:10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2017.05.011 doi:10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2017.05.011
spellingShingle Biomass; Knife mill; Particle size; Particle shape; Pellet durability; Drying
Williams, Orla
Lester, Edward
Kingman, Sam
Giddings, Donald
Lormor, Stephen
Eastwick, Carol
Benefits of dry comminution of biomass pellets in a knife mill
title Benefits of dry comminution of biomass pellets in a knife mill
title_full Benefits of dry comminution of biomass pellets in a knife mill
title_fullStr Benefits of dry comminution of biomass pellets in a knife mill
title_full_unstemmed Benefits of dry comminution of biomass pellets in a knife mill
title_short Benefits of dry comminution of biomass pellets in a knife mill
title_sort benefits of dry comminution of biomass pellets in a knife mill
topic Biomass; Knife mill; Particle size; Particle shape; Pellet durability; Drying
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/43331/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/43331/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/43331/