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Pellet Production from Residual Biomass of Greenery Maintenance in a Small-Scale Company to Improve Sustainability

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  • Alessio Ilari

    (Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche 10, 60131 Ancona, Italy)

  • Ester Foppa Pedretti

    (Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche 10, 60131 Ancona, Italy)

  • Carmine De Francesco

    (Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche 10, 60131 Ancona, Italy)

  • Daniele Duca

    (Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche 10, 60131 Ancona, Italy)

Abstract

Replacing fossil energy sources with renewable energy sources is a key strategic action to limit environmental issues. To achieve this goal, substitution with biomass is beneficial due to its versatility in various fields. In terms of circular economy and sustainability, the possibility of energy exploitation of residual biomass is particularly desirable in small-medium enterprises. The use of supply chain by-products can improve sustainability and create opportunities for companies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the suitability of residual biomass of conifers and broad-leaved trees to produce quality pellets using an agri-pellet machine activated by the power take-off of a tractor. This system can be employed at the farm level. Wood biomass of four species was tested; poplar, stone pine, black locust, and oak. Wood chips samples were analyzed to determine their qualitative characteristics following the technical standard ISO 17225-4. Based on the results, different wood blends were created to produce pellets, subsequently characterized according to ISO 17225-2. The analyses carried out on wood chips and pellets were bulk density, moisture, ash content, calorific value, elemental composition, chlorine, sulfur, and heavy metals. In addition, particles size was measured only for wood chips, while the length, diameter, mechanical durability, and ash melting behaviors were determined only for pellets. Some of the analyzed mixtures show acceptable values according to the current ISO technical standards. The values related to the apparent pellet bulk density and the durability test highlight that not all the mixtures are suitable to produce quality pellets. Results also represent a good starting point for future studies.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessio Ilari & Ester Foppa Pedretti & Carmine De Francesco & Daniele Duca, 2021. "Pellet Production from Residual Biomass of Greenery Maintenance in a Small-Scale Company to Improve Sustainability," Resources, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:10:y:2021:i:12:p:122-:d:694235
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Valentyna Stanytsina & Volodymyr Artemchuk & Olga Bogoslavska & Artur Zaporozhets & Antonina Kalinichenko & Jan Stebila & Valerii Havrysh & Dariusz Suszanowicz, 2022. "Fossil Fuel and Biofuel Boilers in Ukraine: Trends of Changes in Levelized Cost of Heat," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Pierdicca, Roberto & Balestra, Mattia & Micheletti, Giulia & Felicetti, Andrea & Toscano, Giuseppe, 2022. "Semi-automatic detection and segmentation of wooden pellet size exploiting a deep learning approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 406-416.
    4. Daniele Duca & Giuseppe Toscano, 2022. "Biomass Energy Resources: Feedstock Quality and Bioenergy Sustainability," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-6, June.
    5. Stolarski, Mariusz J. & Stachowicz, Paweł & Dudziec, Paweł, 2022. "Wood pellet quality depending on dendromass species," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 498-508.
    6. Alessio Ilari & Sara Fabrizi & Ester Foppa Pedretti, 2022. "European Hophornbeam Biomass for Energy Application: Influence of Different Production Processes and Heating Devices on Environmental Sustainability," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-15, January.

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