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Biomass particle and bulk property determination

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Description

ORNL’s biomass particle and bulk property determination capability offers a thorough examination and understanding of biomass materials, essential for their efficient handling, conversion, and utilization. We offer a multifaceted approach to biomass characterization, providing valuable insights for optimizing biomass utilization across diverse applications. Using advanced techniques, we delve into the intricate physical characteristics at the particle level, encompassing size, shape, surface area, surface roughness, and densities, both true and envelope. These parameters are pivotal in various biomass conversion processes, including pyrolysis and combustion, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency. Drawing upon ORNL’s extensive expertise and equipment, we comprehensively assess biomass materials, encompassing their bulk properties such as density, compressibility, and permeability. Additionally, we analyze dynamic flow characteristics, including flow rate, specific flow energy, and flow stability, offering insights crucial for effective material handling and processing. Furthermore, our evaluation extends to shear characteristics, encompassing shear and wall friction, essential for understanding material behavior under various processing conditions. Our capability also includes the evaluation of segregation potential for biomass mixtures to ensure homogeneity and uniformity in composition, contributing to enhanced process reliability and product quality.

Capability Bounds

Our biomass particle and bulk property determination capability is adapted for various biomass feedstocks. The particle and bulk property tests are designed for conversion-ready particles (50 µm to 5 mm)—sample size requirements of =>≥0.5 liters.

Unique Aspects

Our approach synergizes advanced modeling with comprehensive experimental analysis, providing unparalleled insights into biomass properties. This fusion enhances the understanding and optimization of biomass conversion processes.

Availability

Our service is available for academic and industrial researchers seeking in-depth analysis of biomass materials. We welcome collaborations and inquiries from interested parties looking to optimize biomass utilization processes.

Benefit

The capability at ORNL provides unparalleled insights into biomass materials. By leveraging advanced techniques and expertise, we empower researchers and industries to optimize biomass utilization processes, leading to enhanced efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness in bioenergy production and other applications.

Capability Expert(s)

Oluwafemi Oyedeji, Xianhui Zhao, Tomas Grejtak

References

Zhao, X., Oyedeji, O., Webb, E., Wasti, S., Bhagia, S., Hinton, H., Li, K., Kim, K., Wang, Y., Zhu, H., Vaidya, U., 2022. Impact of biomass ash content on biocomposite properties. Composites Part C: Open Access.
Yan, J., Oyedeji, O.A., Leal, J.H., Donohoe, B., Semelsberger, T.A., Li, C., Hoover, A., Sun, N., Webb, E., Bose, E., Zeng, Y., Williams, L., Schaller, K., Ray, A.E., Tanjore, D. 2020. Characterizing variability in lignocellulosic biomass – A review. Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 8(22): 8059–8085.
Oyedeji, O. A., and O. Fasina. 2017. Impact of drying-grinding sequence on loblolly pine chips preprocessing effectiveness. Industrial Crops and Products 96(1): 8–15.

Contact Information

Regional Biomass Resource Hubs team

Regional Biomass Resource Hub Initiative