Fuel 193 (2017) 134–141

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Fuel
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Full Length Article

Carbohydrates as binders in biomass densification for biochemical and

thermochemical processes
Majid Soleimani ⇑, Xavier L. Tabil, Ramanpreet Grewal, Lope G. Tabil
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada

h i g h l i g h t s

Carbohydrates and lubricants performance in biomass densification was studied.

Fructose and molasses worked effectively as binder in wood and wheat biomass.

There was a significant interaction between binder and lubricant.

Crude glycerol and canola oil were the effective lubricants in densification.

Lubricants improved calorific value of the product but lowered the energy input.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This study was conducted to verify the potential application of carbohydrates with low molecular weight
Received 21 October 2016 (MW) as ash-free as well as nitrogen- and sulfur-free binders in biomass densification for solid biofuels.
Received in revised form 16 December 2016 In the first step, different kinds of carbohydrates including molasses (industrial byproduct), fructose, mal-
Accepted 19 December 2016
todextrin, sucrose, and glucose alongside lignosulfonate (phenolic byproduct from pulp and paper indus-
try) were employed as binders in two sources of cellulosic biomass, namely spruce wood shavings and
wheat straw. The results indicated that irrespective of the interaction of the factors, fructose and
Keywords:
molasses worked as the best binders for spruce wood shavings and wheat straw biomass, respectively.
Lignocellulose
Solid fuel
In the second stage where interaction of the two selected binders with lubricants were studied, results
Biofuel showed that canola oil worked as the best lubricant for spruce wood shavings with the least negative
Pelletization effect on the impact resistance (durability) of the pelletized biomass. However, no lubricant resulted
Binding agent in a superior result with the least negative effect for wheat straw. Also, results in this stage indicated that
Sugar pure glycerol, in contrast to crude glycerol, works as a binder rather than as a lubricant. In the third stage,
Lubricant the densification process at pilot-scale indicated that combination of molasses with crude glycerol
worked as the best binder and lubricant for wheat straw biomass, while, a combination of fructose
and canola oil worked as the best binder and lubricant for spruce wood shavings. In contrast to crude
glycerol, pure glycerol proved to increase the friction in the pelletization unit and would not be an effec-
tive lubricant.
Ó 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

1. Introduction mercial scales for bioenergy through thermochemical and bio-

Bioenergy, besides solar energy and wind, is one of the renew-
able energy technologies that have attracted enormous attention in
the sustainable energy sector [1]. As a result, bioenergy has the
potential of replacement for petroleum fuels to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions [2,3]. Cellulosic materials, as the main category of
the biological resources, have been utilized at research and com-
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: mas233@mail.usask.ca (M. Soleimani), xavier.tabil@usask.ca
(X.L. Tabil), rkg785@mail.usask.ca (R. Grewal), lope.tabil@usask.ca (L.G. Tabil).
chemical pathways. The logistics operations of cellulosic biomass,
including handling, transportation, and storage are costly due to
the high moisture content, irregular form, and low mass and
energy densities of biomass [4]. The low bulk density of biomass
which is 80–100 kg m3 in agricultural residues and grasses, and
150–200 kg m3 in woody biomass needs to be improved to
resolve the limitations of using cellulosic biomass for bioenergy
products [2]. The densification process is an important process
by which the low density of biomass can be increased to 500–
700 kg m3. In addition to improving density of biomass, some
other advantages such as improved handling and conveyance, con-

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2016.12.053
0016-2361/Ó 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
 M. Soleimani et al. / Fuel 193 (2017) 134–141
trolled particle size distribution, improved quality in terms of com-
position by fractionated components, and material uniformity also
can be provided by densification [2]. However, the lack of binding
capability of cellulosic biomass, especially crop straw and residues,
leads to a low quality densified/pelletized biomass which is costly
to produce, dusty, and unsuitable for handling [5]. Generation of
dust from pellets with low strength and durability in the combus-
tion chamber would cause improper burning of biomass and con-
sequently, increase emissions, waste, and combustion efficiency
[6,7]. The binding capacity of the biomass can be improved by
the application of pre-processing techniques or by direct applica-
tion of binders. The main quality factor of the densified biomass
which is strength or durability can be controlled by die diameter
and temperature, pressure, binders, and pre-heating of the mix
[8]. The two main factors of particle properties and the conditions
of the process are the most important factors in densification pro-
cess. Biomass chemical composition plays an important role in
material densification. At high temperatures, protein is denatured
and starch is gelatinized and as a result both components can work
as binders [9]. Also, lignin at temperatures above 140 °C softens
and enhances the binding capability of the particles [10]. Other
than chemical binding which is more important in the pelletization
process, mechanical interlocking is a mechanism of binding that is
of more importance in briquetting [4]. Pre-treatments such as
grinding, steam explosion, ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX), pre-
heating with or without steam conditioning, and torrefaction have
been employed in several studies to enhance densification perfor-
mance and to produce high-quality densified biomass [4,11–13].
Different types of binders such as bentonite, lignosulfonate, pro-
tein, colloids, and calcium hydroxide have been used in biomass
mixes to enhance the durability index and density of densified bio-
mass [5,14,15]. The commercial binders are rich in minerals (like
bentonite) or sulfur (lignosulfonate) or nitrogen (protein). How-
ever, carbohydrates are organic molecules that are free of ash
and unwanted elements (undesirable in thermochemical systems)
such as nitrogen and sulfur; the 2 elements that can be sources of
SOX and NOX gas emissions, respectively. Therefore, the possibility
of using carbohydrates as binders in densified biomass would
lower the ash content and generation of pollutant gases during
thermochemical processing. Also, using carbohydrates as binder
in densified biomass as fermentation feedstock can enrich the
sugar content for fermentation processes. Nevertheless, no evi-
dence is available on the performance of carbohydrates in different
molecular size and their interactions with lubricants on the quality
attributes of densified biomass. The objectives of this study were to
determine: (a) the performance of small-molecule carbohydrates
as binders in spruce wood shavings and wheat straw, (b) the per-
formance of industrial byproducts molasses and crude glycerol
respectively as binder and lubricant and to compare them with
pure carbohydrates and pure lubricants, and (c) the interaction of
binders and lubricants in densification process (pelletization).
2. Experimental
2.1. Materials
In this study, two types of biomass, wheat straw and spruce
wood shavings were obtained locally in Saskatchewan, Canada.
These were used as the sources of cellulosic biomass and ground
using a knife mill through a 1.7-mm opening sieve. Glucose
(Glu), fructose (F), sucrose (S), and maltodextrin (MT) were sup-
plied by Sigma-Aldrich Canada, Oakville, ON to be used as binders.
Lignosulfonate (LS) and molasses (Mo) (industrial byproducts as
binders) were obtained from Lignotech USA Inc. (Belmont, WI)
and Archer Daniels Midland Co. (Decatur, IL), respectively. Crude
135
glycerol ((CG) from Milligan Biofuels Inc., SK, Canada), pure glyc-
erol ((G) from Sigma-Aldrich Canada, Oakville, ON), mineral oil
((MinO) from Phoenix Pharmaceutical Inc., MO), and canola oil
((Ca) from Richardson Oilseed Limited, Lethbridge, AB) were used
as lubricants.
2.2. Densification process
Densification for both types of biomass was conducted in three
stages (Table 1); stage 1) single pelleting to study the interaction of
binders and biomass, stage 2) single pelleting to study the interac-
tion of selected binders from stage one with lubricants, and stage
3) pilot-scale pelleting. In the single pelleting process conducted
in ten replicates, the carbohydrates were screened using a full fac-
torial experiment (based on completely randomized design) with
three factors: biomass (spruce wood shavings and wheat straw),
binder (glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltodextrin, lignosulfonate,
and molasses), and binder loading (4, 8, and 12%w/w). All binders
were used in solid (powder) form in the formulations. In the sec-
ond stage, the selected binders giving higher impact resistance
(durability) were applied in combination with lubricants (crude
glycerol, canola oil, mineral oil, and pure glycerol) at 5%w/w load-
ing for both types of biomass. After defining the best combinations
of binders and lubricants for each biomass, they were tested in
pilot-scale pelletization. Single pelleting experiments were carried
out in a single pelleting unit (SPU (Fig. 1)) consisting of a cylinder
working as the sample mold/die and a plunger connected to an
Instron universal tester (Instron 1011, Instron Corp., Canton, MA)
providing compression load on the sample in the cylinder. For sin-
gle pelleting, about 0.55 g of the biomass with 10% wet bases (wb)
moisture content (MC) (as determined the optimal MC for single
pelleting in trials) was loaded into a cylindrical die maintained at
90 ± 1 °C. The temperature inside the die was maintained by a
heating coil surrounding the die and controlled by a thermostat
connected to the heating coil. The compressive load (4000 N) was
provided by a plunger connected to the upper moving cross-head
with a speed of 50 mm min1 of the Instron tester. After giving
enough (60 s) time for compression and finishing the compres-
sion/relaxation, the pellets were ejected from the lower position
of the die where an open/close sliding metal plate was located
for sample ejection. The pilot-scale pelletizing was carried out
using the CPM CL-5 pilot-scale pellet mill (California Pellet Mill
Co., Crawfordsville, IN (Fig. 1)) as described in detail with sche-
matic diagram by Tabil and Sokhansanj [16]. This equipment has
a ring die rotating at 250 rpm with a pellet die-hole diameter of
6.35 mm (0.25 in.) and length: diameter (die) ratio of 6.9.
2.3. Quality attributes and analytical methods
Impact resistance or durability index of the pelletized biomass
after single pelleting was determined using the drop test which
involves dropping a pellet sample from a 1.85 m height onto a
Table 1
Factors and quality attributes in densification process in the three stages conducted.
Stage Densification process
Factors Quality attributes
Stage (1) (Single Biomass, binder type, Durability, unit density
pelletization) binder loading
Stage (2) (Single Biomass, binders Durability, unit density
pelletization (selected), binder
with lubricant) loading, lubricant
Stage (3) (Pilot- Combinations Durability, unit density, bulk
scale palletization) (selected in single density, Energy input,
palletization) heating value
136 M. Soleimani et al. / Fuel 193 (2017) 134–141
Fig. 1. Photographs of the single pelleting unit (left) and pilot-scale unit (right).
metal plate [17]. Unit density of the pellets was determined by the
ratio of mass to the volume calculated by the measurement of the
dimensions (length and diameter) of a cylinder. Bulk density of the
pelletized product by pilot-scale pellet mill was determined using
a standard funnel and a half-litre cylindrical container (SWA951,
Superior Scale Co. Ltd., Winnipeg, MB). After filling the funnel with
the material, it was allowed to freely flow into the cylindrical con-
tainer. After tapping the container and being filled up, the ratio of
the mass of the pellets to the volume of the container was reported
as bulk density. Durability of the samples was tested by tumbling
100 g of pellets using a tumbler at 50 rpm for 10 min [18].
The contents of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin, were calcu-
lated from NDF, ADF, and ADL values which were determined using
ANKOM methods 6, 5, and 8 [19–21]. Ash content was determined
using AOAC method (AOAC standard 942.05) at 550 °C [22]. The
elemental analysis of the samples for C, H, N, and S contents were
carried out using the elemental analyzer (Elementar-Vario EL III,
Germany). About 4–5 mg of the sample was transferred to a speci-
fic aluminum pan and was combusted at high temperature (up to
1200 °C) in the exposure of pure oxygen and helium as the carrier
gas. The results were obtained and reported in percentage, dry
basis (%db).
2.4. Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis of the results was carried out using the SAS
software (SAS, Cary, NC) based on a factorial design for both stages,
namely combinations without lubricant and combinations with
lubricant. After the analysis of variance (ANOVA), Duncan’s multi-
ple range test was applied for comparison of the means at 95% sta-
tistical confidence level.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Single pelleting
Single pelleting experiments were conducted to study the inter-
action of binders with biomass and screen the carbohydrates as
binders, and then to examine their interaction with lubricants.
3.1.1. Interactions of binder, biomass and binder loading
The analytical results showed that the hemicellulose, cellulose,
lignin, and ash contents were 26.31%, 38.95%, 28.42%, and 0.12% in
spruce wood shavings and 18.95%, 38.95%, 24.21%, and 6.32% in
wheat straw. The ANOVA results of the simple and interaction
impacts of the factors binder, binder loading, and biomass type
in stage 1 of the experiments conducted without lubricant are pre-
sented in Table 2. The statistical results for durability indicated
that the simple effect of biomass type was not significant, but
the one-way effects of the two other factors (binder and binder
loading) are significant (P = 0.01). Among the 2-way interactions,
most of the interactions resulted in significant effects on durability
index other than the interaction of biomass and binder loading.
The one-way and two-way effects of all factors, except the interac-
tion of biomass and binder loading, are significant on density
(Table 2).
The statistical one-way effect of the factors biomass type and
binder on durability index and density are presented in Fig. 2. As
the mean values from all formulations with spruce wood shavings
and wheat straw show, a similar durability was obtained for both
biomass (Fig. 2a). However, a higher density was obtained with
the densified form of biomass from wheat straw. It should be
pointed out that the mean values in Fig. 2 are the means of all for-
mulations in this study containing different binders and the 2
types of biomass. In other words, in one-way analysis, the interac-
tive effect of the other factors, which is technically important for a
successful formulation, would not be considered. For a more
detailed and better selection of the factors/formulations, the inter-
active effects of the factors need to be considered that will be dis-
cussed later.
In terms of binder effect, both quality attributes, durability
index and density were significantly affected by the type of binder
(Fig. 2b). Durability index ranged from 90.1% (maximum) to 47.4%
(minimum) on average with the inclusion of molasses and sucrose,
respectively, in the formulations. The following ranking was
obtained for the effectiveness of binders on durability of densified
biomass (on average for both types of biomass):
Molasses > fructose > lignosulfonate; maltodextrin; glucose
> sucrose
And in terms of the influence of binder on the density of densi-
fied biomass, the ranking is:
Molasses > maltodextrin; fructose
> lignosulfonate; sucrose; glucose
Therefore, molasses and fructose resulted in better performance on
the durability index of pellets irrespective of biomass type com-
pared to the other binders, even lignosulfonate which is a widely-
used commercial binder.
The reason that molasses was more effective compared to the
other binders could be the presence of different materials in it such
as sucrose, monosaccharides, protein, and minerals such that each
material can work as an effective binder. The high effectiveness of
fructose can be due to its high hygroscopic property resulting in a
high moisture absorption during pelletization process. In other
word, by increasing the temperature during the pelletization pro-
cess, water vapor pressure can increase and the vapor would the
absorbed by fructose. This higher water absorption (compared to
other binders) would help fructose molecules to dissolve in or acti-
vated by water easier than other binders used in this study. There-
fore, fructose would interact more with biomass particles resulting
in a higher mechanical strength of the pelletized biomass.
Comparing the molecular weights (MW) of the substances, the
following order exists between them (from high to low):
1
Maltodextrin ðvariableÞ > Lignosulfonate ð 530 g mol Þ
1
> sucrose; molasses ð 340 g mol Þ
1
> fructose; glucoseð180 g mol Þ
 M. Soleimani et al. / Fuel 193 (2017) 134–141 137

Table 2
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results of durability index and density of pellets produced based on factorial design with factors biomass, binder, and binder loading.

Source (factor) Durability index Unit density

Degree of freedom Mean of squares Degree of freedom Mean of squares
Biomass 1 177.8NS 1 1413.5*
Binder 5 8046.1** 5 4662.4**
Binder load 2 1527.0** 2 14693.3**
Biomass  Binder 5 2838.5** 5 8610.7**
Biomass  Binder load 2 174.5NS 2 538.7NS
Binder  Binder load 10 288.9** 10 1889.3**
Biomass  Binder  Binder load 10 237.2* 10 762.2**
Error 144 109.8 144 35743.5

NS = not significant.
**
Significant at P = 0.01.
*
Significant at P = 0.05.

Fig. 2. Single pelleting results; one-way effects of biomass (Sp: spruce wood shavings; Wh: wheat straw biomass) and binder on durability index and density of the densified
biomass. Letters a, b, c,. . . are ranking results based on Duncan’s multiple range test; Mo: molasses; F: fructose; LS: lignosulphonate; MT: maltodextrin; S: sucrose; Glu:
glucose.

Comparing the ranking results of impact resistance/durability
obtained by binders with MWs of the binders’ molecules, there
was no relationship between these two factors. For instance,
sucrose having a higher MW than those of fructose and glucose
worked as a less effective binder. Fructose despite having a similar
MW to glucose (180 g mol1) and being isomers, showed a much
better binding capability such that durability indices of 82.1%
and 57.4% were obtained by fructose and glucose, respectively.
Therefore, this difference between the binding capabilities could
be more dependent on the chemical structures/behaviors than on
the MWs of the carbohydrates. Comparing molasses with sucrose
(although the main solid fraction of molasses is made of sucrose),
the presence of other impurities such as reducing sugars and pro-
tein could be the reason for higher binding capability of molasses
compared to pure sucrose.
The two-way effects (interaction) of the factors of binder and
biomass are shown in Fig. 3. Comparing the results, the following
order would be obtained for binding capability:
In spruce wood shavings:
Fructose > molasses > maltodextrin  glucose  lignosulfonate
 sucrose
In wheat straw:
Molasses > lignosulfonate  fructose  glucose  maltodextrin
 sucrose
Therefore, fructose and then molasses and maltodextrin,
respectively with the average durability indices of 92%, 91%, and
138 M. Soleimani et al. / Fuel 193 (2017) 134–141
Fig. 3. Single pelleting results; two-way effects of binder and biomass (Sp: spruce
wood shavings; Wh: wheat straw biomass) on (a) durability index and (b) density
of spruce wood shavings and wheat straw biomass. Mo: molasses; F: fructose; LS:
lignosulphonate; MT: maltodextrin; S: sucrose; Glu: glucose; Letters a, b, c,. . . are
ranking results based on Duncan’s multiple range test.
58% were the most effective binders for spruce wood shavings.
Distribution of the durability data indicates that fructose and
molasses are highly effective in enhancing the durability of spruce
wood shavings, even compared to the commercial binder, lignosul-
fonate with a durability index of 49% (Fig. 3a). On the other hand,
molasses, then lignosulfonate and fructose with the average dura-
bility indices of 88%, 73%, and 65%, respectively, were the most
effective binders for wheat straw (Fig. 3a).
3.1.2. Interaction of lubricants with other factors
The ANOVA results from the experimental work in stage 2 with
the selected binders in stage 1 (molasses and fructose) and inclu-
sion of 5% lubricant in the formulations are tabulated in Table 3.
According to the results, the one-way effects of all four factors (bio-
mass, binder type, binder loading, and lubricant) are statistically
significant on both durability and density (P = 0.01). Comparing
the statistical results in stage 1 with stage 2 indicates that the
effect of biomass with the inclusion of lubricant in the formula-
tions would be significant in the latter case. Applying lubricant
during single pelleting (stage 2) resulted in average durability
indices of 83% and 71%, respectively, for spruce wood shavings
and wheat straw irrespective of other factors. Higher durability
values for spruce wood shavings compared to wheat straw in most
cases with the inclusion of lubricants in the formulations is shown
in Fig. 4. For example, using crude glycerol in the wood- and
wheat-based combinations of Mo-Sp-CG and Mo-Wh-CG resulted
in average durability indices of 82% and 70%, respectively (Fig. 4).
Using canola oil as lubricant in spruce wood shavings combina-
tions of Mo-Sp-Ca and Mo-Wh-Ca resulted in pellets having
average durability values of 93% and 69%, respectively (Fig. 4). This
higher durability of pellets from spruce wood shavings compared
to wheat straw-based pellets can be due to the difference in the
particle morphologies of the two biomass. In spruce wood shav-
ings, the particles have rougher surface compared to wheat straw
giving higher surface area and more contact with binder and other
particles in the pellet. Spruce wood shavings particles have a
curved form compared with wheat straw particles (with a straight
form) improving the interlocking influence between the particles
in the pellets. Taking average from each group of columns (Fig. 4:
groups 2, 3, 4, and 5) in which lubricant has been used, average val-
ues of 75%, 74%, 72%, and 88% would be obtained for durability
applying crude glycerol (CG), canola oil (Ca), mineral oil (MinO),
and pure glycerol (G), respectively, in the combinations. Therefore,
pure glycerol resulted in higher durability compared to the other
three substances used as lubricant (Figs. 4 and 5). The reason for
the higher durability of formulations with G as the lubricant could
be presence of 3 hydroxyl groups in the molecule of glycerol that
can generate hydrogen bonds with the hydrogen or hydroxyl
groups in the structure of biomass, mainly cellulose and hemicel-
lulose. Formation of hydroxyl bonds can improve the mechanical
strength of the pellets. On the other hand, Ca, MinO, and CG con-
tain significant amount of non-polar molecules that can reduce
binding capability of the pellet ingredients together, and conse-
quently, would reduce the mechanical strength of the product.
These major non-polar components are fat or fatty acids in Ca,
hydrocarbons in MinO, and fatty acids and soap in CG that are
generated during trans-esterification of triglyceride molecules in
biodiesel production process.
Increasing binder content in almost all cases, especially in the
presence of lubricant, would improve the durability of the pel-
letized product (Fig. 5). This improvement in the durability of pel-
lets by higher binder inclusion can be due to an increased
interaction of particles at molecular level by formation of enhanced
number of chemical bonds in the structure. However, on a large
scale (pilot- or commercial-scale), the minimum possible amount
of binder providing high enough durability should be consumed
to reduce the cost of the product.
3.2. Pilot-scale densification
Pilot-scale pelleting was conducted to evaluate the performance
of binders and lubricants selected in bench scale (single pelleting)
screening.
3.2.1. Binder and lubricant selection
Due to the uncertainty of the performance of the four aforemen-
tioned substances at large scale, all of them were used in the next
stage (pilot-scale). The results from the pilot-scale densification of
biomass are shown in Table 4. At pilot-scale, pure glycerol did not
work at all and did not have any lubrication influence in the pro-
cess for both spruce wood shavings and wheat straw biomass. Pure
glycerol caused very high power consumption of the equipment
leading to die plugging. Mineral oil resulted in pellets that were
short in length and not ideal to obtain high enough density. There-
fore, among four substances used/tested as lubricant in single pel-
leting, crude glycerol and canola oil were preferred, with molasses
and fructose as binders in pilot-scale pelleting. In pilot-scale pellet-
ing, crude glycerol also did not work with spruce wood shavings
due to the high friction in the system leading to high energy con-
sumption and plugging of the die. Overall, combinations of
molasses or fructose as binder with crude glycerol or canola oil
as lubricant in wheat straw biomass and combination of fructose
as binder and canola oil as lubricant in spruce wood were success-
ful at the pilot-scale (Table 4).
 M. Soleimani et al. / Fuel 193 (2017) 134–141 139

Table 3
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results of duability index and density of biomass pellets produced in single pelleting based on factorial design with factors biomass, binder (selected
binders: molasses and fructose), binder loading, and lubricant.

Source (factor) Durability index Unit density

Degree of freedom Mean of squares Degree of freedom Mean of squares
Biomass 1 8526.8** 1 206831.3**
Binder 1 4673.7** 1 264476.7**
Binder load 2 8059.0** 2 1284.4**
Lubricant 3 3049.3** 3 4336.0**
Biomass  Binder 1 89.5NS 1 102.5NS
Biomass  Binder load 2 813.5* 2 4589.6**
Biomass  Lubricant 3 337.5NS 3 9498.8**
Binder  Binder load 2 1248.0** 2 29979.1**
Binder  Lubricant 3 478.4NS 3 3780.9**
Binder load  Lubricant 6 536.2* 6 2295.9**
Biomass  Binder  Binder load 2 128.6NS 2 529.1*
Biomass  Binder  Lubricant 3 2266.6** 3 12183.9**
Binder  Binder load  Lubricant 6 197.3NS 6 1805.7**
Biomass  Binder  Binder load  Lubricant 12 394.4NS 12 1544.9**
Error 192 219.6 192 178.3

NS = not significant.
**
Significant at P = 0.01.
*
Significant at P = 0.05.

Fig. 4. Single pelleting results; durability index values obtained by the combination of three factors (binder, lubricant, and biomass); the first group of columns is for binder
and biomass combinations without lubricant; Groups 2, 3, 4, and 5 of columns are respectively for combinations including CG (crude glycerol), Ca (canola oil), MinO (mineral
oil), and G (pure glycerol); Mo: molasses; F: fructose; Sp: spruce wood; Wh: wheat straw biomass.

Fig. 5. Single pelleting results; interaction of binder loading (%) and lubricants on durability of wheat straw biomass containing molasses as binder (left), and spruce wood
containing fructose as binder (right); Sp: spruce wood; Wh: wheat straw biomass; Mo: molasses; F: fructose; CG (crude glycerol), Ca (canola oil), MinO (mineral oil), and G
(pure glycerol); Mo: molasses; F: fructose.

3.2.2. Product durability, bulk density, ash content, and heating value
According to the results, pelletization of wheat straw and
spruce wood shavings without adding binder and lubricant
resulted in lower durability (85.9% for wheat straw and 90.4% for
spruce wood shavings) compared to when binder and lubricant
were used in the formulations (Table 4). Pellets from both types
of biomass with binder and lubricant in the formulation resulted
in improved durabilities (>95%). Similarly, Kuokkanen et al. [23]
reported an improved durability of the pelletized woody biomass
by adding starch-based or potato peel residues as binding agent
140 M. Soleimani et al. / Fuel 193 (2017) 134–141

Table 4
Selected formulations of pelletized spruce wood shavings (Sp) and wheat straw biomass (Wh) according to the low pelleting energy and high pellet densities obtained.

Formula Bulk density (kg m3) Unit density (kg m3) Durability (%) Energy input (MJ t1) Heating value (MJ kg1) Ash (db%)
d g c
Sp 648 1197 90.4 959 19.3 0.12
Wh 627e 1146h 85.9d 738 16.8 6.25
2.5Mo-Wh-7.5CG* 737c 1294d 96.5a 392 17.8 6.09
5Mo-Wh-7.5CG 634e 1246e 96.8a 527 17.7 6.06
2.5Mo-Wh-5CG 743c 1332b 97.0a 615 17.4 6.15
2.5Mo-Wh-5Ca 627e 1289d 94.7b 349 18.0 5.96
2.5F-Sp-2.5Ca 767b 1219f 96.5a 399 19.8 0.08
5F-Sp-5Ca* 792a 1395a 95.9ab 352 20.2 0.08
2.5F-Sp-1.25Ca 793a 1319c 96.4a 479 19.5 0.10
2.5F-Sp-5Ca* 758b 1331bc 94.6b 280 20.3 0.09
*
The selected combinations with high density and low energy input (providing ease of process and low possibility of system plugging); Mo: molasses; F: fructose; CG:
crude glycerol; Ca: canola oil; Wh: wheat biomass; Sp: spruce wood. Letters a, b, c,. . . are ranking results based on Duncan’s multiple range test.

to the formulation. However, Emami et al. [24], who used an indus-
trial binding agent named AK2 for agricultural residues densifica-
tion, did not obtain any significant improvement in the durability
of the pelletized product.
The unit and bulk density of the biomass pellets increased in the
formulations applying binder and lubricant compared to the native
biomass. The unit density of the pelletized formula was over
1200 kg m3 or even 1300 kg m3 compared to the unit density
of the pellets from the native biomass which was up to
1200 kg m3 (Table 4).
Ash content of pellets from spruce wood shavings was less than
0.1% due to the low ash content of spruce wood (Table 4). However,
ash content of wheat straw biomass formulations was around 6%
due to the high ash content of wheat straw biomass (Table 4).
The higher ash content of agricultural biomass with lower ash soft-
ening temperature, may cause corrosion and fouling that is consid-
ered a drawback in thermochemical processes compared to the
woody biomass [25].
Higher heating values of the formulations were evaluated, and
overall, spruce wood shavings pellets showed significantly higher
values compared to the wheat straw pellets. This is mainly because
of the higher energy content of wood (19.3 MJ kg1) compared to
wheat straw biomass (16.8 MJ kg1) biomass. Inclusion of higher
amount of lubricant (CG) at a constant level of binder in wheat
straw caused a minor enhancement in heating value of the pel-
letized biomass. For example, increasing crude glycerol from 5%
in 2.5Mo-5CG-Wh to 7.5% in 2.5Mo-7.5CG-Wh raised the heating
value of pellets (by 2.3%) from 17.4 to 17.8 MJ kg1. This heating
value improvement can be due to the presence of free fatty acids
or biodiesel (both containing high energy contents) in the crude
glycerol, the byproduct of biodiesel production process. A similar
trend was also obtained by the incorporation of higher amounts
of canola oil as lubricant in spruce wood shavings pellets. For
instance, the heating value of spruce wood shavings pellets was
improved (by 2.5%) from 19.8 to 20.3 MJ kg1 when added canola
oil was increased from 2.5% in combination 2.5F-2.5Ca-Sp to 5%
in combination 2.5F-5Ca-Sp.
glycerol) content from 5% (in 2.5Mo-Wh-5CG) to 7.5% (in 2.5M0-
Wh-7.5CG) resulted in a reduced energy input (by 36%) from 615
to 392 MJ t1 due to low friction in the system leading to the ease
of material flow through the pellet mill. A similar trend in results in
terms of binder and lubricant used were obtained during pilot-
scale pelleting spruce wood shavings (Table 4). Regarding higher
energy consumption of the pelletization system by binder loading,
Kuokkanen and co-workers [23] reported increased level of power
consumption. Altogether, formulations (binder-biomass-lubricant)
2.5Mo-Wh-7.5CG, 5F-Sp-5Ca, and 2.5F-Sp-5Ca were the best com-
binations due to low energy input and at the same time high den-
sity and durability (Table 4).
4. Conclusions
Lab-scale studies indicated that in the absence of lubricant, car-
bohydrates would perform differently in each type of biomass. The
following conclusions can be drawn:
1. Fructose was the best binder for spruce wood shavings and
molasses was the best binder for wheat straw providing the
highest pellet durability.
2. In the presence of lubricants in the formulations, the combina-
tion of fructose and canola oil was the best selection for spruce
wood shavings, however, the combinations of molasses or fruc-
tose (as binder) and crude glycerol or canola oil (as lubricant)
were the superior selection for wheat straw.
3. Increased level of binder in each type of biomass increased the
durability of the pelletized biomass.
4. The input energy of densification was proportionally related to
the binder content in the formulation, while it was inversely
related to the lubricant content.
5. Combinations (binder-biomass-lubricant) of 2.5Mo-Wh-7.5CG,
5F-Sp-5Ca, and 2.5F-Sp-5Ca were selected as the superior for-
mulations from pilot-scale experiments due to the high density
and at the same time low energy input of densification (provid-
ing ease of process and low possibility of plugging).

3.2.3. Energy consumption

Further investigation in terms of a technoeconomic analysis is
Densification of formulations from spruce wood shavings and
suggested with the successful formulations obtained herein. Also,
wheat straw biomass with lubricant resulted in much lower energy
an investigation on reducing densification pressure with the appli-
input values compared to no-lubricant densification of spruce
cation of carbohydrates/lubricants in the formulations is
wood shavings (959 MJ t1) or wheat straw (738 MJ t1) (Table 4).
suggested.
In the formulations consisting of binder and lubricant, an increase
of binder loading and lubricant loading resulted in an increased
and decreased energy input, respectively. For example, the Acknowledgements
increase of binder (molasses) content from 2.5% (in 2.5M0-Wh-
7.5CG) to 5% (in 5Mo-Wh-7.5CG) resulted in an elevated level of The authors would like to acknowledge NSERC (Natural
input energy (by 34%) from 392 to 527 MJ t1 due to a higher fric- Sciences and Engineering Research Council) Canada and Biofuel
tion in the system. On the other hand, increasing lubricant (crude Net, Canada for budgeting this project.
 M. Soleimani et al. / Fuel 193 (2017) 134–141 141

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