- Q: Hello, I am a student of thermal energy and power engineering. I am very interested in biomass generation power project, especially agricultural wastes such as straw. I asked my teacher that why to make straw into pellets. My teacher told me:”The problem of straw power generation is that the energy flux density of straw is too low. Larger combustion space is needed when burning the straw. Besides, it is inconvenient to transport and store. By making them into pellets, the above problems can be solved“. But I wander, plus the processing cost, it is cost-effective to do this? I have worked as an intern in a power plant. It uses pulverized coal as the fuel since pulverized materials can increase the reaction area. Straw can also be burn directly. So I wonder why make straw pellets rather than grind the straw into small particles and burn them directly?
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| Straw, Straw Powder and Straw Pellets straw pellet production line |
A: This is a good question and many people have same doubt as you do. Why pelletizing?
Straw is quite different from pulverized coal in ingredients. Firstly, they have the very different proportion. Moreover, their burn time is different. The burn time of straw is very short and can be described as deflagration. Therefore, if use the pulverized coal burning stove to burn straw powder, a lot of reforming is needed in stove design. However, by pelletizing, the traditional stoves can still be used and only a small amount of modification is needed. Although the pelletizing process takes time and money, it is still a cost-effective way to make the most of straw materials. Hope you are satisfied with this answer.
