Fuel Characteristics of Pitch Pine and Mongolian Oak Pellets Fabricated with Coffee Waste and Used Frying Oil as an Additive Using a Pilot-scale Flat-die Pellet Mills

Abstract

This study evaluated the potential of coffee waste (CW) and used frying oil (UFO) as an additive in the production of pitch pine (PIP) and Mongolian oak (MOK) pellets. Ash contents obtained from CW and UFO were 0.5% and <0.1%, respectively. The calorific values of UFO (31.4 MJ/kg) and CW (26.3 MJ/kg) are higher than PIP (20.6 MJ/kg) and MOK (19.1 MJ/kg). For pellets fabricated using a pilot-scale flat-die pellet mill, regardless of fabricating conditions, moisture content (MC) and bulk density of PIP and MOK pellets satisfied the A1 wood pellet standard for residential and small-scale commercial uses, as designated by the National Institute of Forest Science (NIFOS) of the Republic of Korea. When CW was used as an additive, durability of PIP pellets made with 12%-MC sawdust and MOK pellets increased. The optimal conditions for producing PIP and MOK pellets could be by adding 20 mesh CW as an additive and the using of 12%-MC sawdust. However, durability of PIP pellets and ash content MOK pellets did not satisfy the A1 wood pellet standard of NIFOS. Thus, further research is needed to improve the properties of wood pellets with additives.