title: Co-pelletization of sewage sludge and biomass: the density and hardness of pellet.
abstract: In the present study, the effects of process parameters on pellet properties were investigated for the co-pelletization of sludge and biomass materials. The relaxed pellet density and Meyer hardness of pellets were identified. Scanning electron microscopy, FT-IR spectra and chemical analysis were conducted to investigate the mechanisms of inter-particular adhesion bonding. Thermogravimetric analysis was applied to investigate the combustion characteristics. Results showed that the pellet density was increased with the parameters increasing, such as pressure, sludge ratio and temperature. High hardness pellets could be obtained at low pressure, temperature and biomass size. The optimal moisture content for co-pelletization was 10-15%. Moreover, the addition of sludge can reduce the diversity of pellet hardness caused by the heterogeneity of biomass. Increasing ratio of sludge in the pellet would slow down the release of volatile. Synergistic effects of protein and lignin can be the mechanism in the co-pelletization of sludge and biomass.
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China; Institute of Bio-energy, Hunan Academy of Forestry, Changsha 410004, PR China.
authors.forename: Longbo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China. Electronic address: liangjie@hnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China.
authors.forename: Xingzhong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bio-energy, Hunan Academy of Forestry, Changsha 410004, PR China. Electronic address: lihuiluoyang2013@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bio-energy, Hunan Academy of Forestry, Changsha 410004, PR China.
authors.forename: Changzhu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhihua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: School of Land Resources and Environment, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, PR China.
authors.forename: Huajun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China.
authors.forename: Hou
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha 410082, PR China.
authors.forename: Guangming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D002164:Camphor / Q000737:chemistry; D032486:Cunninghamia / Q000737:chemistry; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D012275:Oryza / Q000737:chemistry; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013696:Temperature; D013818:Thermogravimetry; D018505:Waste Management / Q000379:methods; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D002164:Camphor; D012722:Sewage; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Biomass; Co-pelletization; Meyer hardness; Relaxed pellet density; Sewage sludge