8th International DAAAM Baltic Conference
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING -
19-21 April 2012, Tallinn, Estonia
OPTIMAL CONDITIONS FOR VALUATION OF WOOD WASTE BY
BRIQUETTING
Menind A.; Križan, P.; Šooš, Ľ.; Matúš, M.; & Kers, J.
Abstract: In this paper some important
processing parameters of wood waste
briquetting are discussed. Firstly, the
characteristics of input material (size of the
milled product, humidity etc.) were
analyzed and then different pre-treatment
methods (shredding, disintegrator milling,
drying) were used. Final briquette quality
depends on basic material composition and
optimal technological parameters. The most
important parameters affecting the briquette
quality are fraction size, pressing
temperature, compacting pressure and
material humidity. This final briquette
quality was evaluated by measuring
briquette density and mechanical strength
according to known European Standards for
solid high-grade biofuels.
Key words: material moisture content,
fraction size, disintegration, pressing
temperature, compacting pressure, wood
briquette
1. INTRODUCTION
In the boiler plants of EU countries a wide
range of various wood-based bio fuels are
burned. Wood fuels can be divided into two
major groups: non-refined wood fuels
(traditional firewood, compressed forest
residue, wood chips, sawdust) and refined
wood fuels (briquettes, pellets, wood
powder).
Alternative fuels like biomass are making
breakthrough in energy sector for production
of green energy [1].
Fibre hemp and energy sunflower both have
potential as raw material for biomass
briquetting [2].
In previous studies the recycling
technology for production of refuse derived
fuel (RDF) was described [3]. Various types
of wastes (wood, carton, paper, plastic and
textile) were processed by two-shaft and
single-shaft shredders to obtain the output
product (1–2 mm), which was be suitable
for briquetting process [4].
It was demonstrated that before briquetting
of the waste pre-conditioning of the
material would be necessary because lower
moisture content improves strength and
quality of the briquette [4].
Material composition has great influence on
the final quality of produced briquettes (on
the density and strength of the briquettes)
[5]. Therefore it is strongly recommended to
mix municipal waste with organic binder
(paper, wood, sawdust) before briquetting
[5].
The Slovak University of Technology in
Bratislava has laboratory of disintegrating
machines and briquetting equipment, which
was used for briquetting of wood waste.
Similar experiments were made in Research
and Testing Laboratory of Materials
Recycling of Tallinn University of
Technology and briquetting laboratory of
Institute of Technology in Estonian
University of Life Sciences in Tartu.
In this contribution several briquetting
experiments with different type of wood
waste from different sources were made.
2. EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
2.1 Material and process parameters to be
studied
Final briquette quality can be influenced by
many parameters. Five of them are having
most significant effect to briquette Pressing temperature
properties. These parameters are material This factor has significant effect on the
type, pressing temperature, compacting quality and strength of briquettes. It
pressure, fraction largeness and material determines the lignin excretion by cellular
moisture content. structures of wood. Lignin is released under
certain pressing temperature, which has to
Material type be unconditionally reached to assure best
All the technological parameters of briquette quality.
briquetting process are depending on
material type. When wood sawdust is Fraction size
processed the following important physical It affects compacting process of wood saw
parameters (temperature, pressure, moisture dust. For larger input fractions of wood
content, fraction size etc.) are having need more energy for compacting. Despite
different values when straw, grass, rattan or of bigger compacting pressure the
wood crust briquettes are produced. Every briquettes have lower homogeneity and
type of material has its own specific nature compression strength [7]. Size reduction of
as calorific value, ash content, humidity, wood scrap enables to produce briquettes
chemical and trace elements content. with better quality. Decreasing the fraction
Wood contains (see Table 1) lignin which size of wood saw dust increases the
helps to bind the saw dust particles together adhesion strength between the particles [8-
9
into the briquette. Lignin acts also as ]. Fraction size has also very high influence
stabilizer of cellulose molecules in cell on briquetting process. For the briquetting of
wall. The more lignin the material contains coarser fraction the higher compacting power
the more of it can be released to produce is needed and briquettes are having lower
briquettes with higher quality. The higher homogeneity and stability [3]. With increasing
concentration of lignin assures better the fraction size, the binding forces inside the
briquette strength. material are decreasing which results in faster
decay by burning (briquette burns faster and
Spruce Pine Beech Oak
that is a disadvantage). The enlargement of
fraction size raises the compacting pressure and
decreases briquette quality. Smaller fraction
Component [%] [%] [%] [%]
size is also an advantage in the drying process
Cellulose 45.6 43.2 39.2 38 [5].
Hemi cellulose 27.6 28.0 35.3 29
Material moisture content
Lignin 26.9 26.6 20.9 25 Is also important parameter which has great
Table 1. Approximate chemical composi- influence on lignin plasticisation process.
tion of European wood Recent compressing technologies are
enabling to compact material having
Compacting pressure relative moisture lower than 18% [10].
This is the most important factor When the moisture content of the material
influencing the compression strength of is very high, the vaporization of surplus
briquettes. The strength of briquettes water tears the briquette into pieces. When
increases with applying higher compacting the moisture content of the material is very
pressure of briquettes. Briquettes low (less than 10%) then the higher
manufactured by using higher compacting pressures should be used to obtain
pressure are having fewer tendencies to briquettes with higher quality. This is
absorb atmospheric humidity during the expensive and uneconomic in the point of
long term storage [6]. view of production technology [4].
2.2 Mechanical parameters of briquettes
Briquettes must be consistent or otherwise
cracks, scratches could appear and fine
elements would separate and that is/would
be not acceptable. Briquettes with higher
density have longer burning time. Standard
Ő-Norm M 7135 defines briquette density
value for group HP (wood briquettes) and
for group RP (crust briquettes) more than
1,12 kg/dm3 (g/cm3), and for other
briquettes this value must be more than 1
kg/dm3 (g/cm3). Standard DIN 51731
defines interval of briquettes density values
from 1 to 1.4 g/cm3.
Standard DIN 52182 (additional standard
DIN 51731) also describes testing method
for briquette density. The density of the
briquette is calculated by formula (1) as:
mN
ρN = , (1)
VN
where VN is the briquette volume and m N is
briquette weight [7].
The compression strength of briquettes in
cylindrical shape is determined by cleft
failure [7-8].
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Technological tests with briquettes
The briquettes were made from various
particle size of milled wood saw dust
materials. For samples manufacturing the
briquetting press developed in Slovak
University of Technology in Bratislava was
used. In Fig. 1 manufactured briquettes
from different fractions of pinewood
sawdust are presented. By manufacturing
briquettes from smaller fraction size of
wood particles the visible quality of
briquettes was improved.
Then, several tests to estimate the influence
of compacting pressure to briquette quality
were performed.
The results are presented in the Fig. 2.
Briquettes from the same type of material
(wood sawdust) with same fraction size
with same moisture content were
experimentally manufactured at same
pressing temperature by changing only one
parameter - compacting pressure. As it
follows from Fig. 2 the briquettes
manufactured at lower pressures fall to
pieces. Briquettes produced at higher
pressures are consistent and compact.
3.2. Evaluation of the physical
parameters in briquetting process
The influence of two important parameters
- pressing temperature and compacting
pressure to the density of briquettes was
determined in following experiments. Four
different types of wooden raw materials
were used for briquetting. Two samples
were from the group of softwoods (pine and
spruce) and two samples from the group of
hardwoods (beech and oak). Pressing
temperature was changed from 85ºC to
115ºC. The compacting pressure was
changed from 61 MPa to 191 MPa. In the
briquetting experiments the size of sawdust
particle was ~2 mm. All raw materials were
dried to achieve same material moisture
content 10%. In the experiments the
research was focused on determining the
differences between various materials
behavior throughout the compacting
process according to the final briquette
density.
From previous and subsequent results it is
clear how important parameter is the type
of material to be used in the compacting
process – briquetting. Among the other
significant quantifiable parameter that are
also important, the pressing temperature
and material moisture content, which have
the greatest influence. Pressing temperature
is not a direct parameter of the pressed
material but significantly influences some
material properties, changing and
influencing also the material structure and
chemical composition during the
compacting process.
As it follows from the Figs 3-6 Briquettes
from materials with higher lignin and
cellulose contents – softwoods (pine,
 Briquettes from Briquettes from Briquettes from Briquettes from Briquettes from
pine wood with pine wood with pine wood with pine wood with pine wood with
fraction size fraction size fraction size fraction size fraction size
> 4 mm < 4 mm < 2 mm < 1 mm < 0.5 mm
spruce) have evidently higher density than pressure for pressing briquette with same
Figure 1. Pressed briquettes from different fraction size of pine wood
briquettes from hardwoods (oak, beech). quality, and vice versa. To use higher
As it can be seen on curves represented in compacting temperature is better than
Figs 3-6 briquettes density is increasing higher pressure from lignin plasticization
with increase of pressing temperature and point of view.
compacting pressure. By lower
temperatures we need higher compacting

31 MPa 63 MPa 159 MPa 191 MPa 254 MPa

Figure 2. The effect of the compacting pressure to briquette quality

Fig. 3 Dependence of briquettes density Fig. 4 Dependence of briquettes density

(kg/dm3) from pine sawdust from compacting (kg/dm3) from spruce sawdust from
pressure (MPA) by various pressing compacting pressure (MPA) by various
temperatures (wr=10%; L=2mm). pressing temperatures (wr=10%; L=2mm).

Fig. 5 Dependence of briquettes density
(kg/dm3) from oak sawdust from compacting
pressure (MPA) by various pressing
temperatures (wr=10%; L=2mm).
Fig. 6 Dependence of briquettes density
(kg/dm3) from beech sawdust from
compacting pressure (MPA) by various
pressing temperatures (wr=10%; L=2mm).
Therefore it is recommended for designing
of wood briquetting and compacting
machines to include heating section into
machine construction.
4. CONCLUSION
The main aim of the experiment was to
detect and identify the effect rate of
monitored parameters on the final
briquettes quality evaluated by briquettes
density. By the individual steps it was
demonstrated that the most significant
effect on briquettes quality has pressing
temperature and then material moisture and
mutual interaction of these two parameters.
The results our hypothesis that compacting
pressure, which may seem to be a
parameter having the biggest effect on the
Therefore it is very important to know the
optimal parameter values which influence
final briquette quality for various types of
materials.
5. REFERENCES
1. Paist, A., Kask U, Kask L, et al.,
Potential of biomass fuels to substitute
for oil shale in energy balance in
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2. Alaru, M., Kukk, L., Olt, J., Menind, A.,
Lauka, R., Vollmer, E., Astover, A.,
Lignin content and briquette quality of
different fibre hemp plant types and
energy sunflower, Field Crops Research,
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Kask, Ü. & Gregor, A. Mechanical
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Publisher: Elsevier Ltd, Volume 89, Jaan Kers, PhD.
Issue 1, January 2010, pp 94-98 Professor
10.W. E. Hillis and A. N. Rozsa, High Chair of Woodworking
temperature and chemical effects on Department of Polymer Materials
wood stability; Wood Science and Tallinn University of Technology
Technology,Volume 19, Number 1, pp. Teaduspargi 5, 12618, Tallinn, Estonia
57-66 Phone: +372 620 2909
Fax: +372 620 2903
6. ADDITIONAL DATA ABOUT E-mail: jaan.kers@ttu.ee
AUTHORS

Andres Menind, MSc.

PhD student
Institute of Technology,
Estonian University of Life Sciences,
Estonia,
Kreuzwaldi 56, 51014 Tartu, Estonia
Phone: +372 5185072
E-mail: andres.menind@emu.ee

P. Križan, PhD. Head of the Institute of

Manufacturing Systems, Environmental
Technology and Quality Management,
Slovak University of Technology in
Bratislava, Nám. Slobody 17, 812 31
Bratislava, Slovak Republic, tel.: +421
2 572 96 537, e-mail:
peter.krizan@stuba.sk

L. Šooš, PhD.
Dean of Faculty of Mechanics
Slovak University of Technology in
Bratislava,
Nám. Slobody 17, 812 31 Bratislava,