Durability and proper mechanical strength are important quality factors for biomass pellets as they enable their easy handling, transportation, and storage. In the present study, to increase mechanical strength of sawdust biomass pellet fuels, sucrose was employed as a main binder material. In addition, calcium ions were included as cross-linkers, which improved capability of modified binders. Addition of several calcium-containing substances further improved mechanical properties of sawdust pellets. Interestingly, we found that a combination of sucrose with CaCl2 (acidic blended solution) decreased, whereas addition of CaO or Ca(OH)2 (basic blended solution) considerably enhanced pellet strength. Thus, we concluded that calcium ions are able to form stable complexes with sucrose at basic pH levels (&gt;10). Therefore, materials incorporating sucrose-calcium complexes can be successfully used as eco-friendly novel binders for the construction of durable biomass pellet fuels. Furthermore, their applications can be extended to formulations of nutritional or pharmaceutical substances.

Complex formation of sucrose and calcium additives for durable sawdust pellet

254th National Meeting (2017)

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