Assessment of Environmental Influential Factors on Wood Pellets Degradation - Case Study Example

ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENTIAL FACTORS ON WOOD PELLETS DEGRADATION AND DUST GENERATION Student’s Name Course Professor’s Name University City (Sate) Date Assessment of Environmental Influential Factors on Wood Pellets Degradation and Dust Generation PART ONE The increase of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to utilisation of fossil fuels and its influence on climate has led to increase use of renewable energy. As a result, several technology based on biomass are in the testing, demonstration, commercialisation, and implementation stages. The main goal of the use of such technology is to reduce climate change and its impacts. One of the main bio-fuels has been the pellets which are solid in nature and can be used to produce chemicals and energy. Pellets can be manufactured from a range of residual feedstock including animal waste, sawdust, and straw. However, the main goal of the study is to determine the effectiveness of wood pellets as a fuel. The main problems to be addressed through the study include identification of the suitable source of energy and evaluating the suitable storage method for them. It also aims to ensure that the wood pellets are maximally utilised. As a result, it ensures effectiveness and efficiency thus minimising wastage of sources of energy. The benefits to the society include: low cost source of energy; clean source of energy; and encouragement of sustainable development practices (Graham et al. 2016). The aims of the study are to determine how environmental factors influence wood pellets degradation and dust generation. The five main specific objectives of the study are: (i) to assess the influence of high humidity to the moisture content of wood pellets; (ii) to evaluate the effect of moisture content to the mechanical strength of wood pellets; (iii) to determine the influence of temperature on the degradation rate of wood pellets; (iv) to determine the influence of humidity on the degradation rate of wood pellets; and (v) to assess the effects of steam exploded pellets to degradation resistance and dust generation. The study will be conducted in United Kingdom with the focus based only on wood pellets. It will assess how the environmental factors influence the degradation of wood pellets. The study will also take into consideration the influence of environmental factors on dust generation of the wood pellets. The key deliverable of the project includes determining the influence of humidity to the moisture content of wood pellets and moisture content on their mechanical strength. The study will also help determine the influence of temperature and humidity on the degradation rate of wood pellets. Lastly, it will show the effects of steam exploded pellets to degradation resistance. The potential risks include failure to fully control the environmental factors such as moisture and humidity. Such failure will make it impossible to find an accurate result of the study. Another potential risk is the failure to cut the wood pellets in equal sizes during the study. It will not be easy to determine the exact size and mass of the wood pellets even though it is important to determine their degradation rate and dust generation. Handling of biomass dust also have a number risks since one can inhale them thus impacting his or her health significantly. Excessive inhalation of the dust particles can irritate the respiratory system or the eyes. The dust can also lead to dust explosion due to it flammability. Explosions can be caused by hot surfaces, friction, and electrostatic discharges. No. Activities Time in Months Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1. Proposal Development 2. Proposal Defense 3. Proposal Correction and Submission 4. Data Collection 5. Data Analysis 6. Report Writing and Submission Figure 1: Work Plan The first four months, that is January to April, will entail preparation of the proposal. The month of May will be the defence of the proposal while June will entail the correction of the mistakes realised during the defence and second submission upon correction. Upon approval, data collection will be conducted in three months, that is, July to September. Analysis of the data will run concurrently with data collection. However, the finalisation of the analysis will be conducted in October. October will also entail report writing activities which will go until November upon submission of the final report. PART TWO According to Sultana and Kumar (2012) the need to reduce greenhouse gases has led to interest in the biogas as a renewable source of energy. The strength of the study is that it helps in the development of a multi-criteria assessment model and ranking of distinct feedstock-based pellets. The ranking is based on the suitability of use in power and heat generation plants. The study also capture the technical, environmental, and economical factors that help determine better pellets to use. However, the study only takes consideration of five alternatives of pellets. These are; poultry litter, alfalfa, switchgrass, straw, and wood (Sultana and Kumar 2012). The study uses a triangulation of qualitative and quantitative criteria of assessment despite the fact that the former comes with flows in determining effectiveness and efficiency of pellets. According to Graham et al. (2016) the moisture content of the white and pre-treated wood pellets is increased by increase in humidity exposure. In return, the increase in moisture content reduces the mechanical strength of the pellets. A combination of high humidity and high temperature results into high degradation rate. However, the steam exploded pellets have higher resistance to physical damage. The article had a number of short-comings. First, the biomass pellets used were not of equal size thus might have affected the results (Graham et al. 2016). Second, during the environmental chamber experiments, the pellets were exposed to uncontrolled humidity and temperature variations thus making it hard to derive accurate conclusion on each of them. According to Stelte (2012) the use of solid bio-fuels has increased over years. However, the transportation and storage of the solid bio-fuel has led to a number of accidents. The study, therefore, indicates the appropriate way to which the wood pellets should be handled. It gives information on the loading and transportation of the wood pellets on a closed vessel. Furthermore, the study covers the internal handling and unloading of the wood pellets and conveying of the same. The study also takes consideration of the dust formation process associated with the use of wood pellets. However, the study does not cover on the environmental factors that might affect the degradation of wood pellets. It also does not cover the environmental factors that might determine the dust generation of the wood pellets. The study only focuses on the health impacts of dust but not the mechanism of dust generation (Stelte 2012). Barontini et al. (2014) argues that bio-fuel wood chip can have health risks to animals including humans. It is, therefore, important that dealing with them is treated with caution. Wood chips usually have fungal spores that are exposed to the atmosphere during movement and cause allergic reactions. However, the study focuses only on the risk factors associated with handling of the wood chip bio-fuels. It does not address the pellets degradation (Barontini et al. 2014). Even though it tackles on the dust generation, it does not cover on how environmental factors influence it. Jose-Vicente, Enrique and Patricia (2016) argue that wood pellets can be carbonized hydrothermally to improve its dimensional stability and durability. Hydrothermal carbonization of the wood pellets converts the wood waste into a biochar through subjection to high pressures and temperatures in duration less than 10 hours. Such pellets are durable since they are resistant to fungal attacks. They are also more stable dimensionally despite the change in humidity. However, Jose-Vicente, Enrique and Patricia (2016) focused merely on comparing properties of wooden pellets and hydrothermal carbonization ones. The study focuses on the comparison of the two types of pellets. It takes into consideration how hydrothermal carbonization affects fungal decay properties and humidity but does not take into consideration how humidity affects the wooden pellets. Wilson (2010) argues that there are a number of factors that affect the durability of the wooden pellets. One of the factors is the tree species in which the pellets were derived. Species mix is critical in determining the durability and dust generation of the wood pellet since it defines the wood fibers present in the pellets. Melting of lignin is also another factor that determines pellets durability since it entails development of solid lignin bridges. However, there is no link between lignin properties to durability. However, Wilson (2010) does not take consideration of how humidity and moisture affect pellets duration. The study does not also take consideration of temperature on the degradation rate of wooden pellets. Furthermore, the study does not capture the effects of steam exploded pellets to degradation resistance. Harun and Afzal (2016) argue that particle size have effect on the mechanical properties of pellets. The study indicates that blending of the abundantly available and low cost agricultural biomass with the woody biomass can lead to better mechanical properties of the pellets. It will also help the pellets increase their market demand in the future due to sustainability reasons and cheap cost. However, the study fails to link the mechanical properties with the environmental properties such as humidity and temperature (Harun & Afzal 2016). It also does not capture dust generation of the wood pellets. Furthermore, the study does not capture the influence of humidity on the moisture content of the pellets. Kuang et al. (2009) argue that wooden pellets can be environmentally unfriendly and deadly during storage. This is because the pellets release methane, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide among other volatiles during storage. The study found out that stored pellets are less sensitive to relative humidity compared to temperature. The pellets were also more sensitive on the storage temperature compared to relative volume of the head space. Furthermore, the study found out that the increase in head space volume increases the emission of volatile gases due to the presence of oxygen which is associated with decomposition. However, increase in relative humidity in the enclosed container enhances the emission of volatile gases and depletion of oxygen. However, the study did not capture on the dust generation rate due to environmental changes. It only focused on temperature, relative humidity, and relative volume of the head space during storage (Kuang et al. 2009). The study also failed to capture the moisture content of the wood pellets and how they affect mechanical strength of the same. Gauthier et al. (2012) argue that wood pellets have negative heath impacts. The main issue with the use of wood pellets for combustion is the release of carbon dioxide. The gas is fatal to health. The study by Gauthier et al. (2012) does not capture on the effects of environmental factors in wood pellets degradation. It does not capture the dust generation caused by the wood pellets. Furthermore, it does not show how environmental factors affect the dust generation of the pellets. According to Svedberg, Samuelsson and Melin (2008), the transportation of wood pellets affects the environment. The pellets produce the carbon monoxide during transportation. Therefore, transportation of wood pellets through the ocean in spaces that are confined can lead to an atmosphere without enough oxygen. It can also lead to higher levels of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere. Reduced levels of oxygen and increased level of carbon dioxide is a toxic combination. However, the study does not capture the influence of environmental factors on the degradation of wood pellets. It does not address the impacts of humidity, moisture, and temperature on the efficiency of wood pellets (Svedberg, Samuelsson & Melin 2008). Furthermore, the study does not address the impact of environmental factors on the dust generation of wood pellets. Information Gap There are insufficient studies that capture the influence of high humidity on the moisture content of wood pellets. Little studies have also been conducted that links moisture content to strength of wood pellets. Furthermore, there are no literature directly linking temperature and humidity to the degradation of the wood pellets. Lastly, there are no sufficient studies that indicate the effects of steam exploded pellets to degradation resistance. PART THREE The research will take an exploratory design since there are few early studies to rely or refer upon to predict the influence of environmental factors on wood pellet degradation and dust generation. The study aims, therefore, to undertake a research problem at its preliminary research stages. The research design will help in gaining the background information of the topic. It is also flexible and can be used to answer all types of questions. The research design also gives an opportunity to clarify on the existing concepts and defining new terms. The study will use a fixed research design. The quantitative research design will be used because it is systematic, objective, and formal process that uses numerical data to obtain the information. It will help determine the cause-and –effect interactions between the relevant variables. The research design will also describe the variables and determine the relationship among them. The study will use two distinct laboratory storage environments. The first will entail wood pellets enclosed in sealed containers and subjected to controlled relative humidity, moisture, temperature, and steam over a period of time. The second laboratory will compare the specimen’s dust generation and degradation properties over a period of time. Reference List Barontini, M, Crognale, S, Scarfone, A, Gallo, P, Gallucci, F, Petruccioli, M, Pesciaroli, L and Pari, L 2014, ‘Airborne fungi in biofuel wood chip storage sites’, International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, vol. 90, pp.17-22. Gauthier, S, Grass, H, Lory, M, Krämer, T, Thali, M and Bartsch, C 2012, ‘Lethal carbon monoxide poisoning in wood pellet storerooms—two cases and a review of the literature’, Annals of occupational hygiene, vol. 56, no. 7, pp.755-763. Graham, S, Ogunfayo, I, Hall, MR, Snape, C, Quick, W, Weatherstone, S & Eastwick, C 2016, ‘Changes in mechanical properties of wood pellets during artificial degradation in a laboratory environment’, Fuel Processing Technology, vol. 148, pp.395-402. Harun, NY & Afzal, MT 2016, ‘Effect of particle size on mechanical properties of pellets made from biomass blends’, Procedia Engineering, vol. 148, pp. 93-99. Jose-Vicente, O, Enrique, G, & Patricia, G 2016, ‘Analysis of durability and dimensional stability of hydrothermal carbonized wooden pellets’, Wood Research, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 321-330. Kuang, X, Shankar, TJ, Bi, XT, Lim, CJ, Sokhansanj, S and Melin, S 2009, ‘Rate and peak concentrations of off-gas emissions in stored wood pellets—sensitivities to temperature, relative humidity, and headspace volume’, Annals of Occupational Hygiene, vol. 53, no. 8, pp.789-796. Stelte, W 2012, ‘Guideline: storage and handling of wood pellets’, Resultat Kontrakt (RK) report. Danish technological institute, Energy and climate, Centre for renewable energy and transport, section for biomass. Sultana, A & Kumar, A 2012, ‘Ranking of biomass pellets by integration of economic, environmental and technical factors’, Biomass and bioenergy, vol. 39, pp. 344-355. Svedberg, U, Samuelsson, J and Melin, S 2008, ‘Hazardous off-gassing of carbon monoxide and oxygen depletion during ocean transportation of wood pellets’, Annals of occupational hygiene, vol. 52, vol. 4, pp.259-266. Wilson, TO 2010, Factors affecting wood pellet durability (Doctoral dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University). 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