Production of solid biofuel from biomass : Nurul Athirah Binti Mohd Zin torrefaction and pelletization of wood waste /

Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology

Final Year Report (Bachelor of Manufacturing Engineering Technology (Pharmaceuticals) with Hons ) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah - 2025

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This research aims to improve solid biofuel properties from raw biomass through combined torrefaction and pelletization techniques. During torrefaction the raw biomass will be maintained for 30 minutes at a sustained temperature of 270 °C. Different binder types and composition will be investigated during pelletization process at constant temperature and pressure. Research in biomass utilization emerged from rising demand for energy worldwide and the push toward sustainable renewable energy sources. This study looks at waste biomass environmental issues and renewable energy needs by improving pellet characteristics with torrefaction processing at 270°C for a duration of 30 minutes. Both raw and torrefied biomass were then pelletized at 130°C for 30 min palletization, with and without the addition of glycerol and POME binders at varying concentrations which is 5%, 10% and 15% composition of binders. The product then evaluated with pellet strength test by using a universal testing machine at a 5 kN load and 2 mm/min speed while determining HHV through bomb calorimetry of 0.6g samples under 20 bar of oxygen and ash content by heating 2g samples to 575°C for 5 hours. OPT pellets demonstrate superior mechanical strength than PKS, Meranti, Seraya, likely because of its beneficial chemical structure and physical characteristics. Despite general biomass weakening during torrefaction, OPT strengthened slightly indicating its fibre structure reacts positively to this process. By maintaining specific binder levels, glycerol and POME produced stronger pellets where optimal measures depended on biomass variety. The study demonstrates Malaysia's ability to produce biofuel from both local biomass and palm oil industry waste accompanied by optimized processing requirements for creating high-quality pellets to increase the energy density and grindability of biomass, thereby facilitating its transport and storage