Kaur, Baldeep ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1762-3058 and Bradley, Michael (2025) Pellets to particles: dust characteristics and control methods. In: The Bio-Dust Conference 2025, 3rd December, 2025, Hilton Garden Inn Doncaster Racecourse, Leger Way, Doncaster.

PDF (Author's Accepted Extended Abstract) 52467 KAUR_ Pellets_To_Particles_Dust_Characteristics_And_Control_Methods_(AAM)_2025.pdf - Accepted Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (28kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Biomass pellets are stored, handled and transported before they reach to power stations. During storage, handling and transportation, pelletised fuel degrades and generate dust. Dust emissions is one of the major challenges faced by the fuel manufacturing and handling facilities. The dust emission tendencies of different biomass fuels, and even nominally the same fuel manufactured from different sources have been found very different. The dust emission tendencies vary with variation in moisture content, species of raw material, storage, handling processes and, may be, ageing. Pelletised fuel degrades mainly at transfer points, in pneumatic conveyors, during charging and discharging of the silos, and transportation. Transportation across the Atlantic exposes the pelletised fuels to cycling relative humidities and temperatures, which weakens the pellets, mainly, in the top surface of the hold due to ‘internal rain’. Biomass fuel silos mostly discharge in core flow discharge pattern, which means the discharging material will be highly segregated. Pockets of highly concentrated fines will generate more dust, is more sensitive to changes in relative humidity, and enhance self-heating tendencies. To mitigate the dust emissions, the dustiness characterisation of pelletised fuel becomes invariably important. The aim of this talk is to explore different dust characterisation methods and range of mitigation techniques to minimise the dust generation during storage, transportation and handling processes. The Wolfson Centre has worked to establish laboratory scale test techniques reliably scalable to actual handling processes to predict degradation index of the materials based on the size distribution of the raw infeed using breakage matrix approach. Alternatively, a comparative measurement can be undertaken using the laboratory-scale degradation tester and replicating the actual handling processes to measure the impact of degradation in the pelletised fuel.

Item Type:	Conference or Conference Paper (Lecture)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	biomass; self-heating
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General) T Technology > T Technology (General) T Technology > TP Chemical technology
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > School of Engineering (ENG) Faculty of Engineering & Science > Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology
Related URLs:	Organisation
Last Modified:	12 Feb 2026 15:47
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/52467

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