Sizing
| Technology | |
| |
| Technology details | |
| Name: | Sizing |
| Category: | Pre-processing |
| Feedstock: | straws, wood, wastes |
| Product: | Flowable small-sized biomass |
Sizing is a mechanical process that aims to reduce the particle size and crystallinity and to increase the specific surface area of biowaste to promote further processing of the substrate.[1] This is achieved by eliminating mass and heat transfer limitation during the required reaction. It is a very efficient technique, but a major drawback is the high energy input.[2] Moreover, sizing makes the biomass easier to handle and allows it to flow. Sizing includes chipping, extrusion, grinding, and milling as base technologies.
Feedstock
Origin and composition
Sizing is a pre-treatment technology for nearly all materials that consist of large particles like straws, wood pieces, plant fibres and other materials. It is needed to prepare smaller particles that can be processed in further steps.
Pre-treatment
Sizing is often performed as a first step in the process and requires no other pre-treatment. It is, however, not uncommon to first perform a coarse grinding before further grinding the biomass into smaller particles.
Process and technologies
Sizing technologies normally are divided into chipping or grinding technologies:
Milling
Some interesting links:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29499610/
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b01186
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13399-021-01800-7
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2588912518300067
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b01186
Chipping
For chipping normally a chipper machine is used that consists of sharp cutting knives, that slice bigger parts into smaller chips. This is used e.g. for wood materials, straws, mixed garden residues and other feedstock that can be cut by a knife. Chippers are susceptible to knife wear from high soil content, metal contamination, rocks and stone, so the base feedstock normally needs to be cleaned before chipping. The size of the resulting materials is typically 10–30 mm after chipping.
Grinding
For grinding normally a grinder is used that cracks bigger parts into smaller particles. Grinding is achieved by shearing and/or friction and the grinding effect is achieved by multiple comminution in an increasingly narrowing grinding gap, which can usually be varied by axial displacement of a rotor or stator. The size of the resulting materials is typically 0.2–2 mm after milling or grinding.
There are two types
of grinding: coarse grinding and fine grinding. The raw biomass that is harvested from forests or fields goes through a coarse grinding process. This coarsely ground biomass is further ground to a fine size for various applications.The frequently tested process variables are screen size, angular velocity, time, feed rate, type, feed size, load, moisture content, and process. (https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/6/1/12/htm)
Extrusion
Some interesting links:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128035818120983
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781884207587500217
Product
Products of sizing processes are chips, small particles or meals that can be directly used in a following process.
Post-treatment
Technology providers
| Company name | Country | Technology category | Technology name | TRL | Capacity [kg/h] | Cooling system available | Feedstock: Food waste | Feedstock: Garden & park waste |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company 1 | [Country HQ location] | [Technology category (if different sub-categories are defined this has to be specified here, the available categories can be found on each technology page under the chapter Process and technologies)] | [Technology name (the "branded name" or the usual naming from company side)] | [4-9] | [numeric value] | ● | ● | ● |
| Company 2 | [Country HQ location] | [(if different sub-categories are defined this has to be specified here, the available categories can be found on each technology page under the chapter Process and technologies)] | [Technology name (the "branded name" or the usual naming from company side)] | [4-9] | [numeric value] | ● | ● | ● |
Company 1
| General information | |||
| Company: |
| ||
| Country: | |||
| Contact: | |||
| Webpage: | |||
| Technology and process details | |||
| Technology name: | Technology category: | Pre-processing (Physical processes and technologies), Post-processing (Physical processes and technologies) | |
| TRL: | Capacity: | kg·h-1 | |
| Size (feedstock): | (LxWxH) [mm] | Size (product): | (LxWxH) [mm] |
| Other: | |||
| Feedstock and product details | |||
| Feedstock: | Product: | ||
ANDRITZ
Mastershred GmbH
XYZ
Open access pilot and demo facility providers
Patents
Currently no patents have been identified.