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Woody biomass is an very important component of contemporary energy policies in many countries. It is mainly used as a raw material for the production of compacted solid biofuels (pellets and briquettes). Biomass, due to the different origin, is characterized by high variability of parameters, which significantly affect the quality of the obtained solid biofuels. Biomass processing technologies also have a significant impact on the final product properties. Therefore, in aglomerated solid biofuel production it is very important to know the impacts of the main factors (material and process) influencing on the granutale parameters. Thanks to this knowledge, it is possible to intensify the influence of the parameters improving the product quality, as well as to eliminate those that are decreasing this quality. Mainly the quality parameters of compacted solid biofuels are connected with a density (bulk, envelope and absolute density, porosity ect.). These parameters are very important from the viewpoint of logistics processes, burning processes, etc. The results of the research were presented, the aim of which was to determine the effect of raw material fragmentation degree (willow and black locust biomass) and agglomeration pressure on the parameters of granulates. The research material was obtained by grinding the willow and black locust biomass on a mill with sieves of hole diameter 8, 6 and 4 mm. Raw material particle size distribution, porosity, envelope and bulk density have been specified. Granulates were made of material with a moisture content of 12 % on the pressing stand by compacting pressure 100, 150 and 200 MPa. Envelope density, compaction degree and index were determined for the granules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Poland, biomass is still considered as the basic source of renewable energy. Energy from biomass accounts for 15 % of global energy consumption, while in developing countries this share is higher. The main advantage of biomass is lower emissions of sulphur dioxide during combustion compared to fossil fuels. The main sources of biomass for production of low-processed solid biofuels, such as bales or chips and high processed pellets or briquettes, are plantations of energy plants. Energy plant species, possible to use as a raw material for the production of biofuels, are plants characterized by a high annual growth, resistance to diseases and pests, small habitat requirements and adaptation to the Polish climatic conditions. The paper presents the physico-chemical properties of coconut shells in terms of their energetic use. The results obtained are: humidity (9.4 %), calorific value (17308.68 J·g-1), low ash content (0.66 %) and volatile content (77.7 %) are comparable to those of biofuels available on the market. The work was also carried out to assess the effect of the shredding degree and the applied agglomeration pressure in the briquetting process on the quality characteristics of the obtained briquettes. For briquetting the raw materials the POR ECOMEC Junior Press was used. Tests were conducted for particulate matter on 8 and 12 mm sieves and for agglomerate pressure of 37 and 47 MPa. The obtained results showed that proper granulation of the raw material and application of appropriate agglomeration pressure improve the qualities of the briquettes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, many products need to be transported long distances. The amount of material is in many cases limited by volume, especially if we take into account transport by sea. This way ready products or byproducts for beverages industry are imported from Asia, Africa or Southern America. The main streams seem to be tea and coffee, but there are other herbs. Such material is dried Ilex paraguariensis, which is used for brewing a special type of tea called Yerba Mate. Main countries, responsible for production are located in Southern America (Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil). Different than for coffee, the whole processing must be made on the place of cultivation. For transportation for long distances, densification of material seems to be a reasonable way to lower the cost of this operation. This paper presents a possibility of pressure agglomeration of Ilex paraguariensis for consumption. The impact of the agglomeration process has been analysed on the qualities of the drought product. The physical characteristics of the raw material have been determined, such as the grain size distribution and moisture content. Agglomeration tests were performed using different pressures and the study was conducted about absolute and envelope density, porosity and the Brazilian test to check the compressive strength of the pellets. As research material 4 blends available in the marked were used. The results presented in the paper show that there is a possibility of production of high quality granulates made from Ilex paraguariensis. What should be expected, the highest envelope density was obtained for the highest formation pressure. What needs to be mentioned, the pressure needed to achieve a good quality granule was even two times higher than in the case of other herbal materials. This was mainly due to stiff and tough structure of the material. Nevertheless, the results show that agglomeration of dried Yerba Mate can be an interesting form for long distance transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chalk, due to its physical properties and high reactivity, seems to be an interesting component for production of various types of fertilizers. This mineral can be mixed with other components both organic and minerals. Among the potential additives, we can indicate digestate, all kinds of biomass, elemental sulfur, phosphates, and nitrogen in the form of urea. The formulation of such fertilizers requires a series of investigations related to the physical and chemical effects on plants and soil environment. It is also important to select the best formulation method for specific mixtures. The paper presents comprehensive research on chalk based fertilizing mixtures. As additives several substances were chosen: digestate, biomass, sulfur, phospates, and urea. The formulation process was analysed form milling of the materials to fine powder, mixing to homogenise components, and agglomeration. The formulation of the granules was according to two most commonly used methods - pressure formulation on flat die granulator and the non-pressure method (disc granulator) most commonly used in fertilizer industry. In addition, chemical analysis of the proposed mixtures was performed to assign quality of the proposed blends. The presented results have shown that granulation of chalk both in combination with minerals and with organic materials is possible. Chalk with low water content can be very well mixed with all investigated materials. What is also important, dry material can be added to more wet (organic) substances and can be a very good material for balancing moisture in the final fertilizer mixture. It is also favorable, because drying of chalk is more effective than organic materials, where water molecules are more strongly associated. This would lead to lower energy consumption during production of the fertilizers. The tests carried out show clearly that chalk is a good ingredient in fertilizer production based on pressure and nonpressure agglomeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbs production in recent years is steadily increasing and in 2015 it was over 21 Gg. Such materials are produced most often in particulate form and dried to the moisture content below 10 %. Such processing makes this material very challenging in terms of transportation and logistics. The low bulk density as well as the need to protect them from weathering makes the storage and shipment of these materials costly. Taking into account the above arguments there is a need in the market to improve some properties of these materials, especially in terms of storage and logistics. The paper presents the study, where two types of dried herbs, which are extremely popular in the food industry, chives (Allium schoenoprasum L.) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum) were investigated. The main assumption was to improve the specific density of the product, while keeping the bulk properties of the product as well as minimizing formation of the dust. The study showed that the both types of dried herbs are materials with high potential in production of high quality agglomerates, without causing a significant increase in dusty fraction. This could lead to important improvements in processing of herbs, especially in the case of transportation and storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass is one of the oldest renewable energy sources. It is obtained mainly from agricultural production, forestry as waste or residue production. One of the plants that can be used for energetic crops is Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata L. It forms dense clumps. Currently, this plant is quite common in the wild, wet positions, located along watercourses. Effective use of cutleaf coneflower biomass for biofuel production is possible after determining these properties, which significantly affect the course of the different stages of processing. The scope of work included the determination of the following physico-mechanical properties of the shoots: length and diameter (on height of cut at harvest), work of cutting, modulus of elasticity, specific density and calorific value. The obtained results indicate that cutleaf coneflower shoots have the characteristics desired from the point of view of their use for energy purposes (e.g., the heating value at the airdry state 15.2 MJ.kg-1, work of cuts 0.021 J.mm-2, the specific density 348.7 kg.m-3). It was found that the tested plant has properties similar to those of other energy plants (such as Miscanthus giganteus, Virginia mallow). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the research presented was to create a mode determining the relationship between the actual contact area of cereal grains, pressure force and humidity, with the application of artificial neural networks (ANN). As an additional factor describing the grain material, the unit contact area of grain with a flat surface, for a specified pressure force and humidity, was considered. The analysis results proved that the unit contact area determined for the pressure force Nj = 100 N and water content W = 15 kg.kg-1 dry mass should be assumed as a variable characterising the grain material. It was found that the phenomenon studied is best modelled by the three-layer ANN with: three neurons in the first hidden layer, eight neurons in the second hidden layer and one neuron in the output layer [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this work was to collate selected agriculture universities in Europe on the basis of academic output. This analysis was performed with the data from the Web of Science Core Collection database for the period 2009-2016. Selected universities are: Wageningen University & Research (NLD - WUR), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SWE - SUA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NOR - NUA), Mendel University in Brno (CZE - MUA), Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZE - CULS), Slovak University of Agriculture Nitra (SVK - SLUA), Estonian University of Life Sciences (EST - EULS), Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LVA - LLU), SGGW - Warsaw University of Life Sciences (POL - WULS), University of Agriculture in Krakow (POL - KUA), Poznan University of Life Sciences (POL - PULS), Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (POL - WUELS), University of Life Sciences in Lublin (POL - LULS). Research methodology was performed in three steps: 1)searches in the Web of Science Core Collection database of standardized institutional names of selected academic institutions; 2) downloading selected scientific documents that were published in the WoS CC for standardized institutional names of selected academic institutions in the years 2009-2016; 3) loading data from the WoS CC database into the InCites: Benchmarking & Analytics tool and analyzing selected indicators of academic output. In terms of employee publication activity, two groups can be distinguished: I - The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and the Czech Republic, II - other universities. For all the analysed universities, both the number of publications and their quality increased over time, which proves the continuous scientific development of employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]