Biomass Pelletization and Torrefaction Workshop is almost here!

The Biomass & Bioenergy Research Group (BBRG) at the University of British Columbia will hold a 1.5-day pellet workshop around the Wood Pellet Association of Canada AGM to be held this fall in Vancouver. During the past 10 years, BBRG has conducted extensive research on wood pellet production, storage, handling, life cycle analysis, and characterization of the new generation of torrefied pellets. In 2011, with assistance from NSERC Pacific, BBRG organized a 2-day workshop on updates on science and engineering in the practice of biomass densification. It was well received by industry members with more than 100 attendees from BC, North America and Europe. As a follow up, the BBRG is organizing a 1.5 day Workshop in conjunction with WPAC’s Annual General Meeting to be held November 18-20 in Vancouver. The BBRG Workshop is organized in two parts. Part 1 will consist of lectures and visual electronic boards (electronic posters) on Monday November 18, 2013 at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle, the venue for WPAC’s meeting. Part 2 will be held on the afternoon of Wednesday November 20, at UBC, where attendees will participate in research on aspects of wood pellets and feedstock engineering, including the new biomass gasification plant on campus. The BBRG workshop will present the latest research and development on wood pellets and feedstock engineering research at UBC and from around the world, especially the latest ISO standards and practices in Europe.  Topics to be covered include:

  • Self heating initiation and spread of heat in wood pellet storage and ways of storage design and management to mitigate it.
  • Calorific value and the age of pellets vs. storage temperature and moisture content
  • Torrefaction kinetics and methods of making durable pellets
  • Comparative life cycle analysis for regular and second generation pellets and sustainability certificates
  • Innovations in online measuring of biomass compositional properties.
  • Will it be feasible to protect individual wood pellets from moisture ingress?
  • Steam torrefaction vs. dry torrefaction, which is the winner?
  • Does pelletization affect conversion of pellets to liquid fuels (boil oil and ethanol)?
  • Opportunities to reduce the pellet cost using blends of low quality feedstock
  • Safe transportation of pellets based on the IMO project (self-heating and the flammability tests).
  • Assessment of durability and sieve size (1/8″ vs. 3.15 mm)

Please see the agenda here and to register visit here.