Chapter 5 – Biomass Size Reduction (pp. 111-124)
Abstract:
Size Reduction i.e. comminution, is one of the pre-processing processes for biomass.
Biomass size reduction is needed to provide predictable delivery of uniform quality
biomass for conversion. Reducing energy consumption, increasing bulk handling ability,
increasing biomass density, reducing transportation costs, and facilitating efficient
separation are the objectives of developing an effective size reduction process. However,
knowledge of mechanical biomass size reduction is limited.
This chapter introduces that the mechanism of size reduction, and the size reduction
equipment including chipper, wood chunker, hammer mill, knife mill, disc mill, pin mill,
ball mill, and jet mill. When selecting a mill, the properties of the material, target particle
size, and the capacity of the machine are among the important factors that should be
considered. The energy efficiency and particle size distribution for a mill are both a
function of operating speed, mass input rate, and screen size.