Abstract
Densification of biomass material that usually has a low density is good way of increasing density, reducing the cost of transportation, and simplifying the storage and distribution of this material. The current study was conducted to investigate the influence of raw material parameters (moisture content and particle size), and densification process parameters (piston speed and die length) on the density and durability of pellets from compost manure. A hydraulic press and a single pelleter were used to produce pellets in controlled conditions. Ground biomass samples were compressed with three levels of moisture content [35%, 40% and 45% (wet basis)], piston speed (2, 6 and 10 mm/s), die length (8, 10 and 12 mm) and particle size (0.3., 0.9 and 1.5 mm) to establish density and durability of pellets. A response surface methodology based on the Box Behnken design was used to study the responses pattern and to understand the influence of parameters. The results revealed that all independent variables have significant (P < 0.01) effects on studied responses in this research.
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