Four Empirical Models for Pelleting of Cellulosic Biomass

Cellulosic biofuels are one of the substitutes for fossil fuels. However, cellulosic biomass materials possess inherently low bulk densities, so it is difficult to efficiently transport and store large quantities of feedstocks. In order to combat the negative handling, storage and transportation aspects of bulk biomass, pelleting is often required. The mechanisms existing in pelleting process play a key role to understand the pelleting of cellulosic biomass. This paper reviews four empirical models for pelleting of cellulosic biomass. The basic pelleting mechanisms of powder and the four models used for pelleting study are provided. Then the comparisons between the four models through experiments are presented.