Recent Health and Safety Incident Trends Related to the Storage of Woody Biomass: A Need for Improved Monitoring Strategies

Self-heating fires, dust explosions and off-gassing during biomass storage are serious hazards which can have devastating consequences, resulting in worker fatalities and health impacts, as well as bioenergy plant destruction and complete loss of production. A compilation of incident reports involving biomass storage from 2000–2018 has revealed that these potential hazards continue to be a major concern in the bioenergy sector. Higher occurrence rates were found for incidents categorized as self-heating fires and fires of uncertain causes in recent years through our study of online reports. This paper highlights a critical need for improved safety protocols for bioenergy plant workers, detailed incident documentation and enhanced biomass monitoring strategies to drastically reduce the occurrence of threats associated with the storage of woody biomass. In order to manage the high risks associated with self-heating, a system for real-time monitoring of internal pile temperature was investigated. A monitoring system supplied by Braingrid Corporation was verified using embedded Tinytag thermologgers indicating that this methodology shows potential for preventing spontaneous combustion events by providing real time temperature data for superior pile management

Characterization of Lignins Isolated from Industrial Residues and their Beneficial Uses

The physico-chemical properties of lignin isolated from lignocellulosic bioethanol residues and hardwood kraft black liquor were compared with two commercial lignins, kraft softwood lignin, and soda non-wood lignin. Lignin from the industrial residues was isolated through the acid precipitation method. The amount of lignin isolated was approximately 38% of the dry weight of lignocellulosic bioethanol residues and approximately 27% of the black liquor solids. The numbers of methoxyl groups and phenolic and aliphatic hydroxyls were determined to derive a molecular formula for each of the four lignins. The molecular weights of the lignins were measured by high performance size exclusion chromatography. Potential value-added applications of the lignins were summarized based on their molecular weights and physico-chemical characteristics

Solubility of Lignin and Acetylated Lignin in Organic Solvents

The solubility of four lignin samples and their acetylated forms was determined in a series of organic solvents to investigate the relationship between solubility and the solubility parameter. The solubility parameter of lignin samples and acetylated lignin was calculated based on the number of atoms or groups on lignin units. Lignin samples were obtained by isolating lignin from lignocellulosic bioethanol residues (Lignin 1 [L1]), isolating lignin from kraft hardwood black liquor (Lignin 2 [L2]), commercial kraft softwood lignin (Lignin 3 [L3]), and commercial soda non-wood lignin (Lignin 4 [4]). The solubility of lignin in organic solvents was not predictable due to poor correlation between the solubility of lignin and its solubility parameter. However, the solubility of lignin in an organic solvent depended on the molecular weight and the aliphatic hydroxyl number of the lignin. L2, with a lower molecular weight than other lignin samples, had the highest solubility in organic solvents, and L3, with highest aliphatic hydroxyl number, had the lowest solubility in organic solvents. All acetylated lignins were soluble in most of the organic solvents. Furthermore, the molecular weights of the soluble parts of all four lignins in ethyl acetate were found to be lower than the original lignins

Thermal Characteristics of Lignin Residue from Industrial Processes

Many pulp mills and biorefineries today are focusing on the utilization of their residual lignin for economic return. Although lignin can be burned to produce energy, it also has the potential for the production of value-added products. Technical lignins have modified structure and contain different impurities, which depend on the original material, as well as the extraction process. Among the various techniques for lignin extraction, kraft and steam explosion processes are the most commonly used in the pulping and biorefinery industries, respectively. The objective of this work was to compare the thermal behavior of industrial lignins produced from kraft pulping and steam explosion, with that of their chemically extracted, purified forms. It was found that the purified lignins have very similar thermal properties to one another, while impurities in the industrial lignins significantly alter their thermal behavior, and hence their potential in value-added applications. The percentage of degradation from 200 to 600 °C and glass transition temperature of original steam-exploded lignin was 68.5% and 149.16 °C, while of original kraft lignin was 26.0% and 109.82 °C. These values were altered after purification to 61.0% and 158.99 °C for steam-exploded lignin; and to 40.0% and 129.82 °C for kraft lignin, respectively

Thermal Characteristics of Lignin Residue from Industrial Processes

Many pulp mills and biorefineries today are focusing on the utilization of their residual lignin for economic return. Although lignin can be burned to produce energy, it also has the potential for the production of value-added products. Technical lignins have modified structure and contain different impurities, which depend on the original material, as well as the extraction process. Among the various techniques for lignin extraction, kraft and steam explosion processes are the most commonly used in the pulping and biorefinery industries, respectively. The objective of this work was to compare the thermal behavior of industrial lignins produced from kraft pulping and steam explosion, with that of their chemically extracted, purified forms. It was found that the purified lignins have very similar thermal properties to one another, while impurities in the industrial lignins significantly alter their thermal behavior, and hence their potential in value-added applications. The percentage of degradation from 200 to 600 degrees C and glass transition temperature of original steam-exploded lignin was 68.5% and 149.16 degrees C, while of original kraft lignin was 26.0% and 109.82 degrees C. These values were altered after purification to 61.0% and 158.99 degrees C for steam-exploded lignin; and to 40.0% and 129.82 degrees C for kraft lignin, respectively.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Recent Health and Safety Incident Trends Related to the Storage of Woody Biomass: A Need for Improved Monitoring Strategies

Self-heating fires, dust explosions and off-gassing during biomass storage are serious hazards which can have devastating consequences, resulting in worker fatalities and health impacts, as well as bioenergy plant destruction and complete loss of production. A compilation of incident reports involving biomass storage from 2000–2018 has revealed that these potential hazards continue to be a major concern in the bioenergy sector. Higher occurrence rates were found for incidents categorized as self-heating fires and fires of uncertain causes in recent years through our study of online reports. This paper highlights a critical need for improved safety protocols for bioenergy plant workers, detailed incident documentation and enhanced biomass monitoring strategies to drastically reduce the occurrence of threats associated with the storage of woody biomass. In order to manage the high risks associated with self-heating, a system for real-time monitoring of internal pile temperature was investigated. A monitoring system supplied by Braingrid Corporation was verified using embedded Tinytag thermologgers indicating that this methodology shows potential for preventing spontaneous combustion events by providing real time temperature data for superior pile management

Can Biomass Quality Be Preserved through Tarping Comminuted Roadside Biomass Piles?

Storage conditions play a vital role in maintaining biomass quality as a suitable bioenergy feedstock. Research has shown that biomass undergoes significant changes under different storage conditions and that these may influence its suitability for various biorefining and bioenergy opportunities. This study explores the effects of different tarp covers on the properties of stored-comminuted forest harvest residue from the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Forest. Characteristics of the biomass were evaluated upon harvesting and after one year in storage. The physical state of the different tarps used for pile coverage was monitored onsite. Results indicated that tarp material considerably affects micro-climatic conditions inside piles, yielding variation in the characteristics of stored biomass over the storage period. While plastic based tarps were easier to work with and lasted longer than paper-based tarps, the paper-based tarps were more breathable and resulted in less degradation of biomass. However, the paper-based tarps did not maintain their structural integrity for the full duration of the storage period. Moisture content of original biomass (48.99%) increased to a maximum of 65.25% under plastic cover after 1 year of storage. This negatively influenced the net heating value of the biomass, causing it to decrease from 8.58 MJ/kg to 4.06 MJ/kg. Overall, the use of covers was not considered successful in preserving the original quality of biomass but may enhance its quality for other biorefinery opportunities

Waste management from pulp and paper production in the European Union

Eleven million tonnes of waste are produced yearly by the European pulp and paper industry, of which 70% originates from the production of deinked recycled paper. Wastes are very diverse in composition and consist of rejects, different types of sludges and ashes in mills having on-site incineration treatment. The production of pulp and paper from virgin pulp generates less waste but the waste has similar properties to waste from the production of deinked pulp, although with less inorganics. Due to legislation and increased taxes, landfills are quickly being eliminated as a final destination for wastes in Europe, and incineration with energy recovery is becoming the main waste recovery method. Other options such as pyrolysis, gasification, land spreading, composting and reuse as building material are being applied, although research is still needed for optimization of the processes. Due to the large volumes of waste generated, the high moisture content of the waste and the changing waste composition as a result of process conditions, recovery methods are usually expensive and their environmental impact is still uncertain. For this reason, it is necessary to continue research on different applications of wastes, while taking into account the environmental and economic factors of these waste treatments