2025 AIChE Annual Meeting

(103h) Enhancing Biomass Combustion: Optimizing Pallet-Derived Wood Waste

Authors

Neal Yancey - Presenter, Idaho National Laboratory
Zach Smith, Idaho National Laboratory
As the demand for renewable energy sources continues to grow, utilizing biomass as a sustainable feedstock for large-scale combustion applications has garnered significant interest. Among the various biomass sources, pallet-derived wood waste presents a promising yet challenging option due to its inherent variability and contamination levels. The material attributes of wood waste, such as particle size distribution, moisture content, and contamination levels, play a critical role in its suitability as a feedstock for combustion. Controlled particle size distribution is essential to ensure uniform feeding and efficient combustion, minimizing the production of fines that can hinder airflow and combustion efficiency. Moisture content is another crucial factor, as high moisture levels can reduce the calorific value of the biomass and lead to incomplete combustion, increasing emissions and decreasing energy output. Additionally, the presence of contaminants such as metals and rocks can cause operational issues, including equipment wear and tear, and potential downtime, thus necessitating effective removal strategies to maintain consistent and reliable combustor performance. This presentation will detail ongoing work to evaluate and condition pallet-derived wood waste as a viable feedstock for large-scale combustion applications. Operating at a feed rate of 5 tons per hour, the preprocessing system aims to address key variability and contamination challenges inherent in recovered wood materials. Specific objectives include minimizing fines through controlled particle size distribution, removing residual inorganics such as metals and rocks, and managing feedstock moisture content to enable more consistent combustion performance. Multiple grinding and separation systems are being tested to quantify feedstock variability post-processing and to assess their suitability for robust combustor operation. This work contributes to a broader effort to improve feedstock quality and reduce operational risk in biomass-to-energy systems through improved preprocessing, contaminant removal, and moisture control strategies.