Publications in year 2016

Vol. 23, Issue 4



Influence of technological parameters of non-pressure granulation on the shape of nettle waste granules

International Agrophysics
Year : 2016
Volumen : 23
Issue : 3
Pages : 467 - 479
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Authors: Sławomir Obidziński1, Krzysztof Miastkowski2, Paulina Berestiuk1

1Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Agricultural Food and Forestry Engineering, Politechnika Białostocka, ul. Wiejska 45C, 15-351 Białystok, Poland
2Faculty of Forestry in Hajnówka, Bialystok University of Technology ul. Piłsudskiego 8, 17-200 Hajnówka
Abstract :

One of the vegetable waste products generated by the Herbapol company in Białystok is fine-grain nettle waste generated during sorting and packaging. The article presents the results of research on the impact of technological parameters of the non-pressure granulation process on the shape coefficient of nettle waste granules. The granulation process was conducted using a new mixing-granulation-dosing system which is used as a delivery system of plant material to the pelleting-briqueting densification device with flat matrix. The design of the system allows simultaneous implementation of  both the blending operation and non-pressure granulation of the powdery fraction of the processed material. The effect of the rotational speed of the inner cylinder of the mixing-granulation-dosing system (25, 40, 55 min rev–1), the influence of binder amount added to nettle waste (10, 20, 30%) and the effect of starch content in the aqueous solution of the binding agent (0, 10, 20%) on the morphology of obtained granules (particle shape coefficient) were determined during the studies. Test was conducted with mass flow rate of the compacted raw material of 8 kg h–1. The obtained results led to the conclusion that an increase in the rotational speed of the granulation cylinder increases the homogeneity of the granulate as determined by the shape coefficients. Increasing the amount of binder added during the granulation process reduces the differentiation of particle shape coefficients. Whereas, an increase of starch content in the binder does not significantly affect the particle size distribution in terms of particle shape coefficients. Differences in the quantitative proportions are only 2 to 5%.

Keywords : non-pressure granulation, nettle waste, shape of granules
Language : polish