Briquettes

[agg221]

I think the naturally present cellulose present binds everything together. Could be wrong though

 

It's actually the lignin which is thermoplastic and does the binding together of the cellulose. A well established principle - the same as behind Stramit boards if you remember those.

 

Alec

[openspaceman]

It's actually the lignin which is thermoplastic and does the binding together of the cellulose. A well established principle - the same as behind Stramit boards if you remember those.

 

Alec

 

Yes and it's the reason wood can be steam bent, lignin adds the stiffness to the fibres, consider the difference between white and brown rots.

 

However I thought Stramit boards were cement bonded straw?

 

The other thing to consider is that whilst lignin does plasticise and form the skin it isn't very deep. Much of the bonding is hydrogen bonding, the same as holds paper together once the fibres lay close enough together, and just like paper, get them wet and they fall apart again. It's the extreme pressures that force the fibres close enough together in pellets, with paper its the pulping then drying.

 

A medium pressure briquette can also be made by pulping but it does depend of some starchy or gelatinous products in the biomass to add extra bonding and these are present in many less woody parts of the plant as it degrades (done by retting).

[openspaceman]

Funny enough, having purchased and burned a few(briquettes) 35 years ago while living in Belfast, I was idly examining the pallet on display in Tescos only last week, but could not establish the weight of the pack.

If produced on a proper industrial scale, I think a good product and a good idea.

PS

Why did all the , full, 1/2 & 1/4 of the displayed pallets of "Hotties" be deceitfully built with a hollow core?

Does the vendor imagine his customers are as dense as the product perhaps?

cheers

m

 

My boss imported a machine and sold it to a joinery shop, so I had some decent 50mm briquettes to try, they were well formed with a shiny surface and burned like big pellets.

 

By hollow core do you mean there was an empty hole in the stacked pallet?

[briquette_seller]

My boss imported a machine and sold it to a joinery shop, so I had some decent 50mm briquettes to try, they were well formed with a shiny surface and burned like big pellets.

 

By hollow core do you mean there was an empty hole in the stacked pallet?

 

A sign of quality, a shiny surface.

 

Do you remember the make of the machine?

[openspaceman]

A sign of quality, a shiny surface.

 

Do you remember the make of the machine?

 

No but I'll ask

[difflock]

My boss imported a machine and sold it to a joinery shop, so I had some decent 50mm briquettes to try, they were well formed with a shiny surface and burned like big pellets.

 

By hollow core do you mean there was an empty hole in the stacked pallet?

Yes, to answer your ? OSM.

ps

Senior Managment asked why I googled "hotties", I dont imagine she really believed my entirely honest answer either.

sigh!

[openspaceman]

A sign of quality, a shiny surface.

 

Do you remember the make of the machine?

 

Gav says Pawert

[briquette_seller]

Gav says Pawert

 

A very good machine.

Wont be many of those in the UK.

[matelot]

Perhaps briquettes could be made cheaper if a "glue" was added to the sawdust? We've all played with "papier mache" as kids. If flour can make paper into a strong material maybe a few bags of flour would bind briquettes together?

[openspaceman]

Perhaps briquettes could be made cheaper if a "glue" was added to the sawdust? We've all played with "papier mache" as kids. If flour can make paper into a strong material maybe a few bags of flour would bind briquettes together?

 

 

The thing to realise is that one of the reasons for densifying wood is to make transport cheaper. Pellets have a bulk density exceeding 600kg/m3 which is over twice as good as loose logs or better chips and sawdust.

 

 

The smaller cubers, like the Lister derivatives don't develop the pressure the bigger presses do and they will often have a binder added. I have seen IIRC sodium lignosulphite added which is a waste product in the paper industry after dissolving out lignin from the pulp. This does increase the ash and that is a problem for automated boilers.

 

Locally it is easy enough to burn the sawdust direct rather than have to dry it to around 10%mc to make pellets or briquettes.

 

As I have mentioned previously it is possible to to make a wet briquette and then press it and pulped paper makes a good binder but it tends to be done in hotter climates where the "puck" can be sun dried before being used in a cooking stove.

 

Legacy Foundation | Legacy Foundation