Characterization and combustion of olive pomace and forest residue pellets

As a result of agroindustrial activities in southwestern Europe, a great amount of residues are generated; among them, olive pomace stands out as one of the most abundant. One interesting alternative to increase its potential as biofuel can be its densification. However, in order to achieve high quality pellets, it is necessary to blend this material with other feedstocks. In this work, the properties of blends of pelletized residues from olive pomace and pyrenean oak were analyzed with a view to find the best option. In order to compare the characteristics of the obtained pellets, such as moisture content, mechanical durability, ash content and calorific value, these parameters were determined according to the Technical Specifications for Solid Biofuels CEN/TS. Moreover, the pellets produced were subjected to a combustion test in a pellet stove to analyze the emissions associated to each sample. The results show that not all residues pelletize satisfactorily, which is due to the different conditions of the precursors. Adding pyrenean oak residues to the olive pomace samples guarantees a more effective compression of the pellet, improving its manipulation and transport, without significantly modifying its thermal properties. Concerning the pellet combustion, emissions are slightly worse with olive pomace pellet, concluding that it is not recommendable to use blends with more than 50% of this product. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.