Engineering Properties of Biomass

Engineering properties of biomass are important for the design and operation of processing facilities for handling, storage, transportation, and conversion to fuels, heat, and power. These properties include bulk density, particle density, particle size, color, moisture content, ash content, heating value, and flowability. In this chapter, the characterization methods of these properties are reviewed. In particular, the recent development of the characterization techniques and progress in understanding these engineering properties of the biomass are discussed. The heterogeneous nature of biomass requires standardized characterization procedures and statistical models development to predict their physical properties for engineering design and operation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group, Clean Energy Research Center, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada Pak Sui Lam Ph.D. & Shahab Sokhansanj Ph.D.
  2. Bioenergy Resource and Engineering Systems Group, Environmental Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA Shahab Sokhansanj Ph.D.
  1. Pak Sui Lam Ph.D.