Effects of temperature and material on dielectric properties of pelleted wood-based biomass

The production of pelleted biomass represents a significant emerging industry in the United States. Solid biomass can be formed from the waste products of many different products. In this study, the effects of temperature and pellet material type on the dielectric properties were investigated. Temperatures of peanut hull pellets were increased in 10 °C increments ranging from 0 - 50 °C and dielectric properties at various moisture contents were determined. Further work was performed in investigating the dielectric properties of pine compared to those of peanut-hull pellets to determine whether a “unified” calibration for moisture content could be developed. Finally, the effect of pine-pellet degradation into sawdust was investigated to determine whether this would cause a change in the dielectric properties. Results showed that a temperature compensated calibration for moisture content could be developed for peanut-hull pellets. Additionally, a unified calibration for moisture content was achieved at 10 GHz.