Pelletization of Torrefied Wood Using a Proteinaceous Binder Developed from Hydrolyzed Specified Risk Materials

Pressing issues such as a growing energy demand and the need for energy diversification, emission reduction, and environmental protection serve as motivation for the utilization of biomass for production of sustainable fuels. However, use of biomass is currently limited due to its high moisture content, relatively low bulk and energy densities, and variability in shape and size, relative to fossil-based fuels such as coal. In recent years, a combination of thermochemical treatment (torrefaction) of biomass and subsequent pelletization has resulted in a renewable fuel that can potentially substitute for coal. However, production of torrefied wood pellets that satisfy fuel quality standards and other logistical requirements typically requires the use of an external binder. Here, we describe the development of a renewable binder from proteinaceous material recovered from specified risk materials (SRM), a negative-value byproduct from the rendering industry. Our binder was developed by co-reacting peptides recovered from hydrolyzed SRM with a polyamidoamine epichlorohydrin (PAE) resin, and then assessed through pelleting trials with a bench-scale continuous operating pelletizer. Torrefied wood pellets generated using peptides-PAE binder at 3% binder level satisfied ISO requirements for durability, higher heating value, and bulk density for TW2a type thermally-treated wood pellets. This proof-of-concept work demonstrates the potential of using an SRM-derived binder to improve the durability of torrefied wood pellets.

A technological study on the 17th century raised gilded substrates in three royal palaces of Isfahan, Iran

The raised substrates of gilding decorations, called lāyachīnīī in Persian, were widely used throughout the Safavid period (1501-1736 AD) in Iran. This paper presents the first analytical data obtained from the lāyachīnīs of three seventeenth century royal Safavid buildings (ʿAlī- Qāpū, Chihil-Sutūn, and Hasht-Bihisht) in Isfahan, Iran, using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, Xray powder diffraction, and thin layer chromatography. According to the analytical data, different forms of calcium sulfate (dihydrate, β-hemihydrate, and anhydrite), the red iron oxides, and a proteinaceous binder (probably animal glue) are the main constituents of the raised lāyachīnī substrates. The results show that a dry mixture of the plaster of Paris and the red iron oxides are mixed with diluted animal glue to obtain a slurry to be applied in several layers, one top of the another, to achieve the raised substrates. This technique is similar to those European raised pastiglia substrates although the method of the preparation in the Persian technique is different from the European one.