Energy Consumption and Quality of Pellets Made of Waste from Corn Grain Drying Process

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of managing the waste resulting from the corn grain drying process as a biofuel characterized by low energy consumption in the compaction process and to evaluate the quality of the pellets made of this waste. The waste was agglomerated in the form of corn grain (CG), husks (CH), and cobs (CC), and their mixtures were prepared in a 4:1 volume ratio. The results of the analyses showed that CH was the most advantageous material for agglomeration due to the process’s low energy consumption (47.6 Wh·kg−1), while among the prepared mixtures, CC-CH was the most energy-efficient (54.7 Wh·kg−1). Pellets made of the CH-CC mixture were characterized by good quality parameters, with a satisfactory lower heating value (13.09 MJ·kg−1) and low energy consumption in the agglomeration process (55.3 Wh·kg−1). Moreover, data analysis revealed that the obtained pellets had density (1.24 kg∙dm−3) and mechanical durability (89%), which are important in their transport and storage. The findings of this study suggest that the use of waste from the corn grain drying process, in the form of pellets, may allow obtaining granules with different quality.