Initial moisture content, bulk density, bulk porosity and desorption isotherm of wood chips from five species of the boreal forest

ABSTRACT

This study is related to drying of wood chips as a preconditioning step for wood pellet production. This article presents experimental data which are important in designing an industrial drying process: initial moisture content, bulk density, bulk porosity and desorption isotherm. Five wood species from the boreal forest have been investigated and two initial hydric states were considered, i.e. green state and pre-dried state. Desorption isotherms have been modelled using the GAB model, whose constants have been determined using a linearization method.

KEYWORDS:

• Wood chips
• drying
• moisture content
• bulk density
• porosity
• desorption isotherm
• GAB model

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This paper is a contribution of the CEDFOB funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [NSERC, project number: 493383-15]. The authors are grateful for the funding from the NSERC.