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Annals of Occupational Hygiene Advance Access originally published online on August 5, 2009
Annals of Occupational Hygiene 2009 53(8):789-796; doi:10.1093/annhyg/mep049
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society

Rate and Peak Concentrations of Off-Gas Emissions in Stored Wood Pellets—Sensitivities to Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Headspace Volume

Xingya Kuang1,2, Tumuluru Jaya Shankar1, Xiaotao T. Bi1, C. Jim Lim1, Shahab Sokhansanj1,3,* and Staffan Melin1,4

1 Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
2 Department of Occupational Medicine, Yangpu District Central Hospital, Shanghai 200090, China
3 Bioenergy Resources and Engineering Systems Group, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
4 Delta Research Corporation, 501 Centennial Parkway, Delta, British Columbia V4L 2L5, Canada

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +604-904-4272; fax: +604-822-6003; e-mail: shahabs{at}chbe.ubc.ca

Wood pellets emit CO, CO2, CH4, and other volatiles during storage. Increased concentration of these gases in a sealed storage causes depletion of concentration of oxygen. The storage environment becomes toxic to those who operate in and around these storages. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of temperature, moisture, and the relative size of storage headspace on emissions from wood pellets in an enclosed space. Twelve 10-l plastic containers were used to study the effects of headspace ratio (25, 50, and 75% of container volume) and temperatures (10–50°C). Another eight containers were set in uncontrolled storage relative humidity (RH) and temperature. Concentrations of CO2, CO, and CH4 were measured by gas chromatography (GC). The results showed that emissions of CO2, CO, and CH4 from stored wood pellets are more sensitive to storage temperature than to RH and the relative volume of headspace. Higher peak emission factors are associated with higher temperatures. Increased headspace volume ratio increases peak off-gas emissions because of the availability of oxygen associated with pellet decomposition. Increased RH in the enclosed container increases the rate of off-gas emissions of CO2, CO, and CH4 and oxygen depletion.

Keywords: biomass • emission factors • headspace ratio • moisture effect • off-gassing emission • storage • temperature effect • wood pellets

Received February 17, 2009; in final form May 31, 2009


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