Role of Hornification of Cellulose Rich Biomass for Pellet Production
Hornification of cellulose-rich materials, particularly wood pulps, occurs when chemical bonds form between cellulose surfaces, along with intermolecular forces created during dewatering and drying, preventing the material from reswelling in water to its original structure. Hornification of pulps re...
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North Carolina State University
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BioResources |
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| Online Access: | https://ojs.bioresources.com/index.php/BRJ/article/view/24793 |
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| author | Björn Sjöstrand Gunnar Henriksson Carl-Anton Karlsson Jonas Berghel |
| author_facet | Björn Sjöstrand Gunnar Henriksson Carl-Anton Karlsson Jonas Berghel |
| author_sort | Björn Sjöstrand |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hornification of cellulose-rich materials, particularly wood pulps, occurs when chemical bonds form between cellulose surfaces, along with intermolecular forces created during dewatering and drying, preventing the material from reswelling in water to its original structure. Hornification of pulps results in a reduced ability to form effective fiber networks and therefore weaker paper products. The objective of this work was to investigate the role of hornification in pelletized cellulosic biomass and materials in general to provide more information than can be obtained by measuring standard wet state properties, such as water retention. Pellets were produced from chemical pulps with different degrees of hornification, as indicated by the water retention value (WRV), and their mechanical performance was evaluated. The chemical pulps served as a model material for investigating hornification. Pulps with higher hornification produced pellets with inferior mechanical properties, which has not been shown before by such a test. This effect is attributed to increased fiber stiffness and reduced surface flexibility, which limits fiber-fiber bonding. In addition, high drying temperatures prior to pelletizing, and thus higher hornification, will increase compression energy and friction in the pelletizing process. A novel connection was observed between WRV and mechanical performance, highlighting the impact of hornification on the surface interactions of cellulose-based materials. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d140efa06e7944248fbb9551aec4f08e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1930-2126 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | North Carolina State University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BioResources |
| spelling | doaj-art-d140efa06e7944248fbb9551aec4f08e2025-08-20T03:43:55ZengNorth Carolina State UniversityBioResources1930-21262025-07-01203746374753136Role of Hornification of Cellulose Rich Biomass for Pellet ProductionBjörn Sjöstrand0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4023-594XGunnar Henriksson1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8817-2031Carl-Anton Karlsson2Jonas Berghel3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9707-8896Chemical Engineering, Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, SwedenChemical Engineering, Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, SwedenChemical Engineering, Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, SwedenEnvironmental and Energy Systems, Department of Engineering and Chemical Science, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, SwedenHornification of cellulose-rich materials, particularly wood pulps, occurs when chemical bonds form between cellulose surfaces, along with intermolecular forces created during dewatering and drying, preventing the material from reswelling in water to its original structure. Hornification of pulps results in a reduced ability to form effective fiber networks and therefore weaker paper products. The objective of this work was to investigate the role of hornification in pelletized cellulosic biomass and materials in general to provide more information than can be obtained by measuring standard wet state properties, such as water retention. Pellets were produced from chemical pulps with different degrees of hornification, as indicated by the water retention value (WRV), and their mechanical performance was evaluated. The chemical pulps served as a model material for investigating hornification. Pulps with higher hornification produced pellets with inferior mechanical properties, which has not been shown before by such a test. This effect is attributed to increased fiber stiffness and reduced surface flexibility, which limits fiber-fiber bonding. In addition, high drying temperatures prior to pelletizing, and thus higher hornification, will increase compression energy and friction in the pelletizing process. A novel connection was observed between WRV and mechanical performance, highlighting the impact of hornification on the surface interactions of cellulose-based materials.https://ojs.bioresources.com/index.php/BRJ/article/view/24793hornificationcellulosehydrogen bondsbiomasspelletspellet production |
| spellingShingle | Björn Sjöstrand Gunnar Henriksson Carl-Anton Karlsson Jonas Berghel Role of Hornification of Cellulose Rich Biomass for Pellet Production BioResources hornification cellulose hydrogen bonds biomass pellets pellet production |
| title | Role of Hornification of Cellulose Rich Biomass for Pellet Production |
| title_full | Role of Hornification of Cellulose Rich Biomass for Pellet Production |
| title_fullStr | Role of Hornification of Cellulose Rich Biomass for Pellet Production |
| title_full_unstemmed | Role of Hornification of Cellulose Rich Biomass for Pellet Production |
| title_short | Role of Hornification of Cellulose Rich Biomass for Pellet Production |
| title_sort | role of hornification of cellulose rich biomass for pellet production |
| topic | hornification cellulose hydrogen bonds biomass pellets pellet production |
| url | https://ojs.bioresources.com/index.php/BRJ/article/view/24793 |
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