How does the milling influence of the properties of lignocellulosic powders ?
Lignocellulosic biomass has many functionalities that hold huge potential for material, energy or chemistry applications. To support advanced applications, the biomass must be milled into ultrafine powder to increase reactivity. This milling unit operation needs to be fully mastered to deliver high-quality standard end-products.
This research article describes the properties of two lignocellulosic biomasses milled into very fine powders in three different balls mills. The aim of this work was to understand how the working principle of the milling devices shapes key properties of the milled powders for various end-use applications (3D-printed biocomposites, powder feedstock for lignocellulosic biofuel, source of platform molecules for green chemistry).
Some useful data about the milling of lignocellulosic biomasses
The milling of plant powder is never straightforward. The size, shape and properties of the resulting powder depend on the nature of the biomass and the milling device used.
The technological research platform PLANET (Platform for Processing of PLANt product with Emerging Technologies) from the JRU IATE, in collaboration with the ICO research team just published a data paper gathering a set of data about the milling of numerous agricultural and wood by-products in the data and brief journal.
The lignocellulosic biomass, a wonderful reservoir of functional elements
By Claire Mayer-Laigle
| Jan 22, 2021
| biomass
Plant biomass represents a almost-unlimited reservoir of functional elements, which are buried within large macrostructure assemblies. The fine milling of biomass leads to physical and chemical changes. This can be seen as an obstacle because it modifies the flowability and the processability of the powder, but although it can be an asset, to functionalize the powders and enhance the performances of the target products.
The aim of the project is to investigate these modifications and to exploit them in the design of environmentally friendly materials using additive manufacturing.