Moisture and ash determination of Sawdust with the Precisa prepASH

Introduction

Sawdust is commonly thought of as a waste product of woodworking, however an innovative and sustainable approach to utilising this so-called ‘waste product’ is by converting it into biomass fuel. Biomass fuel from sawdust is a sustainable and carbon neutral approach to generate energy, and also adds value to what would otherwise be a waste product.
The moisture and ash content of sawdust are critical factors when utilising sawdust as biomass fuel. Management of these factors not only enhances energy output, but also minimizes any environmental impact.

• The moisture content influences the energy output, combustion efficiency, and durability of the biomass fuel. For efficient biomass fuel production, the moisture content should be below 10-15%.
• The ash content influences the fuel quality and environmental impact. For efficient biomass fuel production, the ash content should be around 5%.

Materials and method:

Our application scientist determined the moisture and ash content of sawdust using our series 340 prepASH thermogravimetric analyzer, according to the parameters set out in table 1.

Table 1: Method parameters for moisture and ash determination of sikta sawdust

Results

Two sawdust samples were analyzed simultaneously in the same run, table 2 outlines the moisture and ash content for each analysis.
The average moisture content was 8.91% and the average ash content was 7.64%.

Table 2: Moisture and ash content results from prepASH

Image 1: Sikta sawdust sample before (left) and after (right) analysis with the prepASH

Conclusion

The prepASH can quickly, accurately, and safely measure both the moisture and ash content of the sikta sawdust sample.

Precisa prepASH:

The prepASH is the ideal instrument for analyzing both moisture and ash content, and offers automation, compliance, and safety at each step of analysis. The exciting features of our prepASH includes:

• Compliance with both ALOCA+ and CFR21 part 11 – our new software includes secure user profiles and audit trails to protect your data.
• Adaptable report generation – our prepDATA software is free, and allows for extensive data evaluation.
• Remote monitoring of your run – you can remotely monitor the status of your run without needing to be in the laboratory.
• Maximize safety for users – since the full run is completed within the prepASH unit there is no user exposure to high temperatures.