Factors influencing the mechanical stability of wood pellets
One possible way to use waste materials in the wood industry (chip, dust, smaller pieces) is to transform them into pellets. Pellet making requires, however, additional energy which should be as low as possible. Present work examines the possible origins of binding forces and experimental evidences show that also the presence of water on particle surfaces plays a definite role. It also turned out that the water potential curve of timber materials can successfully be used to estimate the relation of compaction pressure to the water tension of the material.