Biomass Energy Production
Plastic materials for safe and efficient operation of biomass energy plants
Bioenergy is generated by burning organic materials including wood scrap and agricultural crop waste. Biomass needs to be processed into usable forms such as pellets or chips before it can be used to generate energy. These bulk materials are extremely abrasive on conveying and handling equipment, which can result in costly downtime while worn machinery components are replaced.
High performance plastics resist abrasive wear, resulting in long part life. Additionally, plastic materials have low sliding friction on mating metal parts, which allows biomass conveying systems to operate smoothly without the need for external lubrication.
Some biomass manufacturing operations involve processing bulk materials at high temperatures. Special formulations of UHMW and nylon are available in grades that resist degradation in elevated temperature environments.
Transparent plastic housings and machine guards improve plant safety and reduce noise from biomass processing.
Biomass Energy Producers Rely on Thermoplastic Materials For:
- Machinery parts that don’t require external lubrication
- Lightweight wear components for easy installation
- Abrasion resistance for long part life
- Toughness and durability in demanding biomass processing applications
- Transparent guarding
- Noise reduction
- High-temperature performance
PLASTIC MATERIALS FOR BIOMASS PROCESSING MACHINERY
Plastic Applications for Biomass Processing Machinery:
- Under-chain wear strips
- Conveyor components
- Chute and hopper liners
- Sprockets
- Bumpers
- Machine guards and housings
- Dragline bucket liners
- Truck bed liners
- Railcar liners
- Bearings and bushings
- Wear pads
Plastics for Conveyor Chain Wear Strips
The conveying machinery used to process biomass materials must withstand sliding wear in extremely abrasive conditions. Special formulations of UHMW-PE (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene) including Polystone® MPG and TIVAR® 88 have improved abrasive wear resistance compared with standard UHMW-PE sheet materials. This results in extended life for wear strips used to guide conveyor chains. The low friction properties of Polystone® MPG and TIVAR® 88 allow for reduced power to drive biomass energy fuel production conveyors.
Plastics for Feed Screws and Sprockets
Bulk material handling components such as feed screws and sprockets need to operate reliably without damaging mating metal parts. Plastic materials such as nylon and UHMW have outstanding abrasive wear resistance and low friction. This allows for easy movement of biomass energy fuels by conveying machinery.
Plastics for Transparent Machine Guards and Housings
Machine guards and housings are essential for safe operation of biomass energy plants. TUFFAK® polycarbonate sheet has outstanding transparency and impact resistance, which makes it a good choice for many machine guarding applications.
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