Properties of biomass powders resulting from the fine comminution of lignocellulosic feedstocks by three types of ball-mill set-up

Background: 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. Here we studied the relationship between the characteristics of the starting lignocellulosic plant material and the properties of the resulting ultrafine powder in different ball-mill process routes. Methods: Two lignocellulosic biomasses (pine bark and wheat straw) with contrasted compositional and mechanical properties were milled using three ball-mill set-ups delivering different balances of impact force and attrition force. The resulting powders were analysed for particle characteristics (size, agglomeration extent, shape) and powder flow properties (compressibility, cohesion) using a dynamic powder rheometer. Results: Pine bark is more amenable to a fast particle size reduction than the fibrous wheat straw. The resulting pine bark powders appear less compressible but much more cohesive than the straw powders due to particle shape, density and composition factors. The mill set-up working by attrition as dominant mechanical force (vibratory ball mill) produced a mix of large, elongated particles and higher amounts of fines as it acts mainly by erosion, the resulting powder being more prone to agglomerate due to the abundance of fines. The mill set-up working by impact as dominant mechanical force (rotary ball mill) produced more evenly distributed particle sizes and shapes. The resulting powder is less prone to agglomerate due to a preferential fragmentation mechanism. Conclusions: The attrition-dominant mill yields powders with dispersed particle sizes and shapes and the poorest flow properties, while the impact-dominant mill yields more agglomeration-prone powders. The mill set-up working with impact and attrition as concomitant mechanical forces (stirred ball mill) produces powders with better reactivity and flow properties compared to rotary and vibratory mills.