Fluidized Bed Torrefaction of Agro-Industrial Residues: the Case Study of Residues from Campania Region, Italy

The purpose of this Ph.D. project was to investigate the potential of the torrefaction treatment for upgrading low-value agro-industrial residues into useable solid fuels to be employed as high-quality energy carriers. The first phase of the project involved a screening of the agro-industrial residues available in Campania region (Italy) with good potentiality for energy applications. As a result of this analysis, tomato processing residues and olive mill residues, which have stood out as those in need of a more sustainable and environmental friendly disposal solution, were at first selected as biomass feedstocks for this Ph.D. project. However, practical difficulties encountered in the pre-treatment of the virgin olive husk (i.e., specifically in reducing the size of olives stone fragments which compose olive mill residues together with the olive pulp) led afterwards to discard such residue as a potential feedstock for the subsequent lab-scale torrefaction tests... [edited by Author]