Experimental Study on the Direct Contact Thermal Screw Drying of Sawdust for Wood-Pellet Fuel

Wood fuel must be dried before combustion to minimize the energy loss. Sawdust of Japanese red pine was dried in a direct contact thermal screw dryer to investigate the drying characteristics of sawdust as a raw material for bio-fuel. Average drying rate and energy efficiency was 1.4%/min and 69.23% at $100^{\circ}C$, respectively, and those at $120^{\circ}C$ was 2.1%/min and 71.03%, respectively.