Viability analysis of pine sawdust drying in a fountain dryer

This article presents an analysis of the physico-chemical properties of pine sawdust originating from the area of the Knyszyńska Forest, in the context of the possibility of the sawdust drying in a fountain dryer. Several tests were carried out on dry pine sawdust with 45% moisture, including chemical composition, calorific value, ash content as well as morphological changes of wet and dried material. The water storage mechanism in chips and the mechanism of formation of a fountain bed were also discussed. Based on the obtained results, several technical solutions and modifications of the fountain dryer were proposed. These modifications enable sawdust of heterogeneous size and shape to be dried in a fountain dryer as well as additional functional properties.