To the best of our knowledge, there is the lack of suf
fi
cient information concerning bamboo pellets. In the
preliminary research, bamboo pellets showed a low bulk density which could not meet requirement of
Pellet Fuels Institute Standard Speci
fi
cation for Residential/Commercial Densi
fi
ed (
PFI
). To improve its
bulk density, pellets were manufactured using mixtures of bamboo and pine particles and the properties
were investigated. It was found that adding pine particles to bamboo particles was an effective way to
improve bulk density of bamboo pellets. When adding 40% pine particles to bamboo particles, bulk
density of pellets increased from 0.54 g/cm
3
to 0.60 g/cm
3
, meeting grade requirement of
PFI
utility.
Furthermore, length, diameter and inorganic ash of pellets were also improved. Fine contents of pellets
decreased from premium grade to utility grade according to
PFI
standard. Net calori
fi
c value also slightly
decreased but it could meet the requirement of
DIN 51731
(
>
17,500 J/g). The effect of this interaction on
bulk density, inorganic ash, Net calori
fi
c value, combustion rate and heat release rate were signi
fi
cant.
The results from this research will be very helpful to develop bamboo pellets and provide guidelines for
further research.