Pelletization of Sunflower Seed Wastes: Effects of Grinding Sieve Size and Pellet Diameter on Pellet Properties

In this study, pelletization was performed using the seed residues of sunflower, a crop that is intensively cultivated. Pellets were obtained for the seed residues of the selected edible sunflower using three different mill screen sizes (10, 25, and 30 mm) and two different pellet diameters (8 and 10 mm). The physicochemical properties of the pellets obtained were determined and compared. In addition, thermal parameters were determined for the pellets obtained. The study aimed to reveal the effect of grinding fineness and die hole diameter on pellet parameters. The highest breaking resistance value was determined to be 99.11% for a pellet diameter of 10 mm and a mill screen diameter of 10 mm. The highest durability resistance value was determined to be 83.96% for a mill screen diameter of 10 mm and a pellet diameter of 10 mm. The highest pellet hardness value was determined to be 0.83 kN for a mill screen diameter of 25 mm and a pellet diameter of 8 mm. When moisture values were examined, the highest moisture content was observed in pellets produced with a 10 mm mill screen diameter and a 10 mm pellet diameter, at 5.02%. When the obtained data was evaluated, it was observed that pellet density and pellet quality decreased with an increase in particle size, while pellet resistance, pellet density, and pellet durability increased with a decrease in particle size. When examining the flue gas emission values for the pellets, it was observed that they were below the limit values permitted by the regulations.