Compressive Mechanical Characterization of Canarium schweinfurthii Seeds for Equipment Design and Bioenergy Feedstock Preparation

Abstract

The efficient utilization of underexploited biomass resources for renewable energy production requires reliable engineering data on their mechanical behaviour during processing. However, information on the compressive mechanical properties of Canarium schweinfurthii seeds, a promising oil-bearing biomass resource, remains scarce. This study investigated the effects of moisture content (3.89–25.65%, db) and loading orientation (horizontal and vertical) on the compressive mechanical properties of the seeds using a universal testing machine. Measured parameters included rupture force, rupture energy, bio-yield force, bio-yield energy, deformation at rupture point, and hardness. Moisture content significantly influenced the measured mechanical properties under both horizontal and vertical loading orientations (<!-- MathType@Translator@5@5@MathML2 (no namespace).tdl@MathML 2.0 (no namespace)@ -->