  The resuspension and dispersion of particles occur in industrial fluid
dynamic processes as well as environmental and geophysical situations. In this
paper, we experimentally investigate the ability to fluidize a granular bed
with a vertical gradient of temperature. Using laboratory experiments with a
localized heat source, we observe a large entrainment of particles into the
fluid volume beyond a threshold temperature. The buoyancy-driven fluidized bed
then leads to the transport of solid particles through the generation of
particle-laden plumes. We show that the destabilization process is driven by
the thermal conductivity inside the granular bed and demonstrate that the
threshold temperature depends on the thickness of the granular bed and the
buoyancy number, i.e., the ratio of the stabilizing density contrast to the
destabilizing thermal density contrast.
