Using The Pellet Mill To Produce Cheap Cooking Fuels

While the focus for wood pellet production is primarily on producing home heating fuels and for co-combustion with coal in power stations there is another important use as cooking fuel.

In developing countries the costs of oil and gas are seriously unaffordable. However for cooking and boiling water many people have no other option. In rural communities the women go out into the forests and collect fire wood which is then used in an open fire within the home. This generates a lot of smoke, and this smoke kills thousands of people each year. However there are better alternatives by upgrading the fuels used and the combustion systems. Small localised pellet mill operations can be setup where local farmers bring their waste straw and other agricultural residues. In return they receive some free compressed fuel and the operation can then sell the pellets produced from the remaining raw materials. This is a huge benefit for small scale local farmers who have very little income. It is then a case of providing a combustion system that can use the pellets to produce a high heat low smoke fire. As a typical example there is the Oorja pellet stove. A lot of development has gone into to make this pellet stove as affordable as possible while meeting the needs to rural and city communities. With more small scale pellet plants and pellet mill operations this idea can grow globally. It benefits the people both financially and health wise. It also helps to reduce deforestation and fight climate change. The benefits are clear the work just needs to be encouraged and supported by more and more people. Through the link below you will see a small pellet press which can be used to produce high quality cooking pellets from a range of materials. There are also videos of our UK made small pellet plant for cooking fuel pellets.