Wood Pellet Fuel

Our current forms of home and business heating solutions are no longer sustainable, affordable and are damaging the environment. Being so dependant on foreign oil and gas is also damaging our economy at a time of recession. By moving onto greener, lower carbon forms of energy can produce more affordable fuel which supports the economy and the environment. In terms of heating, wood pellet fuel is gaining a significant percentage of market share in Europe and the US. Wood pellet fuel is a highly compressed form of wood sawdust, the majority of which is sourced from timber processing. When the tree's are processed into timber, there is a significant volume of sawdust collected, which is then processed into wood pellet fuel. Previously, many timber processors regarded this sawdust as a waste, and had to pay for it to be removed. Now, as many timber processors have seen the value of wood pellet fuel, they have setups their own wood pellet production faculties next to their current timber processing plants. The advantage of this is reduced transportation of the loose low density sawdust, which can be very expensive to transport.

Wood Pellet Heating and Wood Pellets

In terms of a heating fuel, the wood pellet has several advantages over other forms of biomass. For example using energy to process a log into pellets may seem pointless, however the net gain in efficiency more than justifies the energy used to process the logs into pellets. For example, logs generally contain around 30% moisture, when they are regarded as dry. However pellets have a moisture content below 10%. This means the pellets generate more heat from the sale volume of fuel and less smoke. Smoke reduction is very important, particulates generated from burning wet wood is responsible for breathing conditions. The current generation of wood pellet fuel is a vast improvement over wood logs, however there are improvements which can be made. The next generation of wood pellet fuel is the torrefied wood pellet. A torrefied wood pellet generates no smoke or smell, more heat and lights within seconds. Torrefied wood pellet fuel also repels water, and can even be stored outside, this makes storage less of an issue.

Wood Pellet Suppliers and Fuel Pellets

Finding a good and local wood pellet supplier can be worth its weight in gold. Wood pellet fuel is sold frequently across the internet, however the quality and grade of these fuel pellets is very unclear, therefore its very hard to compare pellets in terms of value for money, and some pellets may generate more ash than others. Therefore when ordering pellets online, before making a large order it is always worth getting a sample of the pellets to try in your wood pellet stove.

Wood Pellet Production and Pellet Mills

Wood pellet fuel production can be a complicated process, however with a good understanding of the equipment and raw material, there are no issues which are insurmountable. Firstly you raw material must be free from contaminates such as stones and bits of metal, as these can easily damage the equipment. Pellet compression requires the right moisture content.

PelHeat Wood Pellet Production Guide

The Wood Pellet Production Guide © PelHeat Ltd - Wood Pellet Fuel