Wood Pellet Production

Producing a wood pellet is a very energy intensive process, and requires heavy duty equipment to cope with the forces involved in pellet compression. However the ends justify the means by turning resources which cannot be efficiently used in their raw form into a highly efficient fuel. Pellet production traditionally has focused on the animal feed industry, producing mainly grass pellets with added nutrients and vitamins to maintain the health of the animals. However since the start of the 21st century wood pellet production has been the fastest growing market of pellet production, predominately to meet the demands of the pellet fuel market. The growth of the wood pellet production is driven by two main factors. Firstly the increased price of oil and gas due to conflicts in the middle east, and disputes with Russia over the price of gas. The second contributing factor is the increased focus on climate change and global warming. The use of fossil fuels is held as one of the key contributors to climate change.

Wood pellet fuel does not contribute to climate change as they do not generate any additional carbon dioxide emissions. Another factor which is as important if not more so is wood pellet fuel provides the ability to be more energy independent. And generate more jobs in the local economy producing our own energy.

Wood Pellet Plants and Wood Pellet Fuel

A wood pellet plant can be on a large industrial scale, or even on a small scale such as one individual in a small shed. One of the key advantages of wood pellet fuel is that its not depending on large scale operations. The key processes in wood pellet production are size reduction, material drying, pellet compression and pellet cooling and fines removal. After the pellet mill the dryer is the most expensive and most energy intensive process, therefore it can save costs in both installation and running costs if a raw material which is already at the correct moisture content can be found.

Wood Pellet Shortage and Pellet Prices

In 2008-2009 due to the crash of the US housing market, new home construction practically stopped. This also reduced the amount of timber produced, and thus the available quantity of sawdust used for wood pellet production. This lead to a wood pellet shortage, as wood pellet production companies could not source enough raw materials. This in tern lead to a pellet price increase. To avoid such issues in the future, pellet production companies need to use more diverse sources of wood waste and biomass residues.

Biomass and Wood Pellet Manufacturing

There are many other biomass residues that can be used for pellet production other than the traditional softwoods and hardwoods. For example Hemp, a crops which has been unfairly made illegal for many decades is now making a return, and is ideal for fuel pellets. Hemp was made illegal as it is a close relation to marijuana, however hemp is not a drug. Hemp has only a 4 month crop rotation from seed to harvest. The yields are also more than any other biomass crop. Importantly the pellets produce very little ash, no clinker formations and no increased corrosion compared to wood. Hemp pellets have a future.

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