Notably, many people who have abundant and sufficient raw materials are overly concerned with how they can start a biomass pellet plant. These individuals surely have the required materials that include wood blocks, wood sawdust, bark tree branches, twigs as well as rice husk, bamboo, wheat straw, bagasse, cotton stalks, palm EFB, maize stalks and corn cobs. However, they don’t have the necessary expertise or know-how to chase their dream. If you are one of them, then here are essential tips and steps for how to start a wood pellet plant that can assist you.
Tips for Build a Wood Pellet Mill Plant
¡ï Assemble the Required Raw Materials
Pelletizing Biomass Materials
You should prioritize on the types of material species because they carry distinguished traits. They may be possessing different fiber and lignin contents that greatly affect the cohesiveness of your biomass pellet. Many pellets take a column shape due to them being squeezed on the harsh conditions of super high temperatures and high pressure.
¡ï Consider the Die Mold and Compression Ratio
Ring Die (left) Vs Flat Die (right)
The different cohesiveness of materials always requires different compression ratio of the pellet mill die mold. The hardwood materials always require a lower compression ratio whereas the softwoods require a higher compression ratio. The cohesiveness of the raw materials can be strengthened in such a way that hard-to-pelletize raw materials have to be binded using the agent vegetable oil, wax, oil and clay starch. You then have to pass the raw materials through steam that has been generating under high pressure and temperature conditions. You are required to have scorching vapor that is used as a catalyst in curing and softening of the raw materials to improve their cohesiveness. The pellet plant manufacturer and suppliers have broad knowledge about the material species and their cohesiveness which is essential for you.
¡ï The Size and Quality of the Raw Materials
The different sizes of raw materials always demand a different technological process to determine the design of the pellet plant. Some material such as rice husks will not require a machine such as a hammer hill that will dwindle them to the required sizes. The required size of the materials for setting a pellet plant is approximately 4mm and 5mm. The oversized materials cannot pass through the die pores of the pellet mill rings. The diameter of the pellet mill that is demanded on the pellet markets is 6mm or 8mm. The oversized materials cannot be squeezed via the pores of the die ring. The quality of the pellets used in the pellet mill can be affected by fluctuating electricity. This adversely affects the pellet performance because it harms the pellet mill per se which has an adverse effect on the quality of the pellets. You can use the wood chipper, wood debarker, hammer mill and the wood crusher to reduce the size of your materials effectively. You need to consider purchasing this equipment because they are essential in creating the needed sizes of raw materials to be used in the pellet mill.
¡ï Consider the Moisture Content of the Raw Materials
You require a drying system when setting up your pellet plant because the suitable materials species for use are required to have approximately 13-15% moisture content. When you have the fresh woods or agro waste, you are expected to dry them because the raw materials with excessive moisture content cannot be pelletized effectively. The raw materials with high moisture content will stick together like paste hence would not be suitable for use. This will affect the efficiency of the pellet machine and will subject you to incurring more costs.
¡ï The Kinds of the Materials to Be Used
You can choose to use a kind of mixed materials or purely one type of the materials to be pelletized. This will require you to consider acquiring the materials that will not temper with the performance of your pellet mill. You should thoroughly deliberate on whether to mix the raw material species to ensure their proportional and thorough blending. Choosing the best kinds is essential because you will avoid the choking and burping of the pellet machine that will greatly destabilize the running of your pellet press mill. Besides, the pellet mill will also produce noisy sounds. For proper working of your pellet mill, you should consider decent mixing of the different materials that is essential in the smooth production of high-quality pellets. There are many technological processes that are applicable and will improve the performance of the pellet mill such as the use of a mixer, but you will incur costs of acquiring them
¡ï The Production Factors and the Yields
The factors of production such as the required equipment will greatly determine the production yields of your pellet plant. You should consider choosing efficient models though they have varying prices. You should set up your pellet production plant in a place where there is available large quantity supply of raw materials with no competing plant around it. You should also consider the transportation of the raw materials such the sufficient and near supply of raw materials that will equate to the reduction of costs and makes the price of pellets competitive.
¡ï Size of the Workshop for Making Pellets
1-2 Tons Wood Pellet Plant Projects
You need space to store your plant`s raw materials and a vast space for your workshop. You should consider the available raw materials and the production yields you anticipate because they greatly determine the size of the workshop. The presence of raw materials and transportation is essential in choosing the size of the workshop for your pellet mill plant. You should also consider a smooth and well-ventilated workshop. Moreover, you are expected to set up a well-ventilated warehouse that will be a store for pellet packaged by bags and should be equipped with fire extinguishers.
7 Steps of Fuel Pellets Production Process
The construction of a biomass pellet prodution line requires available equipment and raw materials that are the essential factors in ensuring you construct the best biomass pellet plant that will give your money value.