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Wood pellets can be made from a variety of wood waste, crop straw and other biomass materials, with high calorific value, low pollution, easy to store and transport and other advantages. In this article, we will introduce how to make wood pellets in detail, including the selection of raw materials, equipment preparation, production steps and other aspects, to provide reference for interested readers.
Characteristics and advantages of wood pellets
High calorific value
Wood pellets have a high calorific value, typically between 4000-5000 kcal/kg, which is comparable to coal. This allows wood pellets to be used as a highly efficient source of energy for home heating, industrial boilers, and more.
Low pollution
Wood pellets produce fewer pollutants during combustion, mainly carbon dioxide and water vapor. Compared with coal, the combustion of wood pellets emits much lower emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other harmful gases, causing less pollution to the environment.
Easy to store and transport
Wood pellets produce fewer pollutants during combustion, mainly carbon dioxide and water vapor. Compared with coal, the combustion of wood pellets emits much lower emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other harmful gases, causing less pollution to the environment.
Renewable resource
Wood pellets are made from biomass materials, such as wood waste and crop stalks, which are renewable resources. By recycling and utilizing these biomass materials, the dependence on fossil energy can be reduced and sustainable development can be achieved.
Homemade wood pellets raw material selection
Wood waste
Wood waste is one of the main raw materials for making wood pellets, including sawdust, wood shavings, shavings and so on. These wood wastes can come from wood processing factories, furniture factories, construction sites and so on. When choosing wood wastes, you should pay attention to choose dry and unadulterated materials and avoid wood wastes containing paint, glue and other harmful substances.
Crop stalks
Crop straw is also one of the potential raw materials for making wood pellets, such as wheat straw, corn straw, rice straw, etc. Crop straw is widely available and in large quantities, and it can be converted into wood pellets by collecting and processing crop straw. When choosing crop straw, care should be taken to select dry, mold-free materials and avoid crop straw containing pesticides, fertilizers and other harmful substances.
Other biomass materials
In addition to wood waste and crop residues, wood pellets can be made from other biomass materials such as twigs, leaves, hay, and dried cow dung. These biomass materials can be collected and processed to convert them into wood pellets. When choosing other biomass materials, care should be taken to select dry and unadulterated materials and avoid using biomass materials that contain harmful substances.
Homemade wood pellet production equipment
Pulverizer
Pulverizer is one of the key equipments for making wood pellets, which is used to pulverize the biomass materials such as wood waste, crop straw and other biomass materials into fine particles. There are many types of pulverizer, such as hammer pulverizer, toothed roller pulverizer and so on. When choosing a pulverizer, you should select the appropriate pulverizer model according to the type and quantity of raw materials, pulverized particle size requirements and other factors.
Dryer
If the moisture content of the raw material is too high, it needs to be dried with a dryer. The dryer can use hot air drying to reduce the moisture in the raw material to a suitable range. Common dryers include drum dryers, airflow dryers and so on. When choosing a dryer, the appropriate dryer model should be selected according to the type and quantity of raw materials, drying temperature requirements and other factors.
Pellet mill
Pellet machine is the core equipment for making wood pellets, which is used to extrude the crushed biomass material into pellets. There are many types of pellet mill, such as flat die pellet mill, ring die pellet mill and so on. When choosing a pellet mill, you should choose the right model of pellet mill according to the type and quantity of raw materials, particle size requirements and other factors.
Coolers
The temperature of the extruded wood pellets from the pellet machine is high and needs to be cooled by using a cooling machine. The cooling machine can be air-cooled or water-cooled to reduce the temperature of the wood pellets to a suitable range. When choosing a cooling machine, you should choose the right model of cooling machine according to the production capacity of the pellet machine, cooling method requirements and other factors.
Packaging machine
The cooled wood pellets need to be packed for storage and transportation. Packaging machine can be used automatic packaging machine or manual packaging machine, according to the production scale and demand to choose the appropriate model of packaging machine.
Homemade wood pellet production steps
Raw material crushing
Collected biomass materials such as wood waste, crop residues, etc. are pulverized to make them smaller in size for subsequent processing. The size of the crushed material is generally between 3-5 mm.
Raw material drying
If the moisture content of the raw material is too high, drying treatment is needed to reduce its moisture content to a suitable range. Generally speaking, the moisture content of raw materials for wood pellets should be controlled between 10%-15%. The dried raw material can improve the production efficiency of the pellet mill and the quality of wood pellets.
Making pellets
The dried raw materials are fed into the pellet mill, and the raw materials are extruded into granules by extrusion. The working principle of the pellet machine is to use the action of the mold and pressure roller to extrude the raw material into certain shape and size of pellets. In the process of pellet molding, attention should be paid to controlling the temperature, pressure and rotational speed of the pellet machine and other parameters to ensure the quality of wood pellets.
Pellet cooling
The wood pellets extruded from the pellet machine have a high temperature and need to be cooled down to bring their temperature down to a suitable range. Generally speaking, the cooling temperature of wood pellets should be controlled around room temperature. Cooled wood pellets can improve their storage stability and burning performance.
Granule Packaging
The cooled wood pellets can be packaged for storage and transportation. Packaging can be done in plastic bags, woven bags and other materials, and quantitatively packaged as needed. During the packaging process, care should be taken to keep the wood pellets dry and clean to avoid contamination. Generally speaking, the cooling temperature of wood pellets should be controlled around room temperature. Cooled wood pellets can improve their storage stability and burning performance.
Homemade wood pellets are a feasible way of energy production, which can not only utilize biomass resources and reduce dependence on fossil energy, but also reduce energy costs and environmental pollution. By choosing appropriate raw materials, equipment and production steps, and paying attention to issues such as safe operation and quality control, high quality wood pellets can be produced to meet the energy needs of different fields.
