Pelletization

What are Pellets?

Pellets are a carbon neutral fuel
source made from compressed woody
or herbaceous material, generally
measuring 6-8 mm in diameter and 2 cm
in length. Wood pellets are commonly
made from sawdust and other wood
waste from processing mills, however,
additional feedstocks can include
forest origin wood (tops and branches,
unmarketable species, undersized
material) and short rotation woody crops
(willow, hybrid poplar). Pellets can also
be made from other non-woody materials
such as herbaceous crops (Miscanthus,
Switchgrass) and agricultural residues (oat
husks, corn stover). Pellets are classified into
premium, standard, and utility categories.
Factors in this classification system include

bulk density, ash content, moisture content,

and heating value among others. Pellets
are commonly used in pellet stoves and
commercial or industrial boilers as a main fuel
source or co-fired with fossil fuels.
How Does Pelletizing Work?
The pelletizing process
generally involves:
Initial grinding of the
biomass material.
Drying the material to
approximately 10% moisture
content.
Secondary hammering and
grinding of the dried material.
Sending the ground material
through a high pressure, hightemperature press where the
high temperatures cause the
release of natural lignin in the
wood, which acts as a glue to
hold the pellets together.
Cooling and packaging of
pellets.

Pelletization
No artificial binders are used in the
pelletizing process so pellets need to be
stored in a cool, dry place. Moisture will
cause the pellets to expand and lose their
burning capabilities.
Advantages
Pelletizing woody and herbaceous feedstock
offers a number of advantages:
High energy content and low moisture
content allows fuels to burn more efficiently
and reliably.
There are no contaminants as the biomass
has been screened and processed.
Lower transport costs due to compact size
and higher energy density.
Uniform size allows them to be used in
automated feed systems.
Pellets are growing in popularity as fossil
fuel costs rise and concerns about climate
change increase. When raw materials
are harvested sustainably, pellets are
considered to be carbon neutral. Pellet
stoves and boilers are simple to use and
therefore, offer an environmentally friendly
alternative to fossil fuel heating systems.
Pellet systems function much like regular
heating systems, requiring only minimal
maintenance and re-fuelling.

Information Sources:
AKG BiofuelTech Co. Ltd. (2011) Wood Pellet Mills
Production Line. Retrieved May 25, 2012, from http://
www.pelletmillguide.com
sman, P. (2011) Wood pellet production & technology
[PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.
biomassinnovation.ca/pdf/HarnessingBiomassII/SE_
Asman.pdf.
Go Pellets Canada (2012) Pellet information. Retrieved
May 25, 2012, from http://www.gopelletscanada.com/
article/pellet-information-5.asp
Pellet Fuels Institute (2011) Pellets. Retrieved May 25,
2012, from http://pelletheat.org/pellets/
Wood Pellet Association of Canada (2012) Publications:
Presentations and Reports. Retrieved May 25, 2012,
from http://www.pellet.org/publications