Pellets from Chips - New Method to make Fuel Pellets from Wood Chips
Kahl’s new method of making fuel pellets from wood chips met with great interest at the World Bioenergy fair in Jönköping, Sweden. “The same equipment functions as both a mill and a pellets press,” says the German company’s Swedish representative, Patrik Pålsson. The new mill and pellets press comes in several sizes. The biggest one processes five to six tonnes an hour. The dual function is possible thanks to the use of flat dies instead of the traditional ring dies. “The dies get worn and whatever type they are, you have to replace them regularly,” Pålsson says. “That takes under an hour with this machine, which is fast even compared to presses with ring dies.”
Kahl sees two markets for the new technology. One is large production plants with a number of presses. One of the Kahl machines can be used as a mill to supply several presses with material. The result is a flexible production line in which the number of mills and presses can be adapted as required.
The other market is smaller-sized sawmills, which at present can have difficulty getting long-term contracts to supply pellets. These mills’ access to their raw material varies depending on how much they saw and plane.
With a combined mill and press, a sawmill can – if necessary – use chips directly from the forest – the wetter, the better. The fine particles of this material require less energy to dry and have a lower combustion risk. The same equipment can also be used to make pellets from straw, sunflower seed casings, and other byproducts. “This is the first time we’re exhibiting at World Bioenergy,” Pålsson says. “The result is far better than we expected and we’ve had lots of enquiries from both Sweden and other countries.”
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