Facilities & Equipment: Pelleting
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Pelleting can be used to press loose biomass and other materials into pellets. There is a lab scale and pre-pilot continuous processing system that contains a hammer mill to reduce the size of the biomass, a conditioner that makes the material uniform, and a pelletizer that makes the pellet. This pellet mill has innovative double-ring technology, which results in a lower production power demand compared to traditional methods of forming pellets.
Traditionally, the pellet mill is designed to make pellets from forestry by-products like wood chips. Currently we are expanding the capacity of the equipment and have successfully made pellets with wheat straw, oat hull, and flex and hemp shiv (the core of the stem) and fibre.
Pellets can be used as an alternative fuel source in word burning stoves, furnaces and boilers for residential and commercial applications. Pelletizing will lower the moisture content which will in turn create a higher BTU value and possibly lower ash values. By increasing the density of biomass via pelleting, more fuel can be transported in a given truck space, and more energy can be stored on site. Additionally, pellets are more easily and predictably handled. Their uniform shape and size allows for a smaller and simpler feed system that reduces costs. These cost reductions found with feeding systems will also apply to any industry that feeds biomass in a process.
There are also applications for animal feed and organic fertilizer industries that would use pelleting to ensure ingredients are uniform and of a certain size.
(Click on the image to enlarge the equipment photo.)
 | Buskirk Engineering 8” Pellet Mill (Model PM810)
- 8" diameter x 1.5" thick machined die plate
- 10 HP grease-packed gear motor
- Capacity: up to 400 lbs. per hour (varies with the type and preparation of the biomass)
- Dimensions:
- Length = 22"
- Width = 16"
- Height = 60.5"
- Input Height 60.5"
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Alberta Agriculture & Forestry
Bio-Industrial Opportunities Section
O.S. Longman Building
4th Floor, 6909 - 116 Street
Edmonton Alberta T6H 4P2
Phone: (780) 644-8118
Email: biobranch@gov.ab.ca
Bio Processing Innovation Centre - Grand Opening and Open House
September 21, 2017
1:00 - 3:30pm
5520 - 36 Street, Edmonton, AB
Click here to register.
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