Sawdust is among the primary ingredients used to make wood pellets from sawdust. However, there are other ingredients that you need to mix to get there. The most important thing is to get the directions right.
How to make wood pellets from sawdust?
You can make pellets from sawdust in different ways. A common way of making the pellets from sawdust is using the pellet machine. First, you need to make sure all the raw material is ready.
Introduce some moisture to the sawdust to approximately 8-15%. This moisture content is usually the best when pelletizing. However, if you are using wood chips, it would be best to pulverize the wood chips before moisturizing. Pulverizing means reducing the wood chips to finer particles.
Afterward, add the sawdust into the pellet machine in small portions. A screw feeder will work best if you do large-scale production of pellets. Using a screw feeder will ensure an adequate raw material supply into the pellet machine.
Once the pelletizing is complete, you should not package the wood pellets directly into packaging bags. Instead, let the wood pellets cool because they would still be very hot to package. The best idea is to place them in a pellet cooler to reduce the temperatures.
Before packaging, the wood pellets should be passed through a vibrating sieve. Well pelletized pellets are separated from broken pellets and powder at this stage. The broken pellets and powder are then taken for reproduction. At the same time, the complete pellets are packaged using a pellet packing machine.
How much sawdust makes a ton of pellets?
One ton of pellets requires approximately seven bulk meters cubed of sawdust and should have 50-55% moisture content. It is recommended that you keep highly moisturized sawdust separate from low moisturized sawdust. If they are kept together, the overall moisture content will increase.
When the moisture content is higher than normal, the compression strength of the sawdust reduces. A difference in the adhesive properties of the sawdust will lead to poor-quality wood pellets. Consequently, the final quality might not be acceptable in the market if it were sold out.
What are sawdust pellets used for?
Sawdust pellets have several uses, including furnace, barbecue, and burning. Sometimes the sawdust pellets may be used for electricity generation or industrial boilers. The pellets are burnt in a specific place to help produce electrical energy.
The most important thing to keep in mind when using sawdust pellets is the quality of the sawdust. The quality usually depends on the process you go through when making the pellets. The ability to stick it together is essential when making wood pellets.
How do they make hardwood pellets?
Hardwood pellets are made by compressing the hardwood material, which should first be taken through a hammer mill. The primary reason for taking the hardwood material through the hammer mill is to create a uniform mass that looks like dough. This dough-like mass should then be placed into a press and squeezed to pass through a special die with holes ranging between 6-8 millimeters.