The Log Pile Website > Wood Pellets > Production

Wood Pellet Fuel Production

Introduction

Pellet equipment sales in the UK are increasing and tied to its rate of growth is the price and availability of pellet supply. There is now an emerging wood pellet fuel industry in parts of the UK-focussed around pellet production. There are a growing number of medium and small size plants now starting production.

There are currently three main routes to setting up pellet production.

Large scale pellet production plants may only be appropriate in a limited number of situations in the UK due to variations in local supplies of biomass material suitable for pelletising. Reliable supplies of local, good quality sawdust or other waste wood suitable for processing are essential. 

2. Conversion of animal feed or grass mills

This option represents a relatively low cost way to set up pellet production since most of the machinery and auxiliary equipment (including driers) already exists.
Grass has similar characteristics to wood for pelletisation and as grass mills are used only from April to October they offer a good opportunity for wood pellet production during the winter.

Other advantages to this approach are that it would need a relatively low capital cost - especially as production of wood pellets could start modestly and increase as market demand grows. Some disadvantages could be that grass/animal feed pelletising equipment has a lower output rate than machinery specially designed to pelletise wood. Modifications to method and material handling would be needed.

A typical small scale pellet machine would be the Swedish SPC range of pellet presses which is capable of producing between 125 kg to 1000kg per hour. The annual production capacity of a 300kg an hour machine is in the region of 2000 tonnes per annum.

Pellet Standards

Good quality standards are crucial to the continued growth of the UK pellet market. Poor quality pellets which contain contaminants or crumble to dust will damage a pellet boiler or stove. Many pellet boiler and stove manufacturers will stipulate that pellets of certain quality must be used for warranties to be honoured. A number of European Pellet Standards exist. The most commonly used for small scale pellet boilers are the Austrian ÖNORM M1735 and the German  DIN 51731 (DINplus). A pan European standard CEN/TC 335 for biomass is also being developed and will eventually replace these individual standards.

Suppliers of Pelletising Equipment

Small Scale Equipment

PelHeat Ltd
Lask Edge Farm,  Lask Edge, Leek, Staffordshire ST13 8QS

Tel: 07841660598 (Christopher Scott)

E-mail: chris.scott@pelheat.com

Web: www.pelheat.com  (website also contains useful information about the pellet making process and the properties of different raw materials.  Company developing a small-scale mobile pellet manufacturing plant)

Farm Feed Systems Ltd
Foxes Bridge Road, Forest Vale Industrial Estate, Cinderford, Gloucestershire GL14 2PH
Tel: 01594 824 567 
E-mail: sales@farmfeedsystems.co.uk
Web: www.farmfeedsystems.co.uk
Manufacturers of fully automated small scale pellet plants from 250kg - 100kgs per hour output.

E.L.F Systems Ltd

Na kopci 766, 27201 Kladno, Czech Republic
Email: info@smallpelletmill.com
Web: www.smallpelletmill.com

Production, sale and installation of complete industrial small pellet mill lines producing up to 150Kg/hr of any biomass pellets. With current wood pellet prices the investment is usually back in 100 working days.

Large Scale Equipment

Amandus Kahl of Germany (http://www.akahl.de/akahl/en/home/)

Buhler Ltd
20 Atlantis Avenue, London, E16 2BF

Tel 0207 055 6650

E-mail: buhler.london@buhlergroup.com

Web: www.buhlergroup.com

Sprout-Matador through its sister company, UMT Ltd

Tel 01482 825119.

E-mail: sales.equipment.hull@umt-group.com

Web: www.umt-group.com

Pellet Handling & Storage Equipment

Large Scale Equipment

Alvan Blanch
Chelworth Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 9SG

Tel 01666 577339

E-mail: info@alvanblanch.co.uk

Web:  www.alvanblanch.co.uk (company also manufacture briquetting machinery)

E. Collinson & Co. Ltd

Riverside Industrial Park, Catterall, Preston, Lancashire PR3 0HP

Tel 01995 606 451

E-mail: info@collinson.co.uk

Web: www.collinson.co.uk

MAFA I ÄNGELHOLM AB
Fratidsgatan 3, S.262 73 ÄNGLEHOLM, Sweden
Tel: 0046 431 881 40
E-mail: mafa@mafa.se

Web: www.mafa.se
Manufacturers of silos suitable for small and large scale storage of wood pellets

Millson Engineering Ltd
Coppice Trading Estate, Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY11 7QY
Tel: 01562 823900
E-mail: sales@millsonengineering.com
Web: www.millsonengineering.com
Suppliers of both new and reconditioned equipment

Saxlund International Ltd

11 Freemantle Business Centre, Millbrook Road East, Southampton SO15 1JR.

Tel 023 8063 6330

E-mail: frankboyles@saxlund.co.uk (Managing Director)

Web: www.saxlund.co.uk (company also offer complete turnkey plant installation and commissioning)

Bagging

Fisker Skanderborg A/S
Niels Bohrs Vej 16, Stilling, DK - 8660 Skanderborg
Tel +45 87 93 82 22 (reception), Fax +45 87 93 82 20
E-mail: ed@fisker.as
Web: www.fisker.as

Large Scale Equipment

Chronus BTH (UK) Ltd
Unit 1, Centurion Business Centre, Blenheim Industrial Estate, Nottingham NG6 8WN

Tel: +44 (0) 115 935 1351

E-mail: info@chronosbth.com

Web: www.chronosbth.com

Pellet Testing

Environmental Scientifics Group Ltd
ESG House, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire DE15 0YZ
Tel 01283 554400
E-mail: sales@esg.co.uk
Web: http://www.esg.co.uk/materials-testing/energy-testing/solid-biofuels-and-solid-recovered-fuels/

Please note that inclusion in these lists is not an indication of endorsement, nor is exclusion an indicator of disapproval.  If you are a supplier to the pellet industry and consider you ought to be included in one or more of these lists, then please contact Sandra Hayes

Page last updated 9/8/2011

Log Pile is a project from the National Energy Foundation which was supported by DEFRA.