Biomass pellets
Biomass pellets are a solid biofuel in the form of cylindrical granules produced by compressing milled organic feedstock under high pressure. The feedstock can be various types of biomass: woody biomass (sawdust, shavings, wood residues), agricultural biomass (straw, husks, cobs, stalks), energy crops, and selected biodegradable waste streams. Compared with raw biomass (chips, baled straw), biomass pellets offer more uniform particle size, higher bulk and energy density, and lower moisture content, which simplifies storage, transport, and automated combustion in larger boilers and furnaces. Fuel quality (moisture, ash content, chemical composition) depends on the biomass type and target application (energy systems, industrial plants) and is matched to the combustion equipment and technology.
Category
- Biofuels
- Solid biomass – pelletized fuel for energy and industrial applications
- Renewable energy source based on woody, agro, and other biomass types, typically with medium processing level (drying, milling, pelletizing)
Variations
- Wood-based biomass pellets (pure wood biomass or mixtures of wood residues)
- Agro pellets (straw from cereals and oil crops, sunflower, rice husks, other crop residues)
- Mixed pellets (combinations of wood, agro, and other biomass types in technically optimized ratios)
- Energy-grade pellet classes adapted to large boilers, power plants, and industrial furnaces (different ash contents and chemical profiles)
Applications In The Industry
Energy systems
In energy systems, biomass pellets are used as a main fuel in large biomass boilers, cogeneration plants, and district heating systems. Typical applications include:
- central hot-water and steam boiler plants supplying district heating networks;
- cogeneration plants producing electricity and heat for local grids and industrial complexes;
- power and heating plants firing biomass pellets alone or in co‑firing mode with other biomass fuels or fossil fuels.
In these systems, biomass pellets are stored in silos or storage halls and transported by mechanical or pneumatic conveyors to the boilers. The equipment is designed to handle different biomass types in pelletized, standardized form, with appropriate grates, burners, and flue‑gas cleaning systems (multicyclones, electrostatic precipitators, bag filters), ensuring stable operation and adaptation to locally available biomass resources.
Industry
In industrial facilities, biomass pellets are used to generate process heat and steam in large steam and hot‑water boilers supplying production lines. Applications include:
- wood-processing, pulp, and paper industries, where in‑house residues are pelletized and used on site;
- food, agro‑food, and chemical industries, where pellets provide steam and hot water for drying, thermal treatment, and other process steps;
- other energy‑intensive sectors seeking partial or full replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy, in line with decarbonization and local-resource strategies.
Biomass pellets are typically delivered in bulk, stored in centralized silos with automated feeding systems. Industrial boiler houses are engineered to operate with variable pellet quality (different biomass types, ash content, chloride and alkali levels), using appropriately sized combustion chambers and ash-handling and treatment systems.
Benefits Of Use
- Flexibility in feedstock: ability to utilize a wide range of locally available biomass streams (wood, agro, industrial residues) in a standardized pellet form
- Favourable logistics and automation: higher bulk and energy density compared with raw biomass, suitable for storage, transport, and automated feeding in energy and industrial plants
- Potentially lower fuel costs, especially when using by-products and waste from local industries and agriculture
- Reduced fossil-fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions compared with reference fossil fuels, along with waste reduction and better valorization of biomass residues
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