Wood Pellets Guide - Home Heating Alternative

With the gaining popularity of wood pellets as a wood fuel, the manufacturers need to ensure that they are producing high quality wood pellets. The consumers must also at least know the essential properties of good wood pellets.Property # 1: Check the dimension. It should be small-sized wood pellet. Most wood pellets that are utilized as fuel have a diameter of about 6 – 8mm and a length of about 2cm. Furthermore, it should be uniform, regular and highly compacted. With this property, they can be easily stored and delivered. They will not take a lot of space. Also, they can be easily fed in an automated fuel handling system.

Property # 2: Know the moisture content. Remember that the lower the moisture content, the lower the need for energy to burn it off. The humidity of good quality wood pellets should be around 6-10%.

Property # 3: Ensure that they are mechanically durable. This means that high quality wood pellets can endure numerous handlings. They should withstand any kind of operation otherwise they would easily break and wear causing an increase on the number of fines in the pellets. Also, it is generally good when wood pellets can stand shipping even in long distance and time.

Property # 4: Check the amount of fines. The amount of fines would greatly influence the smoothness and easy flow of wood pellets in the boiler’s fuel feeder. The greater the amount of fines present in the wood pellets, the greater the likelihood of obstacle in the feeding system of boilers.

Moreover, minute particles burn faster compared to wood pellets. Thus, if numerous fine particles are found in the wood pellets, there is a big probability that they would generate unnecessary intense flame. The worst case scenario is it might lead to precipitation of ash that will demand cleaning the burner after cooling it off.

Currently, the manufacturers make it sure that the amount of fines should be at most 1%. It is checked time after time in the entire manufacturing process. Furthermore, to ensure that fewer fines are present in wood pellets, the producers measure it even at the last processing phase and screen it before distributing.

Property # 5: Know if additives are added. Preferably, the whole wood pellets should be natural. The chemicals or substances added would significantly influence the wood pellets’ emissions during combustion. Wood pellets are commonly produced from sawdust. Thus, a substance that must serves as a “binding agent” is necessary to hold them together and be compacted. Lignin, a natural component found in woods, serves this purpose. In any case those additives/chemicals are used, the quantity and type should be stated.

Property # 6: Check the density of wood pellets. Wood pellets should be highly densed. The degree of compactness would likely determine the possible amount of fines that can be found on the pellets. As mentioned, preferably zero to a very small percentage of fine particles must be present in wood pellets for these minute materials would affect the quality of flame produced. The looser the wood pellets are, the higher the amount of fines.

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Through the years, many countries commit themselves to discover new sources of energy other than those generated from non renewable resources. They continue to seek a different form of biomass fuel to obtain a sustainable energy that is at the same time effective.

It is a fact that wood is an alternative source of energy. When it undergoes into any transformational processing activity such as sawmilling, it could produce sawdust that are considered to be waste products that need to be discarded. However, because of constant innovation, these sawdust when compressed can become into a highly densed, solidified material termed as wood pellets. Instead of disposing these materials, these are now proven to be an effective alternative wood fuel.

Basically, wood pellets have a size that range between 4 and 20mm. Pellets also have at most 10% moisture content. Their shape has the properties of uniformity and regularity. They are highly compacted materials. No chemicals are added to bind them together. Pellets naturally have lignin, a substance that serves as a binding agent.

Wood pellets, nowadays, are starting to boom in several countries all over the world. They offer many benefits that make them more favorable to use than any other type of fuel. The most important advantage of using wood pellets is they generate lesser harmful gas. Unlike other fuels such as oil, they are cleaner and are not detrimental to the environment. They do not hasten global warming. The use of wood pellets would offset the carbon dioxide released by the growing trees and plants that would used it for the photosynthesis process. With this environmental friendly feature, they are way better than using traditional oils which emit tremendous and toxic gases.

Moreover, with their consistent small size and uniform shape, they can easily flow like a fluid, thus making them possible to be fed in automated machinery. They also ignite quickly since it would only take a small amount of energy to burn the moist off. Consequently, with less energy being consumed, they can generate high energy output. Due to their high density, they do not occupy more volume/space, therefore, they are more convenient to handle, store and transport. In addition, it can be at least assured that unlike traditional oils/fuels, they would not be used up as long the growing of plants and trees will never cease. All these and the fact that they are clean and efficient make them especially suitable for domestic use.

Without a doubt, the demand for wood pellets is expected to increase. Due to their nonstop gain of popularity among the consumers, probably time will come that most heating systems will be utilizing wood pellets. With their strong appeal especially for those pro-environment groups, this type of fuel undeniably attracts many nations.

It is such an amazing wonder that once; wood pellets were considered a trash which has no use at all. But with the strong will of several countries to cut down their overdependence to foreign fossil fuel, they make cash out of these wood pellets. It would only be a matter of time, when wood pellets production and utilization will boom and hit the world.

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