Wood chips and sawdust
The most common feedstock for wood pellets, with an initial moisture range that varies with its source.
Industries
Biomass
Biomass drying for pellets and fuel, using the same rotary drum technology we have been building for decades.
Our approach
A growing industry, with proven technology
Biomass as an energy source — pellets, wood chips, agricultural and forestry residues — is a growing industry, and one of the key steps in using it is reducing its moisture before densifying or burning it. We are not starting from scratch: the rotary drum dryer, the industry standard for this process, is the same machine we have been building for fertilizers and minerals since 1976.
The process
Drying makes the difference
Freshly harvested biomass cannot be pelletised or burnt efficiently. Drying brings its moisture down to the range each end use requires.
35-40%
BeforeFreshly harvested biomass (wood chips, sawdust, wet residues)
10-13%
AfterReady for pelletising or efficient combustion
Reference ranges for the industry; the exact final figure depends on the end use (pelletising, direct combustion) and the type of biomass, and is not a fixed specification for every project.
Feedstock
Biomass we can process
Agricultural residues
Olive pomace, husks and other by-products of agricultural production, usable as fuel once dried.
Forestry and pruning residues
Material with a lower initial energy density, which benefits particularly from properly sized drying.
Other densifiable organic residues
Any organic product with energy potential that needs its moisture reduced before processing or use.
Technical honesty
Why the rotary drum is the industry standard for biomass
Other drying technologies exist (belt dryers, for instance), but the rotary drum is the most widely used in the industry for large volumes of biomass: it is robust, it copes with feedstock that varies in size and moisture, and it is reliable over the long term — the same reasons we use it in fertilizers and minerals.
Technologies applied
Equipment we use in biomass
Have a biomass project?
Tell us the type of biomass and the inlet and outlet moisture you need, and we’ll recommend the right equipment.