Wood pellets have varied uses, from home-based to industrial uses. Among these uses, there are interesting points that you need to keep in mind when working with wood pellets and sawdust. Suppose you might have earlier thought otherwise concerning the issues. We have dedicated research to give you credible information about sawdust, wood pellets, and wood pellet making machine. We discuss the type of wood used to make wood pellets to the elements that help bind the pellets together.

What type of wood is used to make wood pellets?

Wood pellets are made from elm, hard maple, yew, poplar, cottonwood, and birch. Hardwoods are the preferred type of wood for making wood pellets because they have a low moisture content. In addition, hardwoods are denser and burn longer than softwood.

Some wood pellets are also made by combining biomass, sawdust, bark, and wood chips. These materials are mainly obtained from hardwoods to assure the quality and longevity of the wood pellets. Suppose you do not have the ideal hardwood within your reach; you may consider growing them in your compound.

Are wood pellets made from sawdust?

Yes, wood pellets are made from sawdust. So too, other materials are used to make wood pellets apart from sawdust. Sawdust may be obtained from different sources.

First, you may create sawdust yourself using wood shavings collected from waste wood when making furniture. When making sawdust, you need to use a wood chipper hammer mill to shred the wood shavings.

Suppose you want to begin from scratch. You will need to get the logs with their barks. In this case, you will have to debark the logs using a debarker. Afterward, you chip the wood into wood chippings and finally take the chippings through a hammer mill to get sawdust.

How do you compress sawdust into pellets?

Compressing sawdust into pellets requires you to have a pelleting machine. When compressing the sawdust, you should follow the following process. Moisturize the sawdust using water to a 12-15% moisture content. This moisture content is the most recommended when pelleting. To compress the sawdust, you will need to gradually add it to the pelleting machine to squeeze it into pellets.

If you would like to compress wood chippings, it would help you hammer the wood chippings into sawdust. Afterward, you may check the moisture content and ensure it is correct. You may begin compressing using a pelleting machine when the moisture content is accurate.

What keeps wood pellets together?

Wood pellets are kept together by different factors. These factors include heat, moisture, pressure, and sometimes a binding element called lignin. When the wood pellets are compressed together with the help of pressure, the pressure causes lignin production, which binds the wood pellets together.

Sometimes, moisture and heat also play a critical role in binding wood pellets together. Inadequate moisture in the sawdust may make the wood pellets not stick together. Similarly, the heat generated between the rotor and die makes the wood pellets stick together.