Posts Tagged ‘Wood’

Wood pellets are becoming more popular as an alternative or supplementary source of heat in many homes and businesses across the land.   The Pellet Fuel Institute in October 2011 issued its “Standard Specification for Residential/Commercial Densified Fuel” including recommended moisture content for premium, standard and utility grade wood pellets.  A compact moisture analyzer can be used to spot-check moisture content during pellet processing steps.

The Wood Pellet Manufacturing Cycle

A typical 40-pound bag of wood pellets originates as hard- or softwood sawdust, chips, waste materials from furniture and floor manufacturing – virtually any source of wood including trees unsuitable for other uses. The stock is processed to a uniform size with a moisture content of about 13% to 16% prior to the pelletizing operation.   Pelletizing is accomplished under high temperatures (~200 ˚F) and pressure (~ 45,000 psi) during which the lignin in the wood serves to bind the particles together … Read the rest