Pellets
What are pellets?
Pellets are a renewable solid fuel produced from plant-based waste. The most commonly used variety in the heating industry is wood pellets — light-coloured granules produced from sawdust compressed under high pressure. It is a standardised product (packaging of wood pellets specifies, among other things, the calorific value of the fuel and the percentage of ash content), meaning it is consistent, which is important for a stable combustion process.
Advantages of pellets
Thanks to its properties, pellets are perfectly suited as a fuel for efficient, ecological and low-cost generation of thermal energy. This is confirmed by their widespread use, especially in cold Scandinavia, where pellet burners have been used both in households and in local heating plants heating urban complexes since the 1980s. Pellets are also a way of making use of unwanted residues from wood processing.
Renewable energy source
Pellets are considered an ecological fuel because they are made from post-production waste in the sawmill and wood processing industries, as well as from post-agricultural plant residues. It is one of the most efficient renewable fuels.
Environmentally friendly
The amount of gases (e.g. carbon dioxide) emitted into the atmosphere during pellet combustion equals the amount of gases previously absorbed by the burned plants during photosynthesis, and therefore does not disturb the balance of nature (so-called “zero CO2 emissions”).
Profitable investment
Compared to fossil fuels or gas, pellet heating can reduce the costs incurred by households and companies by up to half. An important factor affecting savings is the use of efficient and modern heating equipment.
Stable fuel prices
Pellets are a widely available and inexpensive fuel. This situation can only improve in the coming years, as Polish pellet producers have invested in production infrastructure and declare a steady increase in supply, which will reach approximately 30 million tonnes in 2020.
Ease of use
The entire process of converting pellets into thermal energy is automated — from fuel feeding, through combustion, to heat distribution in the network. The frequency of cleaning the boiler and burner depends primarily on fuel quality — the better the pellets, the less ash and the fewer visits to the boiler room.
Easy storage
Pellets are not a demanding fuel when it comes to storage — they do not make a mess, do not emit unpleasant odours and are insensitive to temperature. You only need to ensure they are not exposed to moisture, which is made easier by producers who pack them in plastic bags of 15 or 25 kg.
Savings and price security
Investing in pellets can reduce heating expenses by up to half (the comparison applies in particular to heating with gas or solid fuels such as coal). PellasX burners allow for very efficient pellet combustion (combustion efficiency up to 99%), which, combined with a good boiler, allows for a faster return on the costs incurred.
Pellets are a widely available fuel, not subject to excise duty, efficient and inexpensive — a large number of offers can easily be found in online sales. Pellet prices are not dependent in any way on global fluctuations in fossil fuel prices and, thanks to domestic production, on exchange rates. In recent years, Polish pellet producers have allocated significant sums to investments in the production infrastructure of this fuel due to growing demand in Poland and other European countries. Therefore, the risk of sudden, unfavourable price changes is close to zero.
Did you know that...
The combustion efficiency of boilers has a huge impact on the amount of thermal energy they produce. PellasX burners outperform the competition in this respect — achieving a combustion efficiency of 99%!
How are pellets produced?
What are pellets made of
Pellets are made from biomass, i.e. plant waste remaining after processing in industry and agriculture. The best-quality fuel is wood pellets produced from sawmill sawdust and wood shavings with a low resin content and without any binding additives. For this reason, wood species such as pine, spruce, birch, beech, maple, oak, fir or willow are generally chosen for pellets. It is often said that the best pellets are light-coloured, produced from pine or spruce wood. The light colour indicates a low bark content in the pellets, which can be contaminated with sand, resulting in a greater amount of ash and lower calorific value.
How pellets are made
Wood pellets, like briquettes, are produced in special devices known as mechanical pelletisers. These devices are designed to force wood mass under very high pressure through a die, which gives the pellets their characteristic shape. Good wood pellets do not contain any chemical additives. The only binding agent present in the granules should be the natural resins contained in the sawdust. The pellet production process begins with sorting the raw material and crushing it into smaller parts. The raw material is then dried in special drum dryers and crushed again. The resulting mass is extruded under pressure, producing granules. The final stage of production is cooling the pellets and packing them into 15 or 25 kg bags, or into Big Bag type packaging weighing approximately 1 tonne. Pellets are most often produced in the shape of small cylinders with a diameter of 6 to 12 mm.
Pellet quality certificates
Certified pellets guarantee the quality of the product and ease of use. Until 2011, there were no unified regulations in Europe regarding pellet quality, and only countries with the most developed wood industry and the most widespread pellet heating systems decided to introduce their own classifications.
The best properties are guaranteed by pellets marked with the following certificates:
- ÖNORM M 7135;
- DIN 51731;
- DIN plus;
- SS 18 71 20 — Group 1;
- EN plus A1.
Certified pellets guarantee:
- Actual calorific value;
- A small amount of ash;
- Lower service costs.
What to pay attention to when buying pellets?
When buying pellets from a new supplier, we advise purchasing a trial batch to check combustion quality. A large amount of ash and the formation of slag in the boiler after pellet combustion may indicate that the producer makes pellets from lower-quality raw material or adds undesirable binding substances to the pellets.
Good pellets should be:
- dry (7–12% moisture);
- sold in tightly sealed plastic bags;
- free of dust, sawdust, bark and crushed pellets;
- of uniform dimensions;
- similar in colour and smell to wood.
Where to buy pellets?
The wood pellet market in Poland is still quite young, which is why, for the convenience of our Customers, we maintain a register of companies specialising in the production and distribution of pellets on the Polish market. You can find the list here.
