Agri-pellets
What are agri-pellets?
Agri-pellets, Agripellet — similarly to pellets, are a type of renewable solid fuel in granular form. Agri-pellets, unlike pellets, are produced from agricultural and forestry production waste. They are made mainly from cereal grains, green mass stalks, hay, energy crops (e.g. energy willow), as well as from any other waste biomass suitable for combustion, e.g. sewage sludge or wood scrap.
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The energy value of agri-pellets ranges between 14–18 MJ/kg, and the amount of ash after combustion is 1–4%.
Advantages of agri-pellets
Low fuel price
Agri-pellets can be purchased at half the price of wood pellets. This is, of course, related to the lower prices of the raw material used for their production and the shorter biomass renewal time. Agri-pellets are sold similarly to wood pellets: in 15 kg and 25 kg bags, as well as in one-tonne Big Bag packaging. It is therefore a fuel that is easy to transport and store.
Convenience
The PellasX burner line dedicated to this type of fuel is the M-line — thanks to the moving grate, while maintaining high combustion efficiency, the burners clean themselves automatically, which is particularly important in this case.
It is worth noting that the amount of ash produced is almost twice as low as after burning the highest-quality coal, and the ash itself is a good plant fertiliser.
Availability
Unlike wood pellet production, agri-pellet production is not dependent on the timber industry in a given area. This means that agri-pellets may be more easily available not only in heavily forested areas but also in agricultural regions. In addition, the speed of biomass renewal and the continuity of agricultural production guarantee pellet producers constant access to raw material for production and low acquisition costs. Agri-pellets have already gained popularity in many countries across Europe and the world.
Ecology
Zero CO₂ balance
Biomass combustion does not contribute to an increase in CO₂ emissions, because during combustion the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere is equal to the amount that the plants absorbed from the air during photosynthesis.
Rapidly renewable biomass
Compared to the combustion of non-renewable fossil fuels, pellets have an ecological advantage — wood pellets can be produced within a dozen or so years, while biomass from straw and agricultural crops, for example, is produced every year!
Double utilisation
Biomass can be used twice in the heating process. Firstly, waste from the agricultural and forestry industries, as well as residues from processing industries, is used in the production of agri-pellets. Secondly, the ash produced as a result of biomass combustion is an organic compost additive rich in micronutrients.
