All about pellet, the most efficient and ecological form of heating

Thus, it is the raw material for the manufacture of furniture, agriculture and other activities using wood, but far from waste, which will allow heating in the winter, for example, without having to buy firewood. .

As Ecoinventos’ proprietary portal reminds, many pellet manufacturers take by-products (like wood waste) and refine them until they become uniform pen-sized pellets in terms of size, shape, moisture, density and energy content.

1.- Why is it better to burn pellets than ordinary firewood?

Firstly, the moisture content of the pellets is significantly lower (between 4% and 8% of water compared to 20% to 60% of raw biomass). Less humidity means higher BTUs (a unit of measurement of combustion) and easier handlingespecially in freezing situations with raw green biomass materials.

Second, the density of pellet fuel is significantly higher than that of raw biomass. More fuel can be transported in the volume of a truck and more energy can be stored in the field.

Third, the processing of pellets is easier and more predictable. Its uniform shape and size allows for a smaller, simpler feeding system that reduces costs. This high density and uniform shape can be stored in standard silos, transported by wagon and delivered in truck containers.

2.- What are wood pellets used for?

As an alternative to fossil fuels, wood pellets are an environmentally friendly fuel. used for heating. They are used in biomass boilers to produce heat and hot water in homes.

They are also used as zero-emission fuel for heat generation and industrial production in the commercial and industrial sector.

Pellet fuel is a way to remove millions of tons of waste from landfills and turn it into energy.

The exceptional consistency and combustion efficiency of pellet fuel produces a fraction of the particulate emissions of crude biomass.. Pellet burners have the lowest particulate emissions of all solid fuel burners.

With proper agricultural management and sustainable forestry initiatives, biomass is virtually unlimited and has proven stable in price compared to fossil fuels.

Ideally, use locally produced wood pellets with wood from sustainably managed forests.

3.- How to identify a good quality pellet?

When purchasing wood pellets, You must make sure they are ENplus A1 and DIN plus certifiedRemember the Ecoinventos portal.

ENplus A1 is the best quality wood pellet safety and guarantee you can get. Low quality wood pellets can damage your boiler and cost you more in the long run.

Humidity should be low (maximum 6%) so that you can burn your stove faster, and drier pellets will obviously produce less smoke.

The ash content (6% maximum) should also be taken into account, as the high ash content means you will need to clean the stove much more often.

Calorific value (CV) is a very important criterionindicates the heat generated by the pellet and should be around 18 MJ/kg (ie 5 kWh/kg) to meet quality standards.

Pellet composition is clearly critical, and softwood pellets, known for their bright colors, generate more heat than hardwood pellets as long as the moisture content is less than 10%.

4.- How do pellet stoves work?

Pellet stoves began to be recognized and used in a relatively short time. Their features and economies very easy to use and good performance. Their fuel economy also helps them spread in markets.

Its operation is relatively simple and inexpensive. The stove has a tank to store the fuel, in this case the pellet. When we activate the device, a screw moves the pellet towards the combustion chamber to feed the fire at the speed indicated by the electronic control system. The pellet burns, emitting heat and smoke that is channeled through a back outlet to which the outer chimney is connected.

This is placed in such a way that the smoke leaves the building or house where the stove is located and the heat is directed inside, helping to increase the temperature of the house.

When talking about pellet stoves, it is common to see people who confuse them with traditional wood stoves. However, the difference is very important since pellet stoves are ventilated. That is, they have a built-in fan that takes the air in the room, heats it and returns it back to a higher temperature.

In the operation of the stove, we can distinguish two phenomena of heat transfer in the same unit: On the one hand, there is the convection caused by the fan that drives the hot air, and on the other hand, the radiation caused by the flame itself produced.. These two phenomena can be an advantage over traditional wood stoves, as the transfer of energy through convection causes the environment to heat up faster.

Disadvantages of pellet stoves

Not everything is positive in this type of stove. As always, everything has its pros and cons. In this case, the burning of pellet stoves takes the necessary air from the surrounding environment. When the combustion ends, this air is expelled from the chimney in the form of smoke. Far too good. Operation in this way will cause the air to leave the room outside, so we will lose a small amount of hot air, which will have to be compensated by a small intake of air from the street, which will be cold.

The air gradient circulates from where there is more air to where there is less. So if the stove draws air from the room, there will be less air inside, and the air outside will come whether through cracks, window vents, under the door, etc. He will go where he can. All that air from the street will be at a lower temperature.

However, to alleviate this problem; There are other pellet stoves that allow the air required for combustion to be taken from outside.. This way the performance of the stove is generally improved. The disadvantage of this type of stove is that it requires drilling the facade twice, once for the chimney and once for the air intake.

Reference article: https://ecoinventos.com/wood-pellets/

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Environment department contact address:crisclimatica@prensaiberica.es