Pellets Special ll ts Sp 32 Bioenergy International PS1 2015 In Italy vineyards occupy around 776 000 ha of land. Annual pruning gives rise to an average of 2 tonnes per ha of woody biomass with peaks of up to 4 tonnes. This means that around 1.5 million tonnes of unutilised woody biomass is available annually. Addressing this potential, Italian wood processing technology firm Costruzioni Nazzareno together with the University “Politecnica delle Marche”, has developed a production chain to capture vineyard pruning and produce a “vinipellet”. The culmination of several years of research and development has resulted in a two-machine system, a pruning collection and pre-processing machine and a pelletising unit, the latter available as a mobile or stationary unit depending on output size. – The collector processor is designed to produce high quality microchips from the pruning, suitable for pellet production, said Alberto Carlesso, sales manager with Costruzioni Nazzareno. Pulled by a small tractor the machine provides a neat clean cut of the pruning without crushing it, and into a length that avoids the possibility of fermentation while in a stockpile. The patented harvesting system consists of a horizontal worm screw that lifts and pushes the twigs and off-cuts towards the centre of the row preventing impurities such as soil, stones and leaves to be introduced; and a knife, which performs a neat cut of the pruning. The processed material is clean and composed of solely the pruning, not dirty with soil. – With such a method there isn’t any loss of calorific value due to fermentation or mould development, the ash content is not affected by foreign material and the pellets produced are of good quality, said Carlesso. According to tests carried out by the university, pellets from vine pruning are a fuel with optimal energy characteristics. However the harvesting and chip stockpiling methods influence the quality of the final product. In particular, the harvesting machine must avoid collecting earth and other impurities, which would increase the ash content of the pellets. Furthermore, the chips must be clean, small enough and stored in such a way as to stimulate natural drying without mould. A major difference though is that the ash content is significantly higher, almost 4 percent compared to conventional stove-grade wood pellets, typically ENPlus less than 1 percent. – Remember this “vinipellet” will not compete with high-grade consumer wood pellets. Instead its technical features make it a much more convenient alternative for all those boilers and gasifiers that now run on woodchips. It brings together all the energy and physical advantages of wood pellets, but at a lower cost, explained Carlesso. Biomass Boilers and Plants ZZZEDUOLQHNFRP www.uniconfort.com – ITALY www.cpmeurope.com Text: Alan Sherrard PS1/4722/AS www.lameccanica.it While Europe, in particular the UK and Benelux, is the current destination for most large industrial pellet producers, South East Asia is emerging, not only as a market but also as producer. One technology supplier that has gained a foothold in the region is the Spanish company Prodesa Medioambiente, a specialist in supplying turnkey pellet plants with the option of biomass cogeneration using Organic Rankine cycle (ORC). – We have two projects that I can share some details about, said José Ignacio Pedrajas, Business Development Manager, Prodesa North America during the recent USIPA conference in Miami, USA. – We have taken on ambitious challenges in order to meet the demands of the key Asian biomass markets, particularly in Eastern Siberia and Malaysia. It is competitive and we are a long way from home, he said. Both projects are for pellets that are primarily destined for utility markets emerging in South Korea and Japan. – There is a trend towards larger-scale pellet production. Not at the scale seen in the US South but still past the 100 000 tonne annual capacity model of pellet production, commented José. In Russia the project is a joint effort between Prodesa and Asia Les, a company located in Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East. Asia Les is building an integrated sawmill, biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plant, and 70 000 tonne-per-annum pellet plant based on sawmill residues. Work began in late 2013 and the pellet plant is to begin production in spring 2015. The Malaysian pellet project, “Green Pellet Sarawak” is on Borneo; a collaboration with CellMark in Malaysia with assistance from Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corp. The 120 000 tonne-per-annum capacity plant will use residues from neighbouring wood industries. – In both cases, Prodesa is responsible for developing and executing the projects, from engineering to commissioning. All the design of the process engineering and detailed engineering, manufacturing and supply of turnkey biomass drying and pelletising facilities from the reception of product in the plant to the electric power generation on one side and the pellets store before its delivery on the other, is being fulfilled by this, ended José Ignacio Pedrajas. Text: Alan Sherrard PS1/4730/AS Pellets from the grapevine Far Eastern projects for Spanish tech supplier www.svebio.se www.pelletclub.jp/english/
Bioenergy nr 1 - 2015
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