PELLETS Added value to Malaysian palm residue Founded in 2002, the Chinese company Beijing Windbell Technology Co., Ltd originally operated in the explosion-proof products sector. In 2012 the company expanded into the biomass industry. However unlike the majority of Chinese companies in this sector, Windbell based their core biomass business on oil palm industry residue in Malaysia, establishing a pilot torrefaction factory there in 2012. In June of this year their China-Malaysia joint venture factory began operation. It has a biochar and biocoal co-production system line, co-located with an activated carbon production line. Carbonised PKS matically under the current air pollution control action plan. Biomass will be a crucial alternative to coal said De Li. The only obstacle for palm-based fuels, EFB pellets and palm kernel shell (PKS), is that they are classified as biomass waste in the China Customs Dictionary. – However, our torrefied EFB pellets don’t have this problem as it can be directly imported to China as charcoal without customs quarantine inspection. This torrefied EFB pellets can be used in existing coal-firing boilers without any modification, Windbell built a pilot plant in Seremban, Malaysia in 2012. This year their new 20 000 tonne-perannum capacity, biocoal and biochar co-production system factory located at Port Kelang in Selangor, Malaysia started operation. The comapny has also signed for another 150 000 tonne-per-annum capacity factory contract in Segamat, Malaysia. All these palm residue based fuel products are planned for import to China. Text: Xinyi Shen Photos courtesy Beijing Windbell BI82/4910/AS Bioenergy Internat ional No 82, 6-2015 21 WINDBELL EXPANDED INTO THE BIOMASS INDUSTRY in 2012, when there were already a lot of players in the Chinese bioenergy market. – We were looking for some raw biomass materials, low cost, big amount and easily collect. The domestic market price of woody and agricultural residues has already increased a lot due to a lot of pellets mills and biomass power plants setting up. We found there is annually over 100 million tonnes of palm biomass residues in South East Asia, so we started invest into this field, said De Li, General Manager of Beijing Windbell Technology. In China’s 2014-2020 Energy Development Action Plan, the broadening of international cooperation is encouraged through the “Silk Road Economic Belt Plan”. South East Asian countries are included the Maritime Silk Road and Windbell’s strategy is to provide technology and equipment to these countries, using their plentiful supplies of palm residues to produce biomass fuels and import them back to China. No import restrictions The pellets made from empty palm fruit branches (EFB) have 4-12 percent ash content, 0.1-0.5 percent sulphur (S), 0.3-1 percent chlorine (Cl) and its Ash Fusion Temperature (Initial Deformation Temperature) is 900 °C. According to current pellet standards in the EU, Japan, Korea and China, only the Chinese market can accept EFB-based solid fuel. – We trust that the demand of biomass fuels in China will increase dra- Vertical carbonisation kiln, 1000 kg per hour, 4.5 kW, operation temperature at 500 °C. 5-6 tonnes raw PKS or EFB can produce 1 tonne biochar. The biochar fixed carbon content is 60-70 percent, volatile content is 30 percent. Empty fruit bunches (EFB) is a plentiful but challenging resdiue to handle. said De Li. Two rotary dryers and one torrefation kiln. One dryer for a vertical carbonisation kiln and the other for a torrefation kiln. Raw EFB has over 50 percent moisture, so EFB moisture should be reduced through drying to 10 percent before carbonisation and torrefaction. The torrefaction operating temperate is about 260 °C, with 3 tonnes raw EFB producing 1 tonne of biocoal. The biocoal fixed carbon content is 30 percent, volatile content is 60 percent. Photo Xinyi Shen – The strategy is to provide our technology and equipment to South-East Asian countries, use the abundant palm residue there to produce biomass fuels and then import the fuels back to China, explained Zhang Qingqiang, Vice President, Beijing Windbell Technology Co.,Ltd during CMT’s Biomass Power conference in Seoul, South Korea (photo Xinyi Shen). Photo Xinyi Shen
Bioenergy no 6 October 2015
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