Fuel briquette - pressed organic waste arising from human industrial activity, for example, waste paper, hay, sawdust.

The main purpose of the material is its use as a fuel in various devices such as stoves or fireplaces.

The appearance of artificially created fuel concentrates is due to a number of positive consumer properties:

  1. Low price of raw materials, used for the production of combustible material - most of it is organic waste thrown into landfills.
  2. High calorific value. According to its indicators, the briquette is close to the group of brown or charcoal. Its indicators are in the range of 4600–4900 kcal/kg.
  3. Profitability. By producing combustible material with your own hands, only your own strength and time are wasted. Raw materials are almost free. In addition, solid organic waste capable of burning is disposed of.
  4. Environmental friendliness. Fuel briquettes are based on natural material, which gives little smoke during combustion and has a low ash content (within 0.5–1.5% of the original volume).

But there are several downsides:

  1. Low mechanical strength. In the production of combustible material, no binders are used. The only natural material is lignin. It is located inside the cells of plant materials and is released during the process of heating and pressing. Due to the low strength, the products are easily damaged during transportation or handling.
  2. Low moisture resistance. The product easily absorbs moisture, swells and collapses. From this follows the conclusion that it is necessary to store briquettes in a dry, ventilated room with low humidity.

Raw materials for production

The most accessible waste in conditions of rather large settlements- It's paper waste. With an average purchase price of 4-6 rubles / kg, this type of fuel becomes profitable. For example, wholesale charcoal will cost 10–20 rubles/kg.

But there is some competition here - such raw materials are successfully harvested for the production of cardboard. Other types of organic matter include:


  • waste from woodworking industry: sawdust, shavings, wood chips;
  • agricultural material: hay, straw, sunflower or pumpkin seed husks, nut shells;
  • natural material: peat, dry plant stems, bark, fallen leaves, reeds.

It is allowed to use woven material made of pure cotton, linen, silk - artificial materials should not be included in their composition.

For the formation of briquettes, one type of material is used, that is, paper with paper, straw with straw. When using sawdust, it is necessary to strive to ensure that the mixture contains wood waste from one type of vegetation. Admixture of bark or chips is allowed no more than 5% of the total mass.

The moisture content of the feedstock does not affect special significance, since during the production process it still needs to be moistened, but for storage the material must be dry, otherwise there is a high risk that it will begin to rot.

Process features

To obtain large quantities of combustible material, industrial equipment is used that produces several main types of fuel briquettes:


  • rectangular shape- has the colloquial name "brick";
  • cylindrical shape, is produced in the form of a solid monolithic product or with a central through hole - the latter increases the combustion area, and, accordingly, large quantity thermal energy;
  • polyhedral shape. Four and hexagons with a hole in the middle are common. Produced on presses in combination with high temperature, because of this, the products have a dark, close to black, color.

For small-scale production, measured by the household needs of one family, some types of equipment are also produced, but due to the simplicity of the design, you can try to make such a machine yourself.

This will save several thousand rubles and it will be possible, using improvised means, to make your own press, on which you can produce the necessary briquettes, depending on the feedstock.

For domestic purposes, two main press schemes are used:

  1. Classic. The design is very close, including in terms of the principle of operation, to the usual home-made "garlic kodovka". The principle of operation is to squeeze the feedstock loaded into the receiving mold. The force on the punch - a pressing element that directly affects the manufactured briquette, is transmitted through a sufficiently long and durable lever.
  2. Screw. It is a device similar to a manual screw juicer. The force on the formed raw material is created by moving the punch along the screw. It differs from the previous scheme:
    • great effort generated;
    • the ability to produce several briquettes for one load of raw materials.

The first type of press is easier to manufacture and use. It can be recommended for small production volumes of fuel cells, for example, for seasonal living in the country. One of the modified varieties is the use of a car jack instead of a lever.

The second type of device is advisable to create when consuming more than 10–30 pieces fuel within one day and the availability of raw materials for briquettes in the required quantity.

The above diagrams of household appliances can be taken as the basis for the design of presses.

It is necessary to refine individual parts in terms of enlargement and strengthening, as well as provide for the possibility of rigidly fixing the machine to a fixed base.

Since the devices are simple schematic diagrams, drawings and assembly descriptions can be found in open access, for example, on the Internet.

Production process

The essence of the manufacture of a fuel briquette is the formation of a product from raw materials that has a certain shape and size. The simplest self-made configurations are a parallelepiped ("brick") or a cylinder with or without a hole. Approximate dimensions:

  • for a rectangle - up to 100–250 x 50–100 x 50–100 mm (length, width, height);
  • for a cylinder - up to 150 x 200–300 mm (diameter, length).

Such dimensions are dictated by the common dimensions of the furnace furnace and the optimal combustion mode.

Stages

The general sequence (without reference to the type of raw material) looks like:

  1. being prepared required amount raw materials are loaded into an intermediate tank, where the process of wetting and mixing is carried out;
  2. The operation of the press is checked, a platform or a place for drying the finished semi-finished product is being prepared;
  3. The finished initial mass is loaded into the press and compressed;
  4. Next, the raw briquette is sent for drying. This is best done in a dry, ventilated area or outdoors, preferably under the sun.

Features of the production of briquettes from different raw materials

  1. Paper. This raw material will require pre-training, namely books, magazines are separated from solid substrates and torn into separate sheets. Need to soak hot water. To give softness - when the paper begins to tear easily when mixed - it takes a certain time. For example, newspapers will be ready in 1–4 hours, but office paper products will acquire the necessary properties in 1–2 days. The advantage of this type of raw material is that it does not require an additional binder. This is due to the structure itself and the presence of a natural binder contained in the starting material and released under the action of water.
  2. Plant stems, branches, reeds, straw. They also need to be crushed to a size of 2-5 cm. Additional equipment is required here - a special chopper, for example, what is used in the preparation of feed mass for animals.
  3. Sawdust, shavings, chips. In its original form, they are loose material. To bind the components together, it is necessary to use natural clay in a ratio of 1:10. The mixing process is carried out in a separate container, while the wood pulp must be moistened with water 2–6 hours before the start of the process.

Tip 1. Soaked newsprint can be used as a binder for the sawdust composition. The ratio of sawdust components - paper 1:0.2-0.3.

Tip 2. To increase the mechanical strength of paper briquettes, it is recommended to add 1–3% starch to them at the stage of raw material preparation.

Tip 3. When working with cardboard, it is advisable to soak it in a container for 1-2 days, then the raw materials can be simply mixed with a shovel and turned into gruel.

Tip 4. If it is possible to purchase screenings formed during the production of charcoal, then it can be added to sawdust briquettes.

Tip 5 Fabrics based on natural raw materials, without artificial additives, can be added to paper pulp to 10%.

Tip 6 The simplest press is the cylinder-sleeve combination. As a generated effort, you can use a gymnastic kettlebell weighing 16–32 kg, which is mounted on top of the sleeve. Using several such devices and a metal corner, a rail or some other profile, you can create a machine that produces up to 10–20 briquettes per load.

Produce biofuel for heating. Such fuel can be used in furnaces various types, braziers, potbelly stoves and so on. The process of its manufacture is quite simple, and all the necessary components can be easily found, and for free.

The main task that the author has set for himself is to use sawdust as fuel. Finding them is quite easy and in most cases it doesn't even cost anything. But there is one caveat, in its natural form, sawdust smokes very strongly, burns poorly and emits little heat. To solve this problem, the author decided to make briquettes from sawdust, and paper will be used as a binder. How exactly to make such briquettes will be discussed below.

Materials and tools for manufacturing:
- sawdust (can be found at sawmills);
- paper (old books, newspapers, etc. will do);
- press;
- thick plywood;
- a plastic cylinder (a piece of sewer pipe);
- a trough or bucket for mixing components;
- water;
- drill, hacksaw and other tools.


Manufacturing process:

Step one. We create a form for the formation of briquettes
First you need to find a plastic cylinder of a suitable diameter, the author used a piece of a sewer pipe for this purpose. Next, a drill is taken and rows of holes are drilled in the cylinder. They are needed so that during the formation of briquettes, water comes out of the cylinder.


When the holes are drilled, you can begin to manufacture the upper and lower parts of the device. First of all, the bottom is made, it is made from a piece of thick plywood. As a result, the cylinder will have to be placed on the form, no other methods of fastening are provided. You can understand what the shape of the bottom of the cylinder should be from the photo.


As for the cylinder cover, it is also made from a thick piece of plywood. As a result, the cover should enter the cylinder, it will be a kind of piston that will compress the contents of the cylinder.


Step two. Create a mixture
Now you need to create a mixture from which briquettes will be formed. You need to take paper and dissolve it in water to get a mushy mass. IN cold water paper dissolves in about 30 minutes, in hot 5-10 minutes. Next, sawdust must be added to this paper mass on the basis that two parts of sawdust fall on one part of the paper. All the resulting porridge must be thoroughly mixed.


Step three. Formation of fuel briquettes
Now you need to take the cylinder and install it on the bottom. Next, you can start pouring the mixture. Pour under the neck. Subsequently, the cylinder is covered with a lid from above and placed under the press. After the water is displaced, the finished briquettes can be removed from the cylinder.

Today you can buy RUF eurofirewood in an online store or try to make it yourself. Read more about making this type of fuel at home in the next section.

Self-creation of briquettes

Do-it-yourself Eurowood is a feasible task for those who want to get this type of fuel. For their production, you will need to purchase basic equipment, which is available for sale in specialized departments. You can prepare the unit for work both independently and with the help of masters, but often the devices are already adjusted and configured to certain parameters. In addition, there are special training courses on the operation, adjustment, and elimination of technical malfunctions of this equipment. Mechanisms for the production of briquette fuel can also be purchased from organizations offering finished products.

Below are the main equipment needed for the production of briquettes with your own hands:

  • crushing machine - a grinder for raw materials, which will be needed if not only sawdust is used as the starting material;
  • pressing mechanism into the required shape (shock-mechanical and hydraulic presses for fuel briquettes, screw design);
  • drying chamber for the finished product; at this point, you can save a lot if there is a the necessary conditions for natural drying of finished products.

Let's see how you can build a press for fuel briquettes with your own hands from unnecessary materials.

Raw materials for eurowood

To create such products at home, all kinds of waste are used. organic origin(vegetable, agricultural). Usually they use fallen leaves, tree branches, husks of cereals,dry plant stemsstraw, sawdust, paper, cardboard, etc.

Now let's go directly to the manufacture of eurofirewood with our own hands. This process consists of several successive steps:


The production of fuel briquettes has been completed.

Raw paper

Waste paper has high level burning, releasing huge amounts of ash.

One kilogram of compressed crushed material smolders for about two hours, and the formation of ash after burning through barely reaches 5% of the original volume.

When creating fuel briquettes on your own, you can use waste paper. This will require a lot of material, and the manufacturing process itself is quite laborious:

To bind paper in products, needles are used, peeled cereal crops, straw. There are other options, but the ones listed above are the most affordable. garden plot private economy.

Cons of binders in the manufacture of briquettes:

  1. Large needles are finely cut by hand with simple scissors. This is hard work that requires huge amount time. In ready-made briquettes, protruding needles can scratch the skin of the hands.
  2. With chopped plant stems, husks, straw, there will be even more problems. Despite the ease of use in raw materials for the finished product, they do not withstand storage in woodpile and warehouse, as after drying they become an excellent food for rodents.

It is hard to deny that compressed sawdust briquettes are one of the most efficient types successfully used for residential heating. They have a high calorie content (about 5 kW are released from 1 kg during combustion), and have a low ash content. Such briquettes are very convenient in storage and warehousing, as they fold compactly and take up very little space.

True, such fuel cannot be considered cheap: not every family can afford to heat their home with firewood throughout the season. This raises a reasonable question - is it possible to somehow make wonderful fuel briquettes with your own hands. This is especially true in those cases when raw materials can be purchased almost at a bargain price. Fortunately, such methods exist, and they can differ from each other. Let's consider some of them.

To get a clear idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhow to make it yourself, you first need to find out how they are made in a factory environment.

Raw material

Any of the available methods precedes the preparatory stage, during which the raw material is crushed and dried.

The raw materials are sawdust and some larger pieces of wood waste. Drying is carried out until the humidity indicators approach 8-10 percent. Interestingly, all kinds of agro-industrial waste (for example, husks or seed husks) and coal dust can also be used as raw materials for Eurowood.


Briquetting

The next production process is sawdust pressing, or briquetting. Today this can be done in two different ways:

  1. Extrusion method;
  2. Forming briquettes on a special hydraulic press.

In both cases, as a result of powerful squeezing of the crushed wood, lignin, a special natural substance, begins to be released from it. It is he who becomes the binder for the crumbly mass of raw materials. The difference between the processes is only various methods squeezing. In one case, a hydraulic press is used, capable of developing a force of up to 300-600 bar.

From the force of this compression, the chopped wood is heated, and this contributes to the formation of a solid rectangular briquette.

With another method, extrusion, wood raw material is poured into a special bunker of the unit, and, by analogy with a meat grinder, moves with a screw into a conical working channel, which narrows. It is there that the compression takes place, during which the screw press develops an incredibly powerful force of up to one thousand bar.

When ready, firewood made from sawdust in the form of hexagons comes out of the extruder. Before that, they undergo heat treatment, and are cut with a special knife to the exact dimensions.

Fuel briquettes at home

It is absolutely unrealistic to imagine a situation where someone decides to purchase such a powerful unit that can press briquettes at home. Even if finances allow this, and the raw materials will be obtained for free, it will be possible to recoup the purchase only in the event of a large-scale sale of the manufactured fuel.

In other words, it is clear that it will not be possible to implement the traditional method in which lignin would be released at home. But numerous home craftsmen have learned through trial and error to use other binders.

Raw materials and preparation

  • corrugated cardboard, paper;
  • the cheapest, for example, wallpaper;
  • clay.

To make fuel briquettes at home, it is not at all necessary to purchase expensive pressing and drying equipment. At home, things are different.

Savvy homeowners have gotten the hang of pressing heating briquettes from a variety of available materials that can burn:

  • from paper,
  • leaves,
  • straw,
  • cardboard,
  • seed husks, etc.
  • Sawdust is placed in water, clay is added there in a ratio of 1 to 10, mixed well, then inexpensive wallpaper paste or soaked cardboard is added to the composition.
  • The mixture obtained in this way is placed in a homemade pressing mold, and the force of the hands is squeezed as tightly as possible.
  • The molded rectangles are taken out of the mold and laid out to dry outside, in a natural way.

Manual screw mechanism

The simplest press for the production of fuel bars, which you can make yourself, has a manual drive.

The design of this mechanism is extremely simple. But the performance of such a screw device is low - this explains their low popularity.

A special molding container with holes is filled with the finished mixture, the screw is tightly twisted, creating increased pressure.

When using them, a lot of time is spent on filling the container, twisting the mold and removing the molded briquette.

Brick ejection mechanism

It is much easier and much faster to extrude the formed briquettes on another press. It is also homemade, but it has a long lever and a special device for pushing a brick. To speed up the process, some weld not one form, but a pair, to the frame.

Some craftsmen are able to make other equipment, more advanced. How to increase the productivity of a manual machine? By installing a hydraulic jack instead of a manual drive. Of course, for the manufacture of such a unit will have to make a lot of effort, but the result is worth it.

Note! To create a pressure reaching at least 300 bar in a home-made press will not work even with the help of a hydraulic jack. It is unlikely that it will be possible to reproduce factory technology at home without adding water.

screw press

However, some craftsmen, despite the difficulties with the details, managed to make a screw press. With its help, it is possible to produce heating bricks of fairly high quality.

Craftsmen write about this on the forums, but at the same time they note the rather high costs for the high-strength steel body and the manufacture of auger parts. Of course, in this case, you can not do without an electric drive. You will need an engine of at least 7 kW power.

Fuel briquettes at home - pros and cons

The reasons for the attractiveness of this type of fuel are quite understandable.

If a person has the opportunity to purchase cheap sawdust, or if suddenly he is the owner of a small wood production, then it is quite natural to want to make briquettes on his own.

Why not burn the actual wood waste?

  • The fact is that not every technique is capable of burning sawdust directly.
  • Usually, wood chips burn out very quickly and inefficiently, and even part of it falls into the ash pan.

Special equipment

For efficient combustion of small wood waste a special top-burning or shaft-type boiler is required.

  • It is almost impossible to make one on your own, the prospect of compressing waste into briquettes looks much more realistic. Although here everything is not as simple as it seems;
  • Acquire factory equipment unreasonably expensive, and few people can afford it;
  • Cheaper to buy yourself
  • Of course, a briquetting press can be made in a handicraft way. But the resulting fuel will be of low quality, and their heat transfer will not be so high.

Why is heat transfer low?

The fact is that it is virtually impossible to reproduce the factory technology, observing all the nuances, at home:

  • The resulting "" have a low density and, accordingly, a small weight.
  • The specific heat of combustion is almost three times less than that of wood.
  • Therefore, for the same heating, three times more home-made briquettes will be required.
  • The process of making them takes a lot of time and effort. Although, if they are, why not?
  • By the way, such fuel should be carefully stored so that it is not saturated with moisture.

Do-it-yourself fuel briquettes - yes or no?

Do not rush to throw away old newspapers, with special processing they easily turn into kindling for a fire or even into firewood. Fuel briquettes made from waste paper were tested in field conditions by one of the tourists, who came up with a method for their manufacture and impregnation. With such fuel, even in the forest you don’t have to look for dry chips or cones for yours.

A video tutorial in three parts will teach the art of turning waste raw materials into efficient fuel.

In the first video, acquaintance with firewood from newspapers. What it is?

Finally, how to make a fuel briquette at home.

In conclusion - the work of fuel in a real stove on a hike.

To the history of the issue

Pellets: what is it and how is it made


A modern type of fuel that is used for combustion in pellet boilers
Pellets on this moment- this is a great alternative to gas and other fuels, but many do not know what it is. Heating with pellets is 3-4 times cheaper than gas, but so far the manufacturing technology of such material does not make it possible to completely replace gas with it. But as an alternative to pellets, many are considering.
Content
What are pellets?
History of appearance
Environmental factor
Pellet classification
Production process
Fuel Benefits
How to choose quality pellets?


Pellets are considered an environmentally friendly fuel


Crushed wood used to make pellets


One of the characteristics of fuel pellets is the amount of thermal energy released, which affects the cost of raw materials.


Wood pellets in a vessel near the boiler create some decor in a modern interior

Pellets: what is it?

Externally, fuel pellets look like cylindrical granules. Wastes from wood and agricultural production are pressed into them. Their standard sizes are:
Diameter - 6-8 mm.
Length - from 5 to 70 mm.
Humidity - 7-10%.


“Loose” pellets are convenient when using feeders in boiler rooms
Due to this indicator, they are successfully used in pyrolysis boilers. Compared with firewood, the efficiency of boilers using such fuel is 1.5 times higher.
But the size of one pellet depends on the material used for production, the type of raw material and the scope of use.
Note! Abroad, this type of fuel is actively used, especially for automated boiler houses. Pellets have found their distribution both in domestic use and in industry. By their thermal conductivity, pellets are compared with coal. In addition, this fuel is environmentally friendly.


Well-dried pellets work more efficiently

History of appearance

Pellet boilers were first used in the USA, where the production of this material started. Although initially the idea of ​​​​granulation was somewhat different, because in this way it was planned to save space when transporting waste. But rather quickly, pellets began to be used as fuel.
In Europe, for the first time, people started talking about alternative fuels in Switzerland in the 80s. Granules are beginning to be made from wood waste. In the 90s, a real boom in the production of fuel on an industrial scale developed in Switzerland. Further development took place in Canada, Denmark, Finland, England, Italy.
At the moment, pellet production plants are located directly next to logging and wood processing enterprises. This allows fuel production to continue, and such plants often operate 24 hours a day.

Environmental factor

Buying pellets means maintaining a stable ecological background. They are the result of waste processing, which means they will not harm the atmosphere and humans. It is believed that pellets are part of the CO₂ cycle in the environment, that is, they release it exactly as much as the tree absorbed during growth.


The process of burning pellets emits as much carbon dioxide as was formed during the natural decomposition of wood
Note! Waste is used in the production, which means that each ton of such fuel keeps the trees in the forest safe and sound. A environment not polluted by wood processing waste.
What is very important, emissions into the atmosphere from the combustion of such fuels are not as harmful as if coal and diesel fuel were burned.


The chemical characteristics of pellets depend on the raw materials from which they are made.

Pellet classification

The price of pellets largely depends on the raw materials used in the manufacturing process. There is such a classification:


A variety of pellets according to the raw material of manufacture
White pellets - this grade is also called "premium". They are made from waste wood without bark. The calorific value of such pellets reaches 17.2 MJ/kg. Ash content is practically zero. Such pellets make up about 95% of all that are on the market today. They are suitable for all types of boilers.


The advantage of white pellets is low ash content. Cleaning the boiler after such raw materials is necessary no more than once a month
Industrial - they contain lower quality wood. In addition to wood waste, they may contain bark and fireproof particles. In terms of calorific value, they almost do not differ from the first type, but the ash content is slightly higher. When using them, the boiler will have to be cleaned more often.


Additional elements in the composition of industrial pellets make their color a little darker
Agropellets - they are made from agricultural waste. Their calorific value is lower - up to 15 MJ / kg, ash content is more than 4%. That is, you will have to clean the boiler often. Among the advantages of such fuel is their affordable price. They are mainly used to generate heat in large thermal power plants. They are also convenient if the boilers have automatic ash removal. They can not be used in all boilers, but only those that are designed for such fuel.


Economical version of fuel of standard quality, which can only be used in special boilers

Production process

Pellet production is a multi-stage process that requires both material and time costs. But first of all, raw materials are brought to the plant. Raw materials can be:
Bark, sawdust, wood chips, other logging waste.
Agricultural waste: corn, straw, sunflower husks and others.


Pellets for heating boilers from sunflower husks
The technological process of production consists of the following stages:
Large crushing.
Drying.
Fine crushing.
Mixing and water treatment.
Pressing.
Cooling, drying.
Packaging.


Waste wood chips are used in the manufacture of wood pellets

Primary crushing

It is also called coarse crushing. In the process, grinding takes place to a size of 25 x 25 x 2 mm. Such a process provides quick drying raw materials to the required moisture content. Since such material is stored on a concrete floor to prevent mixing with sand and stones, the feed to the grinder is via a scraper device.


Shredding of waste wood is the first stage in the production of pellets

Drying

Now the raw material has a moisture content of 15%, which is not suitable for the next steps, as it will not be pressed well. And pellets that contain so much moisture are not suitable for boilers. The optimal moisture fork is from 8% to 12%, but the correct pellets have 10%. In order to dry the primary crushed raw materials, drum-type belt dryers are used. The choice of one or another drying method depends on the type of raw material, its quality and other factors.


Raw materials for the manufacture of pellets with inappropriate moisture content require additional moisture or drying
Note! This process is energy-intensive, because in order to dry 1 ton of raw materials, at this stage it is necessary to burn 1 m³ of firewood. In order to reduce the cost of this process, bark or sawdust is burned to the furnace of the dryer.

Secondary (fine) crushing

In order for the press to work, the particle size should not be more than 4 mm, so repeated grinding is used. For this, hammer mills are used, which are excellent for crushing fibrous chips, sawdust.


Sawdust prepared for re-crushing

Water treatment, pressing

Since in the previous stages the raw material was dried and at the moment it has only 8% moisture, it will be difficult to glue it. To do this, the material is moistened with water or steam. The latter is necessary when pressing hard wood waste. If the raw material is softwood, then additional moisture is quite enough.
As for pressing, the pellet equipment has different forms matrices - flat and cylindrical. The diameter of the matrix itself is about 1 meter, while the power is measured at 500 kW.


Presses of some manufacturers do not require additional steam due to their design features.

Cooling, packaging

In order to obtain high-quality pellets, it is necessary to cool them well. This process helps dry the pellets. After the press, they have a temperature of + 70-90 ⁰С. After this process is completed, they are screened and packaged.
Since pellets are loose raw materials, they are often stored in bulk, but this can adversely affect the quality of the material, as it will pick up moisture. Therefore, manufacturers pack and recommend storing fuel in large big bags. The highest quality pellets that you can buy are packaged from the factory in 20 kg bags.


The packaging of granules depends on the storage system that the consumer has: in bulk, in big-bags or in small packaging

Fuel Benefits

Pellets have a number of significant advantages:
This is an environmentally friendly raw material that does not give increased CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere.
Low risk of self-ignition due to the fact that they do not contain spores, dust.
Pellets are denser than wood and their moisture content is lower, which provides more heat from combustion of the same volume as firewood.
Due to the standard dimensions and flowability, it becomes possible to fully automate the heating process.
The most common types of pellets have little waste, which means that you do not need to clean the boiler every day. According to the reviews of those who use this fuel, cleaning is needed no more than once a month.
Only at first glance, this fuel does not seem the most affordable. In fact, if we recalculate the amount of thermal energy, then it is pellets that will be the most efficient fuel in this regard.
Ease of storage of raw materials - a minimum of space and no smell.
Ease and cleanliness of transportation.
High boiler efficiency within 96%.

An example of the operation of a pellet boiler in the context
Note! If we talk about the shortcomings of the material, then this is the need to constantly keep a stock in stock. Also, as a disadvantage, the danger of burning pellets is noted if the raw materials from which they were made are taken from areas contaminated with radiation. Indeed, there is such a risk, but manufacturers who have been working on the market for a long time will not risk their image and sell frankly dangerous material. Therefore, you need to carefully choose the manufacturer of the pellets.


Wood pellets are practically not subject to self-ignition, since dust and spores are not included in the composition. In addition, they do not cause an allergic reaction.

How to choose quality pellets?

The importance of choosing high-quality pellets is that only such pellets can give the declared amount of heat. The parameter of their ash content will also be within the presented boundaries. The use of low quality fuel leads to accelerated wear of the boiler.


Pellets provide high calorific value compared to wood chips or firewood
When choosing, you need to pay attention to:
Size. And not only the dimensions of the pellets themselves, but also the presence of broken and crumbled ones. There should be no trash in the bag, and if it is found in a significant amount, then you should not buy such fuel.
The surface of the pellet should be smooth and shiny. If the material is of poor quality, then roughness will be clearly noticeable.
Pellets should be hard and dry, only such ones should be used.
It is difficult to break a high-quality pellet; in no case should it crumble in your hands.
Another way to check the quality is to throw the fuel into the water, and if the pellet sinks, then it's good, but if it floats, then it's better to look for another fuel.


The correct shape of the granules allows them to be easily transported and reloaded, as well as poured through special sleeves.
The use of pellets is a convenient and environmentally friendly solution. It is not surprising that almost all of Europe has already switched to such fuel.