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Development and promotion of a transparent European Pellets Market
Creation of a European real-time Pellets Atlas
Deliverable 5.1
Final report on producers, traders and consumers
of mixed biomass pellets
Copyright ©
Baltic Energy Conservation Agency
ul. Budowlanych 31
80-298 Gdansk, Poland
October 2009
Edited by
Baltic Energy Conservation Agency
Edmund Wach
Małgorzata Bastian
Contact
[email protected]
Tel. +48 58 347 55 34
This report is available at the pellets@las website at www.pelletsatlas.info
The pellets@las project is supported by the European Commission under the EIE programme
(EIE/06/020/SI2.448557). The sole responsibility for the content of this report lies with the authors. It
does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is
not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
D5.1 – Final report on producers, traders and consumers of mixed biomass pellets
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
4
2. General results
7
3. Situation by country
11
-
Austria
11
-
Belgium
13
-
Bulgaria
14
-
Cyprus
15
-
Czech Republic
16
-
Denmark
17
-
Estonia
19
-
Finland
20
-
France
21
-
Germany
24
-
Greece
26
-
Hungary
27
-
Ireland
28
-
Italy
29
-
Luxembourg
32
-
Malta
32
-
Netherlands
33
-
Norway
34
-
Poland
35
-
Portugal
37
-
Romania
38
-
Slovakia
39
-
Slovenia
40
-
Spain
41
-
Sweden
43
-
Switzerland
44
-
United Kingdom
44
BAPE
1. INTRODUCTION
At the moment, fuel pellets are mainly made from sawdust, wood chips and wood shavings. The
market has essentially expanded in Sweden, Denmark and Austria, due to the availability of natural
resources and political reasons. Nowadays, the competition with the particleboard industry and the
current increased demand for wood pellets, both on the residential market and for large-scale use,
may lead to a future lack of sawdust and shavings. If demand (and prices) continues to rise, other
biomass wastes than sawdust, wood chips and shavings will be considered for pellet production.
Agricultural residues are among those future new raw materials. On the other hand, in southern
European countries, forest areas are far less important and forest industry is consequently far less
developed; in those conditions, the question of the agricultural residues potential may be tackled even
more directly.
Compared to wood, the most significant characteristics of straw are higher hemi-cellulose contents
and lower contents of cellulose and lignin. A tiny piece of straw tissue or an individual straw cell has
therefore lower tensile strength and lower compressive strength. Yet, this is a rather broad statement,
and large variations exist among individual species.
Table 1 – Comparison of tissue composition for straw, softwoods and hardwoods
Straw
Softwoods
Hardwoods
100
100
100
79
76
95
93
3
8
11
<0.5
<0.5
7
13
13
4.5
6.5
Cell wall composition, %
100
100
100
100
100
Cellulose
40
40
35
45
42
Hemi-cellulose
45
40
55
25
38
Lignin
15
20
10
30
20
Stalk
Node
Leaf
Plant composition, %
100
100
Cell wall
90
Silica
Extractives
Page 4
BAPE
Table 2 – General characteristics of straw and wood pellets, and their respective raw materials
Density
(kg/m3)
Moisture
% w.b.
LHV
(MJ/kg)
Ash
(% d.m.)
Energy density
(GJ/m3)
Straw (chopped)
50
10-20
14.5
5
0.7
Straw (big bales)
130
10-18
14.5
5
1.9
Straw pellets
600
< 10
15
5
9
Wood chips
250
10-50
11-17
0.5
4.3
Sawdust
200
20-50
12-17
0.5
3.4
Wood pellets
650
< 10
17.5
0.5
11.4
Coal
850
10-15
24
12
20.4
Straw for example, contains high amounts of potassium and sodium. These alkali compounds are
present in all annual crops and crop residues in particular. During combustion, alkali combines with
silica and causes slagging and fouling problems in conventional combustion equipment designed for
burning wood at higher temperatures. Volatile alkali also lowers the fusion temperature of ash: in
conventional combustion equipment having furnace gas exit temperatures above 800°C, combustion
of agricultural residues causes slagging and deposits on heat transfer surfaces. Specially designed
boilers with lower furnace exit temperatures or low operation temperature (such as FBC systems) can
reduce slagging and fouling from combustion of these fuels.
The content of K+ and Cl- is a major obstacle for an efficient utilization of straw as a fuel for power
production, due to slagging problems as well as corrosion. The most efficient and economically feasible
option for the removal of those undesirable components is the leaching of straw using natural
precipitation in the field. Regarding the correlation between fallen precipitation in the field and K+
leached, researchers observed that the effectiveness of washed K+ reached a maximum with about a
25 mm of rainfall. Beyond that volume, leaching efficiency decreases, supposedly because of a
phenomenon of water saturation and in relation with the frequency of the wetting and drying periods.
When leached, "yellow" straw turns into "grey" straw and has a slightly increased calorific value.
% d.m.
Yellow straw
Grey straw
Nitrogen (N)
0.35
0.41
Potassium (K)
1.18
0.22
Chlorine (Cl)
0.75
0.20
Sulphur (S)
0.16
0.13
Experiments showed that straw pellets can be used as a fuel in large boilers, whereas ash and
particularly slagging problems make them less suitable for usage in small boiler plants. Straw pellets
can be pressed with an anti-slagging agent (e.g., kaolin) so as to counteract the tendency of the ash to
become viscid and form clinker. The calorific value of those pellets seems to be somehow lower than
the average.
Page 5
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The first and direct consequence of increased ash contents for small scale stoves and boilers is that ash
boxes will have to be emptied more frequently, which is quite negative as far as users’ convenience is
concerned. Considering that the ash pan should normally be emptied once every 5 to 15 days with
wood pellets depending on the consumption, straw pellets would oblige to remove ashes almost
everyday when energy consumption reaches a maximum. Obviously, it also depends on the size of the
ash pan, and this one seems precisely to reduce the need for removal and increase the convenience of
the appliances.
Straw ash contains nutrients, primarily potassium and other soil fertilising matter like magnesium,
phosphorus, and calcium and can therefore be applied in agriculture as fertiliser. Depending on the
scale of the biomass plant, ash is either recycled to the fields and forests (in case of larger plants) or
more likely stored in landfills (in case of smaller plants) or used in gardens or disposed of in the public
waste (individual use). In any case, agricultural application of ash must meet national legislations.
Straw pellets are more friable and thus produce more fines. An increased amount of fines often causes
failure of the feeding systems used in the residential heating sector. An increased amount of dust in
the air also rises the risk of dust explosion. To a greater extent than for wood, delivery problems are a
challenge to the use of more friable pellets such as the ones made from straw without binding agent.
A significant barrier to the development of biomass fuels might be the supply reliability and quality of
the raw material, and the consequent quality of densified fuels. It should be noted that straw yields
vary greatly with varieties, soil, climatic conditions and fertilising. In addition this last aspect triggers
problems concerning the variability of quality. Straw quantities can vary also considerably by growing
season, with markedly lower production in abnormally dry years.
Straw-fired plants built today are rather using straw directly. Considering operation costs, it is much
more beneficial to combust straw bales than pelletised straw. The transportation costs for straw bales
remain far lower than the cost of pelletising. With this in mind, the main possibilities for straw pellet
development lay in the conversion of existing energy plants, as illustrated by the Amager example in
Denmark.
[Source: “Analysis of the technical obstacles related to the production and utilisation of fuel pellets
made from agricultural residues”, Pellets for Europe project, Olivier Pastre EUBIA]
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2. GENERAL RESULTS OF THE DATA COLLECTION
Mixed biomass pellets (MBP) have a great potential in enlarging the use of biomass for energy
conversion. With the exhaustion of biomass residues for wood pellets production (particularly
sawdust) the production of MBP will be of greater interest to project developers and biomass
producers. Hence, in this market not the availability of the biomass resource is the most critical factor,
but the availability of a sales market itself.
MBP are a newcomer on the pellet market, and national quality standards for MBP do not exist
(reference only on CEN standards). Furthermore, MBP are currently hardly used in domestic small
scale applications (due to technical problems accompanying their burning). Therefore, trade and
market structures for MBP differ from those for wood pellets. For many European countries a market
for MBP does simply not exist.
The research made by project partners shows that in 11 countries, out of 27 covered by their
investigation, no MBP market exists. Market development in the remaining 16 countries is not
impressive, though. Noticeable sales may be observed only in Denmark and Finland. Also, large
consumers appeared on the British market, and this will probably stimulate further market growth.
Activities are mainly happening on bilateral agreements between producer and consumer. In order to
give an outline of the small existing MBP market, and to give new markets the opportunity to create
transparent market structures right from the beginning of their development, the Pellets@las project
investigated the existing markets by data collections from producers, traders and consumers about
their locations, about the amount of produced / traded / consumed pellets and about prices. However,
the small size of the companies, changes of their production profile and minor production volumes
made this task rather complicated. This document presents all information one may trace on MBP in
Europe.
As the combustion properties of most agricultural raw materials and waste products do not equal the
advantageous chemical characteristics of wood fuels (e.g. higher element contents, worse ash
softening behaviour, higher ash contents etc.), the use of MBP is mainly suitable for medium to large
scale heat and power plants. These plants can be equipped cost-effectively with flue gas cleaning
systems that meet national laws and regulations for the combustion of agricultural products. However,
one may notice single cases of MBP utilisation by individual, small users. These trials usually do not last
long, as technical problems with the equipment occur. Some burning equipment manufacturers have
already started intensive R&D works on the appliances adjusted to MBP burning, predicting further
growth of this sector.
Page 7
BAPE
Countries with
developing MBP markets
Countries with
some initiatives under way
Countries with
no MBP market
Czech Republic
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Greece
Bulgaria
Finland
Sweden
Cyprus
France
Estonia
Germany
Ireland
Hungary
Luxembourg
Italy
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Romania
Spain
Slovenia
United Kingdom
Switzerland
It is not easy to comment on collected data, as no common conclusions may be drawn. Many
companies operate on experimental level only. It happens that due to lacking legal regulations, or
unfavourable economic conditions, further production is not possible. However, in many cases, one
may expect further development of these markets, as large consumers appear (large plants interested
in co-firing) and fuel is needed to satisfy their demand. Also, boilers’ manufacturers claim that they
work intensively to create small scale appliances that will efficiently burn MBP. Their success will
stimulate a large market of individual users.
Page 8
BAPE
Generally, 56 companies have been identified:
Data collected on installed production capacities and level of real production are presented below:
Page 9
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Breakdown of installed capacities by country:
*) Installed production capacity in France is very high, but the production is mainly destined for food
industry, therefore not relevant for our data collection
Below exemplary prices of some companies are presented:
Total production is often contracted for large consumers and no market price exists.
A wide range of biomass raw materials is used for MBP production in Europe. These include soy husk,
coffee husk, sunflower shells, straw, hay, rapecake, olive stones and almond shells.
Detailed information on particular European markets is presented below.
Page 10
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3. SITUATION BY COUNTRY
MBP market in Austria
General information:
At the moment a MBP market hardly exists. There is only one company selling straw pellets as heating
fuel (production started only in the end of 2008).
Still there are many discussions and projects about the use of MBP. Listed below are projects based
on the possible use of biomass:
•
In Upper Austria Miscanthus is cultivated on an area of nearly 400 hectare already. A project
group called “ARGE Elefantenwärme” was formed to promote their product. It is sold as horse
bedding, burned directly or worked to briquettes. The pelletizing process was too expensive.
•
Another company produces straw pellets with a production capacity of 4000-5000
tonnes/year but doesn´t sell them as heating material because of the missing legal regulations. Straw
pellets are granulated again and sold as horse bedding.
•
In the course of a project hay pellets were produced and the quality investigated. Costs were
high throughout the production chain and it was impossible to fire the hay pellets in standard
commercial wood pellets firings due to higher ash content and lower ash softening point of the
agricultural biomass. Boiler companies are working on new developments to control these properties.
[data source: Rathbauer J. 2006: Nutzungsalternative Gras als Brennstoff, FJ-BLT Wieselburg]
Some heating systems manufacturers already offer special boilers for agripellets that make it possible
to meet the proposed requirements for the maximum emission values. The main barrier for the use of
MBPs is the current legal situation in Austria.
Location of MBP producers:
Page 11
BAPE
Name of the company
Oberwaltersdorfer
Kommunalbetriebs GmbH
City
Oberwaltersdorf
Production capacity:
Real production:
Average prices:
Pellets quality:
Traders:
Consumers:
6000 t/y
1000 tonnes in 2008
No official price available
An Austrian standard on straw pellets is pending.
Factory outlet only
District heating
Page 12
www
-
BAPE
MBP market in Belgium
There is little information about the Belgian MBP market. According to the Belgian biomass
association (VALBIOM), no MBP market exists in the Wallonia Region.
At the moment it seems that MBP development is hampered by the use of traditional wood fuel
(logs, chips, pellets).
At this time, no real development is foreseen until specific issues as combustion quality and durability
of devices will be solved.
Some R&D works on the combustion of straw pellets have been lead by UCL (University of Louvain)
and especially the faculty of Applied Sciences.
Page 13
BAPE
MBP market in Bulgaria
Solid agricultural wastes can be used for energy production - mainly straw, corn stalks, sunflower
corns and stalks, tobacco stalks, wastes from vineyards and orchards trimming. Assessments show
that in Bulgaria about 30 % of available straw, 65 % of the corn-stalks and about 80 % of the rest of
solid agricultural wastes can be considered for energy purposes, which makes about 800 000 tonnes
annually. Generation of this type of waste is in direct dependence on the yield and harvested areas
for the respective year. Utilisation of this type of biomass depends, to a large degree, on the
development of technologies for prior treatment and biomass preparation for the subsequent
transformation into energy.
There is hardly any information about the Bulgarian MBP market. According to the Austrian biomass
association there is no MBP market in Bulgaria.
One market actor in Bulgaria, selling seeds for the energy crop Rumex OK 2 “Uteush“, reported on
plans to cultivate the crop for electricity production by means of direct firing only.
Another company gives information on the internet website concerning the production of “pellets
out of wood sawdust or other energy crops – such as straw, corn stalks, wheat, corn, sunflower
flakes, etc;”.
At the moment it seems that the production of MBPs competes strongly with the direct firing of
biomass, due to higher investment costs for the pellets production.
For the future it will matter which kind of biomass is mainly promoted under the national short-term
programmes.
[data origin: Ministry of Economy and Energy 2008: National long-term programme to encourage the use of biomass for the
Period 2008-2020]
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MBP market in Cyprus
There is no pellets production in the country (wood or MBP). The current use of biomass is limited to
log wood burning in household fireplaces, and in special cases for energy purposes in wood
industries, where wood by-products are burned in large boilers without any processing.
The main factors hampering pellet market development are:
•
Lacking national support policies and lacking social awareness;
•
Warm climate resulting in limited domestic heat demand;
•
Lack of water and arable land; Competition with other biomass use types;
On the other hand, Cyprus is heavily dependent on energy imports. Increased MBP usage could help
to decrease this dependency and contribute to rural development. For that reason, the Institute of
Agricultural Research of Cyprus carries out research in order to determine the energy plants that can
be cultivated in Cyprus for different kinds of biofuel production.
Page 15
BAPE
MBP market in Czech Republic
The company ECOVER (a co-operative farm located in the Central Bohemian Region) is the holder of a
patent for the production of bio-fuel pellets made from non-wooden agricultural by-products. Due to
low production costs, this bio-fuel became very attractive and the company now awarded the
production license to at least ten other legal entities in the country. Altogether, it is estimated that
several thousand tonnes of this bio-fuel are produced currently by these manufacturers.
Source: www.access-ret.net
Name of the company
Druzstvo EKOVER
ZZN Polabi a.s.
Vopol a.s.
Agrochem a.s. Lanskroun
MJM Litovel a.s.
BIMPEX s.r.o
Real production:
Page 16
City
Brezovice
Kolin V
Pomezi u Policky
Lanskroun
Litovel
Presov
www
www.sps-mb.cz/ecover.en
www.zznpolabi.cz
www.agrochem.cz
www.mjm.cz
-
several thousand tonnes
several thousand tonnes
BAPE
MBP market in Denmark
The straw potential in Denmark is presented in the table below. Residues originate mainly from
wheat and barley. The total amount of agricultural residues is 8.3 million tonnes corresponding to an
energy resource of approximately 33 TWh.
Agricultural residues potential
Wheat
Durum wheat
Rye
Barley
Oats and mixed cereals
Maize
Other cereals
Total
1000 t
3796
0
486
3821
251
0
0
8354
Table: Agricultural residues potential, Denmark, 2000.
The Danish MBP market is not very developed. It consists of two types of supply chains:
•
The first consists of approx. 8 manufacturers that sell small amounts of MBP in order to
satisfy the needs of small to medium scale customers, who demand a cheap fuel and wish to
experiment with their plant installation. Most of the manufacturers market feed pellets or
rape seed oil, and sell a few tonnes of mainly rape seed cake pellets for fuel purposes. Two
manufacturers market sunflower seed shell pellets. Character of these small manufacturers
makes it irrelevant to talk about MBP production capacity and actual production.
•
The second type is made out by one large manufacturer, the utility company Vattenfall that
produces annually 80-100,000 tonnes of straw pellets at the factory in Køge for its own use at
the plant Amagerværket in Copenhagen. In 2008 80,000 tonnes have been used in an old
block at the plant, while in 2009 a newly refurbished block will be put in operation and is
expected to use 100,000 tonnes annually along with a significant amount of wood pellets.
Straw for the straw pellets is bought locally/regionally from farmers on Sealand.
During the past 20 years Denmark has seen several projects on development, production and
combustion of MBP, however, the conclusion has often been that possible advantages within price
and heating value do not outweigh the risks of malfunctions of the combustion plant.
There are numerous examples of plant owners that have bought and used cheap pellets in their
residential wood pellet plants, and shortly after have had to remove hard cindered slag from vital
boiler parts. Due to these experiences as well as corrosion and fouling experiences in larger plants,
Danish consultants and the Centre for Biomass Technology have been rather reluctant to recommend
the use of MBP.
Page 17
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Denmark has very good and long experience with using straw locally in small district heating plants, as
well as regionally in medium sized CHP plants, and centrally in large CHP blocks. All these plants are
dedicated to loose straw combustion, ranging up to very advanced steam data and high efficiency.
There is simply no need to introduce pellets in these plants. However, in future, when co-firing will be
more relevant, it cannot be ruled out that MBP might play a role.
Name of the company
Vattenfall A/S
Aller Mølle
Østjysk Rapsolie
Sdr. Feldings Bioenergi I/S
Nørkærgård Rapsolie & Rapspiller
Grøn Eneregi
Unipres
BlochBioenergi
BioSyd
Actual production:
Average prices:
Pellets quality:
Traders:
Consumers:
Page 18
City
Køge
Christiansfeld
Fredericia
Sdr. Felding
Ringkøbing
Nyborg
Saltum
Varde
Lundby
www
www.vattenfall.dk
www.aller-molle.dk
www.jysk-rapsolie.dk
www.vestjysk-rapsolie.dk
http://gronenergi.dk
www.unipres.dk
www.blochbioenergi.dk
http://biosyd.dk
130000
110000
N/A
No specification
See section above
BAPE
MBP market in Estonia
The idea of producing pellets from other materials than wood is quite new in Estonia. Research
activities on non-wood biofuels addresses both agricultural biomass (e.g. straw) and non-agricultural
biomass (mainly reed).
Considerable amounts of non-wood biomass are available for energy purposes in Estonia. The amount
of agricultural straw was ca. 810 thousand tons in the year 2007 [Olt, Kiviloo & Laur 2008] and the
potential for reed is 105 thousand tons [Kask & Kask 2007]. 894 tons of straw were used in 2007 for
energy production, which is about 0.1% of the whole straw yield.
Peat usage for energy purposes is an important topic in Estonia. Also peat pellet production is well
understood. Usually milled peat is used and the technology is similar to wood pelletizing. However,
there is still no peat pellet market in the Baltic States, as peat is used traditionally as sod peat (in
district heating boiler plants) or briquettes (households). With the slowly growing popularity of wood
pellets also the peat pellet market might develop.
Page 19
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MBP market in Finland
In 2008 the MBP market represented approximately 30% of the whole pellet market (approx. 120
thousand tons).
This mainly concerns peat pellets, for which the market barriers are of non-technical nature. Instead,
legislation hampers further use. In the EU peat is not considered as a renewable resource. Due to the
technological aspects of wood pellets producing – easier and cheaper - and the fact that Finland has
huge wood reserves, one may presume that the share of MBP in pellet market will not grow further.
Page 20
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MBP market in France
All existing MBP production plants were formerly active in the feed industry, especially in dehydration
of alfalfa (cattle feed). For environmental (regulation on coal combustion, CO2 emissions) and
economic reasons (new markets), agro pellets were tested to supply local consumers (mainly
households or farmers) in rural areas.
Only small quantities have been produced because of lacking regulations on agro pellets, and since
the start of market development in 2005, the French MBP market remained at small local level.
Page 21
BAPE
Company
ALPHA LUZERNE
NATURAL ENERGIE
DUREPAIRE SAS
SODEM
MG GRANULES
SARL CVE (Combustible
Végétal Ecologique)
RAGT
COOPERATIVE DE BLE
www
www.naturalenergie.com
www.thermobois.fr
www.mg-granules.com
http://cve-bouchons.paille.overblog.com
www.ragt.fr
www.coopdeble.fr
Production
3 000
8000 (*)
50 000 (*)
1000 ?
500 ?
Capacity
30 000
20 000
50 000
50 000
12 000
1000 ?
20 000
1 000
2 000
200 000
25 000
(*) all these productions are mainly sold to food industry
Real production:
Average prices:
Pellets quality:
407 000 tonnes
66 500 tonnes
(58 000 tonnes are sold to food industry)
120 €/ton
Thanks to “NF Granules Biocombustibles”, a French quality brand,
which certifies pellets produced from wood or agricultural byproducts, standardization for MBP is available in France.
Two possibilities to be standardized:
- Agro + : automatic and domestic biofuel boilers
- Agro: automatic boilers (biomass, mobile grille) according to
technical specifications of devices manufacturers
Page 22
BAPE
Pellets quality:
Specifications
Dimensions
AGRO+
AGRO
D = 6 to 8 mm ± 1mm
D = 6 to 16 mm ± 1mm
L = 10 to 30 mm
L = 10 to 30 mm
Moisture content
≤ 11%
≤ 15%
Net caloric value (MJ/kg)
≥ 15.5
≥ 14.7
Net caloric value (kWh/kg)
≥ 4.3
≥ 4.1
Bulk density (Kg/m3)
≥ 650
≥ 650
Mechanical durability
≥ 95%
≥ 92%
Amount of fines (after production)
≤ 2%
≤ 3%
Ash Content
≤ 5%
≤ 7%
Cl Content (on dry matter)
≤ 0.2%
≤ 0.3%
N Content (on dry matter)
≤ 1.5%
≤ 2%
S Content (on dry matter)
≤ 0.2%
≤ 0.2%
Ash temperature
Agro+ ≥ 1000°C
Agro ≥ 800°C
Heavy metals (mg/kg)
As
≤1
Cu
≤ 40
Cr
≤ 10
Cd
≤ 0.5
Hg
≤ 0.1
Ni
≤ 15
Pb
≤ 10
Zn
≤ 60
Page 23
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MBP market in Germany
The MBP market in Germany is still at the initial stage.
MBP, mainly straw pellets, are produced by several small producers (at least 10), and the annual
production capacity is probably still below 20,000 tonnes.
The produced straw pellets are mostly used for purposes such as littering or animal feeding, and their
use for heat and energy production is insignificant.
One type of organisations involved are drying cooperatives (Trocknungsgenossenschaften), who
specialize in drying all kinds of biomass (also wood for wood pellet production). Some of them (there
might be more than listed in the table below) also produce straw pellets for several forms of usage.
Production capacities installed can be significant, but they are usually only partly used for MBP
production. Typical production volumes would be 1,000 tonnes per year, of which only a fraction is
marketed for energy purposes. Some of the listed companies only market their product for littering.
Pusch AG is a company following a special business strategy. The company plans to set up
decentralised MBP production capacities. Basis will be a licensing system, in which special pellet
production equipment is given to farmers, who produce MBP from local agricultural and waste
materials. Two types of pellets will be produced: one type made of dry manure, remains of biogas
production and other available materials will be produced for the combustion in large scale plants.
The other type will be made of other available plant materials, without the use of waste materials, for
the combustion in household heating. Currently, the company is engaged in Romania, where the
concept (including boiler contracting schemes) is promoted in schools and other public buildings.
MBP are rarely used for heating purposes in households, because most boilers are optimised for the
use of wood pellets and the use of e.g. straw pellets can cause technical problems, although some
boiler producers are working on the adaptation of boilers to the use of MBP.
The use of MBP in larger combustion units (> 100 kW) does not seem to be feasible, compared to the
direct use of straw bales.
Although straw is available in large amounts in Germany, the prices for straw are volatile depending
on the harvest period. Thus, the production of MBP might not be feasible in unfavourable harvest
years. This does not promote consumer confidence.
Page 24
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Name of the company
Kaliro GbR
Natur Energie Ostalb
Trocknungswerk Donaualtheim
Landw. Trocknungsgen. Neuhof
a.d.Zenn eG
Pusch AG
HTN GmbH
Lange & Meyer GbR
Agrarhandel B+B Müller
BauerPower
Reinhard Wissmiller
Real production:
Average prices:
Pellets quality:
Traders:
Consumers:
Page 25
City
Rheine
Ellwangen
Donaualtheim
Neuhof a.d. Zenn
www
www.kaliro.de
www.naturenergie-ostalb.de
-www.neuhof-eg.de
Marienrachdorf
Drognitz
Hilgermissen
Dietingen-Böhringen
Rüsselsheim
Bad Wörishofen
www.pusch.ag
www.htn-heros.de
www.strohpellets.de
www.agrarhandel-mueller.de
www.energievomland.de
www.1streu.de
< 20 000 tonnes
approx. 15 000 tonnes
160 – 180 €/tonne
No specification
Trade is organised by producers
Mainly households
(consumption below 5 000 tonnes)
BAPE
MBP market in Greece
In Greece the MBP market remains at initial stage.
Only one company produces MBP officially. There are two more companies producing MBP, but on
experimental level. Furthermore, there is one company which will start the production of both wood
pellets and MBP in 2009. However, there is no formal quality standard for MBP in Greece.
Greek legislation does not cover MBP production, which is a significant drawback for this market to
expand. There is a major need for legal coverage of this market, in order to promote it.
Name of the company
ANGELOUSIS SA
Real production:
Average prices:
Pellets quality:
Traders:
Consumers:
Page 26
City
VELESTINO - VOLOS
www
-
20.000 tonnes
50 tonnes (90% exported to Italy)
210€/tonne
no formal quality standard for MBP
Do not exist
Do not exist
BAPE
MBP market in Hungary
Despite the availability of large amounts of agricultural biomass, this large potential for MBP
production is not used in Hungary.
There are only two permanent pellet producers active in the market (listed in the table).
The spatial distribution of the market actors is determined by the distribution of arable land which
concentrates in the south eastern part of the country where also the MBP producers are located.
Besides the two active MBP producers, numerous plans for establishing MBP production facilities have
appeared, but ended due to several reasons.
Concerning raw material potentials, a wide range of feedstocks can be used in Hungary to produce
mixed biomass pellets. Based on the assessment of the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development the amount of the available raw material (mostly by-product e.g. straw) from
agriculture would be around 5.5 million tons.
Agripellets are mainly (over 90 %) produced for the domestic market. Sometimes regional biomass
power plants buy bigger amounts of pellets (according to the interviewed producer). In Hungary,
innovation is advanced in small- and medium-scale boiler design, such as Carborobot, just to mention
one brand, to use different kind of solid fuels with a single equipment.
In general, the market status can be described by the absence of broad range of consumers and
trading chains. Consequently production is limited.
Name of the company
T. & T. Technik Kft.
Cropell
City
Szentes
Derekegyház
Production capacity
Real production:
Average prices:
Pellets quality:
approx. 4 000 – 5 000 tons
3000 tons
30000 – 40000 HUF (111-148 Euro)
No regulations / agreements on pellets quality
Page 27
www
http://www.tandttechnik.hu/
http://cropell.hu/
BAPE
MBP market in Ireland
Currently, there is no known production or use of MBP in Ireland.
The Bioenergy Action Plan of 2007 for Ireland (p.15) states that total straw production in Ireland is in
the order of 1.m - 1.4m tones, with current uses being: animal bedding and ploughing back. With a
typical energy value of 13.5 MJ/kg (at a moisture content of 20%) the Plan states that the theoretical
straw energy resource is about 16-20PJ (4500-5500 GWh). A Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) study
examining the resource, estimated that in reality about 10% of this would be available for utilisation
on a practical and economic basis, i.e. 1,8PJ or 500 GWh.
Teagasc (the Irish Agricultural and Food Development Agency) is examining the economics of using
dry residues, such as straw, for heating purposes in various forms and state on their website (text
undated):
‘Straw as fuel will be more difficult to develop (than wood). Probably its best short-term prospect is as
heating fuel, either in pellets or chopped or in whole bales. The large boiler fuel market, supplied in
baled or pelletized form, may be the best opportunity. A feasibility study is needed on straw pellets.
They would have several advantages over loose straw, but their properties, especially ash content,
would be inferior to wood pellets. This may limit their use in domestic stoves. The scale necessary for
cost-efficient straw pellet production also needs to be clarified.’
Teagasc conclude that pellets made from dust are the best option and only when sawdust supplies are
exhausted, would other other sources of raw materials, such as wood residues, cereal and rape straw
and energy crops, such as willow or miscanthus, be considered as alternative feedstock for pellet
production. Another issue highlighted in relation to straw is that straw prices in Ireland fluctuate
widely, and large supplies are unlikely to be available at prices that would make its widespread use as
a fuel economical.
With a high dependence on imported fossil fuels for the production of electricity (approximately 90%said to be the highest in Europe) and stretching targets for the production of electricity (and energy
generally) from renewable energy, there is a desire in Ireland to look at non-fossil fuel alternatives,
particularly those that can be home grown.
However, it would appear that the wood pellet market has yet to reach its full potential in terms of
the use of available raw materials and that it is unlikely that other sources of biomass for the
production of pellets will be looked at, until the existing wood fuel resource has been more fully
realised.
Straw is one material that could be used for the production of MBP, but there are concerns about its
physical effect on plant and its economic feasibility resulting from large price fluctuations, due to
weather related variations in supply and the level of demand from other sectors, particularly animal
bedding.
Page 28
BAPE
MBP market in Italy
Mixed biomass pellet market is in its early stages in Italy. Even if MBP production and usage is very
present in the media and in the public discussion, MBP production is still very limited. The small
amounts of MBP actually produced in Italy are mainly used in medium and large scale power and CHP
plants.
3 MBP producers operate in Italy, all of them with very limited production. Installed production
capacities on the other hand are considerable, but cannot be fully used due top a lack of demand,
especially in the residential heat sector. In order to develop this sector for MBP, market actors are
working on improving chemical characteristics of MBP, as well as the adaptation of burning
equipment to MBP usage.
For now, the use of MBP in large scale applications (e.g. co-firing) remains the most realistic usage
type. MBP might become a serious alternative in this sector, even if a reliable supply with MBP
cannot be guaranteed at the moment and production capacities still need to be developed.
Olive stones and olive residues are promising feedstocks for MBP production. They are currently
being used within the related industries but their utilization may have positive effects on overall MBP
market development in Italy.
Page 29
BAPE
Name of the company
Cooperativa Le Rene
Roana Cereali
Azienda agricola Tripaldi
Roberto
City
Coltano - Pisa
Rovigo
Vibo Valencia
Real production:
Traders:
Consumers:
Raw materials used:
www
www.lerene.it
http://www.roanacereali.com/
http://www.tipicimediterranei.it/Nocciolino-diSansa/nocciolino-di-sansa-di-olive.html
45 000 tonnes
Self traiders
Owners of boilers
Miscanthus, cereals, olive stones
Comments on companies´ activities:
Cooperative Le Rene: used a pilot plantation (Miscanthus) for the MBP production. It is unclear
how Miscanthus will be marketed in the future and if pellet production will be continued.
Roana Cereali: Their product (Agrifire pellets) is a mixture of cereals (cultivated in set aside area not
suitable for food production) and wood residues. Physical and chemical characteristics of the
product
are
shown
in
the
table
below
(see
also:
http://www.roanacereali.com/agri_fire_homepage.html). It seems that the area used for cereal
production is not available any more and further production of these mixed pellets is uncertain.
Characteristics
Diameter
Higher calorific value
Moisture
Specific weight
S
Organic solvent
Ash
Units
mm
Kwh/kg
%
% p/p
mg/gg
%
Value
6
5.20
9
0.85
0.075
< 0,05
1.2
Below some details of the preparation of Agrifire pellets are listed.
• The cereals: non-food (mais, corn, sorgum). Only grains are used as their calorific value is higher
and less ashes are created during burning phases. When the grains are processed, the moisture
content is around 13-14%.
• Wood logs: beech, fir and poplar are chipped and dried. Then, both raw materials are mixed and
solvent is added. The solvent is used, not for the physical durability, but to reduce the
encrustation.
Page 30
BAPE
Azienda agricola Tripaldi Roberto: Their core business is olive oil production. During the last years,
the company started to satisfy the thermal demand of the oil mill by the utilization of olive residues as
fuels. Some information on the chemical and physical properties of olive stones can be found in the
following table.
Characteristics
Ash
Moisture
N
Organic solvent
Lower calorific value
Units
%(m/m)
%(m/m)
mg/kg
Assenti
kcal/kg
Value
≤4
≤ 15
≤ 30
≥ 4.000
This product is becoming a real alternative to wood fuels. Some of its properties are listed below:
• Lower cost: the price is lower than in the case of traditional wood pellets, but it is strongly
connected with the seasonal availability and with olive production. Prices may vary from 120 –
170 €/ton, at least 15% less than pellets.
• Versatile utilization: the product is granular and is available in bulk or in 20-25 kg bags.
• It is an economic, eco-friendly fuel, available mostly in winter season, as olive product is
processed during that period.
• The product can be derived from two kinds of raw material:
a) Olive residues with no treatment: no physical/chemical processing
b) Olive residues treated: during the production of oil some mechanical processing is made.
Additional information on olive residues:
Until few years ago, not all types of olive residues were allowed for heating purposes. In fact the
Italian decree dated 8 March 2002, mentioned that only residues classified as a) were allowed to be
used. Since 2006 (D.Lgs n. 152 del 3/04/06 ed al d.p.c.m. 8/10/04) also residues classified as b) are
allowed to be used for heating purposes. After 3 years, the effect on the market is visible.
Utilization of this fuel may grow in future in specific areas, having long tradition in olive processing.
Today there at least 402 olive mills in 13 regions, in Italy (data are available at the following link
http://www.frantoionline.it/frantoi/index.php).
Page 31
BAPE
MBP market in Luxembourg
No MBP market exists in Luxembourg. There is no domestic production of pellets (wood or MBP) and
wood pellets are imported, mainly from Grmany and Belgium.
(Bendieck et al, 2006; Sollet publication "Guideline for combined solar thermal and wood pellet heating systems" )
MBP market in Malta
Malta is heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels for all its energy needs. This factor is a strong
motivator to find means to increase fuel diversity and to use renewable and indigenous energy
sources. Mixed Biomass Pellets are not an option, because there is negligible potential for biofuels
from agriculture. The limited freshwater resources (50% of potable water is supplied from
desalination), high population density and poor soil fertility contribute to this situation.
Page 32
BAPE
MBP market in the Netherlands
2006 & 2007:
About 15.000 ton of soy husks in pelletised form were bought by Dutch utilities from the Dutch agro
industry. The exact origin of these pellets is unknown. Also about 10.000 tons of other mixed biomass
pellets were imported in 2007. All MBP were used for co-firing.
2008:
One utility used 10.000 tonnes of MBP pellets (produced from agricultural residues) for co-firing with
coal to produce renewable electricity. The origin of these MBP pellets was Western Europe, but more
detailed information was not available.
Furthermore, the utility Essent started a pilot project with the use of MBP (coffee husks), imported
from Brazil. These coffee husk pellets were co-fired in the Amer coal power plant. The initial intention
was to increase imports annually to reach 250.000 tonnes per year in 2013. However, due to lacking
policy support, Essent decided to stop the import of coffee husk pellets for the time being, as it is
economically not possible to use them at this point in time. As soon as a subsidy scheme is put in
place that sufficiently rewards the use of MBP pellets, Essent intends to resume the use of MBP.
(Personal Communicaiton with I. Howes, Biofuels Portfolio Manager, September 2009)
Use of mixed biomass pellets by Dutch power plants
(Source: Utrecht University)
16,000
MBP use in the
Netherlands (tonnes)
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
2006
2007
2008
Year
Soja Husk
Coffee Husk
(byproduct Dutch agro industry)
(byproduct Dutch agro industry)
Other MBP (imported)
Real production:
Traders:
Consumers:
Page 33
no information available
0
2
large scale industrial consumers:
Essent
Large-scale utilities wishing to remain anonymous
BAPE
MBP market in Norway
Consumption of biomass for energy purposes in Norway is very limited. Norway has large hydro
power capacity and is self-sufficient with oil. New power capacity is mainly based on natural gas.
Norwegian biomass consumption is mainly in the shape of wood logs for residential heating and wood
pellets for an emerging pellet market. According to the Norwegian Biomass Association, NOBIO and
some interviewed wood pellet market actors, there is no production and no market for MBPs in
Norway.
Page 34
BAPE
MBP market in Poland
Production of mixed biomass pellets constantly increases in Poland.
However, the market is hard to describe due to the quickly changing situation. Companies often
change their production profile. Depending on the general market situation, demand, raw material
availability and price they temporarily change between wood pellet and MBP production.
In addition to the use of agricultural by-products for MBP production, also the usage of food industry
residues occurs. One coffee production plant in Poland started to produce pellets from their
production residues in order to decrease the volume of wastes, which are difficult to handle. These
pellets serve as a fuel in two regional schools.
Several traders claim to import sunflower shell pellets from Ukraine, but it is difficult to estimate the
volume of imported pellets.
Raw material resources are difficult to estimate, however straw surpluses that can be used by the
energy sector are assessed at 10 million tonnes. One factor hampering increased used of straw for
MBP production is the reluctance of farmers to eneter long-term supply contracts. As long as straw
producers can vary their prices freely, the development of straw prices remains a high risk for
potential straw pellet producers.
2. Location of MBP producers:
Page 35
BAPE
Name of the company
Opec-bio Sp. z o.o.
PBH Załubski
„NASZA ENERGIA” Benedykt Nowak
PPUH Walerian Grzegorz FABICH
Vivena
FUREL
City
Grudziądz
Jelcz Laskowice
Sztum
Drawsko Pomorskie
Krzanowice, Miękinia
Biały Bór
www
www.pelet.zalubski.pl
www.fabich.pl
www.vivena.pl
www.pellet.com.pl
Production capacity
Real production:
Average prices:
Pellets quality:
Traders:
Consumers:
40 000 tonnes
350 – 390 PLN (83-93 Euro)
No regulations / agreements on pellets quality
impossible to track, too small companies
large CHP plants- use MBP for co-firing
*) 1 Euro = 4,20 PLN
Page 36
BAPE
MBP market in Portugal
There is no MBP market in Portugal. Also the wood pellet market started developing only recently as
significant production capacities were installed in 2008.
As there is no domestic demand for pellets (wood or MBP), the major part of wood pellets produced
in Portugal is exported. Export opportunities for MBP hardly exist and MBP production therefore is
not considered by potential investors in Portugal. The second factor limiting MBP supply is the
shortage of raw material. Portugal doesn't have large volumes of agricultural residues, especially in
areas where pellet producers are currently located: around the city of Lisboa and Porto.
Page 37
BAPE
MBP market in Romania
There is hardly any information about the Romanian MBP market.
Nevertheless, extracting energy from renewable raw materials is an important alternative to the
limited fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, and an opportunity for agriculture at the same time.
With 14.8 million hectares, Romania is the second largest producer of agricultural products in Central
and Eastern Europe, behind Poland, and currently holds one of the best positions in Europe in terms
of biomass.
The large potential for biomass in Romania is far from being depleted. The market, which is still
experiencing strong growth, also offers farmers new sources of energy, whether it is in the production
of energy and/or heat from biogas, or cultivating energy crops for fuel production.
Within the country, the biomass energy sector is divided. Wood production is concentrated in the
Carpathians and the lower Carpathians, while agricultural by-products are produced in the south of
the country and the region of Moldavia. In order to guarantee an independent energy supply for the
rural population, concepts were developed to produce energy and heat out of agricultural byproducts.
[data origin: Press release – “RENEXPO® South-East Europe 2008”]
At the moment it seems that production of MBP competes strongly with direct firing of biomass, due
to higher investment costs for the pellets production.
For the future it will matter which kind of biomass is mainly promoted under the programme of the
Romanian Energy Conservation Agency (ARCE).
Page 38
BAPE
MBP market in Slovakia
Situation on the market is changing very quickly and it is extremely difficult to complete the list of
producers and their capacities.
A clear market for bio-energy is still lacking in the Slovak Republic- however, as the country has poor
domestic energy resource base, and abundant biomass resources available, it becomes obvious that
the situation will change in the near future.
Name of the company
Agrorama s.r.o
BIMPEX s.r.o.
Page 39
City
Sala
Prešov
www
www.agrorama.sk
www.bimpex.sk
BAPE
MBP market in Slovenia
According to our research, there are no producers, traders, retailers or consumers of agro biomass
pellets in Slovenia. There is no market present and no potential for its development.
Page 40
BAPE
MBP market in Spain
Pellet market in Spain is new and emerging. Until 2005 this biofuel was almost unknown, now it's
experiencing an encouraging development. Internal consumption is still quite low and current
production is mainly exported.
All identified companies state to produce pellets with pure wood as raw material, with the partial
exception of Biotermal Agroforestal and Reciclados (their pellet is made up by 95% of wood).
Therefore, we can assume that Spanish MBP market is negligible.
Some new pellets producers are appearing in the market, and some of them are trying to process
different kinds of residues. For example, company called Biomasa del Condado
(http://www.biomasadelcondado.com/whoweare.php ), declares that “they focus their work on the
treatment and recycling of waste residues from agroindustries, forestry, and other energetic
companies to transform it in to biofuels”.
Another company that is working in MBP sector is Carsan Biocombustibiles
(http://www.carsanbio.com/in/biomasa.php ). Their activities are defined as follows: “ With an everchanging marketplace, we began to offer Bio Mass Boilers and Fuel. At this moment we manufacture
large domestic capacity boilers and import industrial size and pellet stoves distributing throughout
Spain. This company is much more involved in boilers and technical equipment, but at the same way
provides fuels to its clients. Fuels, traded by them, are mixed and their pellets are made from
compressed sawdust, olive stones, peach stones, woodchips, etc. An analysis of their calorific value is
listed in the table below.
Pellets
4,300 Kcal.
6mm
Olive Stone
4,300 Kcal.
2mm - 5mm
Woodchips
3,500 kcal.
10mm - 50mm
Their distribution to the client is made in the following manner:
• Olive stones: bags of 20 kg of 800 kg bigbags.
• Almond Shells: bags of 20 kg of 600 kg bigbags.
Pellets: bags of 15 kg
Page 41
BAPE
We can suppose that the main factor hampering MBP market development is the low internal
consumption. Other Mediterranean countries, with a similar situation similar to the Spanish one,
will not very probably import any amount of MBP. Therefore Spain should look at more distant
markets, as Scandinavian countries, to export this kind of pellet.
The simplest solution in this situation is to limit pellets production to wood pellets only, and that’s
exactly what new pellets producers are going to do.
At the same time Spain has a long tradition in olive processing, and the sector has large volume of
residues available every year. These residues will be definitely used somehow, but it is very
difficult to find more precise data about the way of their utilisation.
Nevertheless, Spanish pellet market is increasing and pellets traders appear among all the regions.
During our research, the following international trading company was found:
Kampai International, S.L : professional traders of iberian biomass products since 2004. We supply
high quality & large quantities to international markets. Address: Riera de Sant Miquel 29, 08006
Barcelona, Spain; Tel.: 0034935129266, Fax.: 034935129267.
We offer high quality products in large quantities through continuous on time deliveries based on
long-term supply agreements. A broad selection of biomass products is available. The following
products are offered in bulk:
• Straw Pellets
• Olive Cake Pellets
• Pine Wood Pellets
• Olive Stone
• Crushed Almond Shells
• Natural Almond Shells.
Page 42
BAPE
MBP market in Sweden
Straw potential in Sweden is presented in the table below. The residues origin mainly from wheat,
barley, oats and mixed cereals. The total amount of agricultural residues is 5.2 million tonnes,
corresponding to an energy resource of approximately 21 TWh.
Agricultural residues potential:
Wheat
Durum wheat
Rye
Barley
Oats and mixed cereals
Maize
Other cereals
Total
[1000 t]
1731
0
226
1703
1402
0
207
5269
Table: Agricultural residues potential, Sweden, 2000. (pelletcentre.info)
The Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Umeå has analysed that the annual energy use of
agricultural biomass in 2004 amounted to 1,1 TWh, corresponding to approx. 1% of the total biomass
consumption for energy purposes.
Sweden has almost no production of MBPs for fuel purposes. Sweden is a wood industry country and
has abundant wood residues, that can be used for fuel purposes without the technical obstacles that
MBPs may have. However, some development is visible.
At the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Umeå a pilot-plant for pelletising reed canary
grass has been tested. The capacity is 400 kg/h. The pellets were used in an internal heating plant for
examining combustion properties. The main identified problems were high ash content and low and
varying ash melting temperatures.
In the ongoing EU-LIFE project "BIOAGRO" Swedish companies are aiming to promote the use of
MBPs. The BIOAGRO project will "demonstrate an innovative method to reduce the discharges of
greenhouse gases by using energy from grain, waste from grain, seed and grass to produce heat".
MBP pelletising line is installed at the seed and grain producer, Skånefrö AB, along with a combustion
line producing heat.
More info is available at www.bioagrolife.se.
Page 43
BAPE
MBP market in Switzerland
Information on a MBP market or MBP traders and producers in Switzerland cannot be found,
therefore it is assumed that there is no significant market for MBP in Switzerland.
Information campaigns on the use of wood pellets are organized by the “Holzenergie Schweiz”, who
do not promote the use of alternative raw materials. This results in a lack of information and hampers
the MBP market development.
Furthermore, the local availability of agricultural residues, such as wheat straw, is very limited.
There is no kind of alternative raw material available in larger amounts, while wood is produced in
large quantities. Governmental bodies do not seem to promote the use of MBP and no private
organisation promoting MBP could be identified.
Since the wood pellets market in Switzerland is still in an initial stage, the availability of regular pellet
raw materials, such as saw dusts, is not limited yet, there seem to be no need for considering
alternative raw materials.
MBP market in the United Kingdom
The MBP market in the UK is small. There are two straw pellet manufacturers in operation: Charles
Jackson- with a relatively small production capacity, and Agripellets Ltd, capacity unknown.
The main market in the UK for MBP is in co-firing in coal fired power stations. The pellets are crushed
prior to co-firing. Currently there are no biomass boilers on the market that are suitable for the
burning of MBP on a domestic or community scale.
Page 44
BAPE
Companies active on the market:
Agripellets state on their website that they primarily produce Agri-Straw Pellets, which are sold in
bulk to the electricity power generation market to be co-fired alongside coal. They state that they
have supplied Scottish and Southern Energy plc and that their main customer is E.ON UK plc, with
whom they have an ongoing contract. Agripellets are developing a new range of high quality straw
based hybrid fuel pellets, which combine wheat straw with other agricultural crop by-products and
natural additives. Agripellets also produce 10mm miscanthus pellets, which are primarily produced
for the co-firing market. In March 2008 Agripellets received a HGCA (Home Grown Cereal Authority)
Enterprise Award of £26,000 to develop improved straw pellet for industrial boilers. By adding byproducts associated with the production of biodiesel, primarily glycerol but also rape cake, Agripellets
say they can improve straw pellet qualities and increase processing output. The target price for their
straw pellets is to be 30% lower than imported wood pellets. The project will use an additional
10,000 tonnes of straw per annum.
Agripellets give the following information on their website (as at 10th September 2009):
Product : Agri-Straw Pellets
High density pellets manufactured from local British wheat straw
Density
Pellet diameter
Heat value
Moisture content
Additives
Mechanical durability
Ash content
approx. 550 kg/m3
10 mm
4,4 kWh/kg
< 10%
< 1%
95%
5%
Agri- Straw Pellets seek to conform to the draft CEN/TC 335 biomass standard.
Delivery options and price (excluding delivery charge and vat @5%):
• 1000kg Jumbo bags* (2000mm X 1000mm x 1000mm) - £115.00/t
• 500kg Jumbo bags (900mm X 900mm x 900mm) - £120.00/t
• 20kg paper bags (600mm X 300mm X 300mm) - 1 pallet* (50 bags, 1000kg) - £135/t
• Bulk tipper or pneumatic truck delivery - (2.5t to 25t deliveries)
Currently the focus of Charles Jackson, in relation to biomass energy, would appear to be on the
burning of straw for the production of electricity. They say on their website “We are planning to
produce electricity at Long Buckby through a 4 MW steam generating plant using straw as its main
source of fuel”. It seems unlikely that this straw will be pelletised prior to burning. Charles Jackson is
also working with farmers on the production of miscanthus for burning in power plants.
Another company- BICAL produces a miscanthus cube, approx 2.5cm in diameter, which is co-fired.
Like Agripellets, BICAL received funding of £16,000 from the HGCA in March 2008 to develop and
market a novel fuel pellet made from Miscanthus and grain. By including grain, Bical believes it will be
able to produce a pellet which is more robust than a pellet without the inclusion of grain. Designed to
compete with wood pellets, most of which are imported into the UK, Bical's pellets will be targeted
for use in renewable energy heating systems operated by local authorities and leisure sector.”
Page 45
BAPE
DRAX Power Station, a coal-fired plant, supplying about 7% of the UK’s electricity, set up a straw
pellet plant near Goole in 2009. Its annual production will be 100 thousand tonnes. Drax is
developing a 500 MW co-firing capability, which requires about 1,5m tonnes of biomass a year.
Produced pellets will partially satisfy this demand. In addition Drax have applied for planning
permission to build a second straw pelleting plant in Lincolnshire.
It is anticipated, that the use of both wood and MB pellets might decline after 2009 and/or 2015 as
some of the existing coal fired power stations in the UK close down rather than opting into the Large
Combustion Plant Directive*).
*) Large Combustion Plant Directive establishes emission limit values (ELVs) for new and existing plant, in addition to making
further provisions for pollution inventory reporting in support of the European Pollutant Emission Register (EPER)
requirements. Under this legislation, existing combustion plant must either observe lower emission limits, or achieve
equivalent emission reductions via a national emissions reduction plan, by 2008, unless it is intended to close the plant after
a further 20,000 operating hours between 2008 and the end of 2015.
Page 46
BAPE
Name of the company
Agripellets Ltd
Charles Jackson & Co Ltd
Bical
Drax
Average prices:
Pellets quality:
Traders:
Consumers:
Page 47
City
Warwickshire
Northants
Devon (Head Office)
London/Swindon/Staffordshire
Goole
www
www.agripellets.com
www.cjgrain.co.uk
www.bical.net
www.draxpower.com
£115/t (agri-straw pellets)
Seek to conform to CEN/TC335
Sold directly by producers
coal fired power stations using MBP for co-firing
BAPE

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