The composition of pellets

[ducker]

Do Pellet mills ever put additives in pellets? Maybe some type of adhesive to help them keep their shape? or to help in increasing the BTU output?

From what I've read on the pellet wiki page it sounds as if all a pellet is (typically) is just wood fiber. that's it.

I guess I'm a little concerned about the cheaper brand of pellet I bought.

 

[BubbRubb]

I've never heard of adhesive being used to hold a pellet together. Cheaper pellets often equate to more ash which equates to more frequent cleanings which equates to less free time to plow snow which equates to unhappy wife

 

[ducker]

yea but in terms of any type of toxic fumes (aside from your standard CO2) with burning a cheaper pellet vs. a more expensive one.

I'm not really that concerned, since everything I read states it's all wood; but wife + new toddler = question everything

 

[Eric Johnson]

There's nothing in pellets but wood residue and maybe a little paper or corn. Harmless to the toddler unless he chokes on them (heaven forbid).

 

[Wet1]

Some will have a small quantity of oil (such as soybean oil) included as well, which can increase the the efficiency of the manufacturing process.

 

[mjbrown]

i believe(though not sure , so dont quote me) that the process for making the pellets is putting them thru a 100 ton press.with 100 ton of pressure, they should be able to hold their shape without glues or additives.from what i read on the bio-brick when i considered those, it was all very high pressure.


mike

 

[JustWood]

i believe(though not sure , so dont quote me) that the process for making the pellets is putting them thru a 100 ton press.with 100 ton of pressure, they should be able to hold their shape without glues or additives.from what i read on the bio-brick when i considered those, it was all very high pressure.


mike

You're right. Along with the pressure is heat and natural resins which helps to bind them together.

 

[jawquin]

lignin


The press compresses the wood pellets through a die, which is designed with an appropriately sized hole, usually as small as 6 mm in diameter. The extreme pressure of the press compresses the wood and causes the temperature of the wood to rise very much as well. This temperature rise causes the lignin of the wood to form a sort of natural glue which holds the pellets together as the wood cools again.