Wood pellets: what are they & how do they work?
Most wood pellets made in British Columbia (BC) come from the residuals left behind after logs are sawmilled into lumber and other high-value wood products. A growing number of wood pellets are produced by harvesting residuals from forests and low-quality logs that were once discarded. The wood pellet industry is reducing waste and turning that debris into valuable, low-carbon biofuel by making Houtpellets kopen from fibers that were burnt or left behind. A wood pellet is made by removing moisture from incoming wood fiber, grinding the fiber into dust, and compressing it into small cylinders. Pellets are typically 6 or 8 millimeters in diameter and 40 millimeters in length. During this process, heat is applied, causing the compressed particles to be glued together by lignin, a natural polymer found in wood. It can be easily handled and transported over very long distances since it is dry, highly compressed, and high in energy value.
Most people in colder climates worldwide heat their homes with Houtpellets kopen boilers or stoves. Wood pellets are used for both domestic and industrial applications. It takes only a few steps to load a winter-season worth of pellets, press a button to start the boiler and remove the ash after six months with today’s boilers. In North America, stoves are more common than in other parts of the world. The stove creates an efficient, even heat source simply by feeding pellets into the hopper and burning them continuously. Compared with conventional fossil fuel boilers and furnaces, pellet heating equipment emits similar, and sometimes even lower, quantities of particulates. Instead of coal, wood pellets are used to generate industrial electricity.