Pellet Distribution

Overview

Bulk wood pellets are moving, much like grain, from Canada and soon probably Africa to the Northern Europe market in large ocean-going vessels.  Pellets are moving in small ships around the Baltic, and within Europe by a variety of trucks.

Bagging

Forty-pound or 16-kg plastic bags have become a common method of distribution for biomass pellets in the U. S. and Europe. 

Bulk Transport

Pellets can be transported by ship.                             BrickettEnergi            Premium Pellet   www.premiumpellet.com/industrial/logistics.htm

Pellets can be transported in bulk or palleted bags by rail. A hopper car holds about 100 tons.

 Premium Pellet  www.premiumpellet.com/industrial/logistics.htm

Swedish bulk pellet delivery trucks. BrickettEnergi    www.brikettenergi.com                                                         MEBIO  www.mebio.se

WOOD PELLETS DELIVERED BY TANKER TRUCK

"Biomass plays an important role in the heating sector for houses in Austria and Bavaria (southern Germany) – regions with well-developed forestry sector – and while automatic biomass heating systems using wood chips had been able to reach a certain market share, significant barriers prevented further market penetration by biomass-based heating systems.

Therefore, a project was carried out in Austria to develop and market a new distribution system for pellets, one of the main purposes being to stimulate a household pellets market. Such a market needs certain prerequisites : the delivery of a standardized fuel in an adequate time with minimal costs and the provision of user-friendly and low-emission heating installations at competitive costs.

The biomass tank distribution system is based on the traditional system for distribution of oil to private households, whereby an oil tanker comes to fill the household tank once or twice per year. The same system is now applied to wood pellets, making them as user-friendly and convenient as oil. Private consumers in Austria show very high levels of interest in pellets for heating, and the study showed that all measures which increase consumer convenience – such as ease of delivery and billing – will significantly support increased market penetration."

www.ecop.ucl.ac.be/aebiom/articles/wood/pellets.htm

On-Site Pellet Storage

Pellets can be stored on site in bags or in bulk in interior bins or storage rooms, or in exterior storage silos. It is important to keep pellets dry and the storage container ventilated. Damp pellets can begin to decay and autoignite.

MAFA AB manufactures a range of exterior and interior pellet storage silos.  www.mafa.se