Business plan for a fuel pellet business. Step by step plan to start a pellet business. Do-it-yourself pallet making equipment

Against the background of the general global trend to make the industry completely waste-free, the production of pellets attracts the attention of investors, entrepreneurs, environmentalists and specialists involved in the creation of efficient fuel. Shavings, sawdust, tree bark, as well as some waste from agricultural enterprises (sunflower husks, straw, grain waste, etc.) for many decades were considered ordinary garbage, which was never regarded as a good source of profit.

Today, the situation has changed dramatically, enterprising people massively create recycling enterprises and earn good money on it. The presented article will help you understand how sawdust and sunflower husks turn into valuable granules, what profit they can bring, and what you need to organize your pellet manufacturing business. Minimum theory and real practical advice with figures and "live" examples, perhaps push some readers to organize their own business, which, if right approach, will surely become a stable source of income not only for you, but also for your family members.

Timber industry waste and furniture companies are the main raw material for the production of pellets, small pellets that are found wide application as an efficient biofuel. If earlier they were used mainly in industry: at small power plants, factories and boiler houses, today, sawdust pellets are increasingly used for heating in private homes. Owners of cottages and dachas are increasingly installing special boilers that operate on pellets, and residents apartment buildings think about how to switch to the use of these convenient pellets with a high calorific value.

Focusing on pellets made from sawdust, bark and waste from agricultural enterprises, one should not forget that cylindrical pellets are also produced from other types of raw materials: peat, coal, household waste, and even chicken manure. But their scope is often limited. industrial enterprises and large boiler houses, and they produce 20-30% less heat than wood products.

The main advantages of the presented granules are:

they do not need to be cut, chopped and stored like firewood;

pellets are very convenient for transportation and storage;

they leave less ash than firewood.

In addition, the production of pellets from sawdust contributes to the conservation of our forests, and the processing of household waste into pellets for fuel is a big plus for conservation. environment. Among the consumers of pellets, pet owners should be singled out: pellets are successfully used as a filler for toilets, primarily for cats.

Manufacturing process

Acquaintance with the presented direction commercial activities you need to start directly with the study of all stages of the manufacture of granules. This process is not particularly complicated, requiring the involvement of highly qualified specialists (savings in wages!). At the first stage, the raw materials are thoroughly crushed in a special crusher. Further, on drums or belt dryers, it is brought to the desired moisture content, and then the raw material is crushed in hammer mills. The resulting semi-finished product is treated with steam and granules are formed under high pressure, which are cooled, cleaned of waste and sent for packaging.

Note! Waste is not thrown away, but is recycled in a new circle, in fact, there is no waste left in the production of pellets if the raw materials are of more or less normal quality. As for the production of pellets at home, it goes through all of the above steps, only the equipment in this case, most often, is made independently from improvised means, according to drawings from the World Wide Web. But if you wish, you can buy a ready-made production line, which is not difficult to install in an ordinary garage. Naturally, its performance will be insufficient for serious commercial purposes. In such a situation, you can create joint production with your nearest neighbors to heat your homes.

Equipment selection

It is impossible to organize the production of pellets without a real business plan, which must fully correspond to the real state of affairs and include all the nuances. In this case, an approximate calculation of expenses and income downloaded from the Internet will not work. Take this matter very seriously!

The purchase of equipment is one of the most expensive items in your future business plan. That is why this issue is considered in the first place. The production of granules is carried out using two types of equipment: industrial lines and mini-granulators. The latter can work with the help of an electric motor, a diesel engine and due to the power take-off from the tractor shaft. Each type has its own advantages and certain disadvantages. The first option is designed for stationary mini pellet production, the second one allows you to install equipment on a car and move around, focusing on the places of concentration of raw materials, and in the latter case, the mini-granulator is driven by a tractor.

Naturally, the most productive equipment is powered by electricity and can produce up to 550 kg of pellets per hour, diesel device gives up to 350 kg finished products, and a mini-granulator, powered by a tractor shaft, produces no more than 400 kg per hour. At the same time, their cost is: 13 thousand, 9 thousand and 10 thousand dollars, respectively. production line for industrial scale, costs 130-450 thousand dollars and allows you to produce from one to 4.5 tons of quality pellets per hour.

It includes :

fuel bunker and combustion chamber;

conveyor;

lifting mechanism;

heat generator;

hammer type crusher;

dryer;

granulator;

cyclones (for the removal of raw materials, passive, drum cooler);

cooler.

To install such a line, a room of the appropriate area is required, and its operation must be controlled by an adjusting engineer. key point of this business is the availability of raw materials. You don't have to be a great mathematician to figure out what uninterrupted operation a plant that can produce 8-32 tons of finished products per shift requires a huge amount of sawdust, bark, and waste from agricultural enterprises. The best option to accommodate your workshop - this is the neighborhood with a large wood processing plant on the one hand and a large farm on the other.

Organizational matters

If by preliminary calculations Your future business is promising, you know how to solve the issue with raw materials, marketing research and agreed with future wholesale buyers, then you can start registering a company. And here you need to decide difficult task: draw up documents or ? This requires careful analysis of many factors. If you consider your company as a business that is focused on small volumes of production, sales of products will be carried out in your region, you will not have partners, and there is no need to take a loan to start, then it is better to draw up IP documents and at the same time write a statement of desire to work under the simplified taxation system.

You will avoid unnecessary expenses and relieve yourself of the need to hire a chief accountant and maintain strict internal and tax records. But there are situations when alternative options except for registration legal entity. Most often this is due to the presence of business partners and big plans for future entrepreneurs (for example, entering international markets or cooperation with big companies not working with IP).

Given the fact that in most cases production facilities are located in rural areas, focusing on raw materials, it is more rational to rent a room than to buy it. Such an acquisition is not profitable investment Money, and the cost of renting the premises that once belonged to the collective farm will be inexpensive. Most importantly, do not show your interest, in Russia, rural residents are well aware of such things and know how to derive personal benefit from them. See yourself at ease and hint several times that you have better options and much more profitable financially.

It is best to hire staff from local residents, focusing on production capacity and the availability of their own equipment. For example, if you have a fleet of vehicles, you will also have to think about drivers. As for the manager, the employee who will deal with advertising and maintain a positive image of the company, as well as the sales manager for finished products, experienced entrepreneurs are advised to introduce the listed positions. But on the other hand, many business owners often perform the functions of a manager on their own, as well as work with suppliers and buyers.

Do not spare money for the salary of an accountant, this business is quite complicated in terms of reporting and the formation of the expenditure side when working on a general taxation regime. You will most likely not be able to do everything with your own hands, without special education, which means you will have to pay taxes, which can exceed several salaries of even the most expensive accountant.

Setting up a small business for the production of pellets

Alternatively, you can organize the production of pellets, focusing on buyers of finished products that they need for filling. cat litter. You draw up IP documents, buy a mini-granulator, take 2-3 people as assistants and work. To start, 10-15 thousand dollars will be enough for you, which will return in 2-3 years, and you, already without much effort, will earn from 1 thousand dollars a month. At the same time, you can save on many things, for example, make granules without shrinkage or pack products for regular customers in ordinary plastic bags. Of course, this business is very limited in terms of further development, but on the other hand, a small own business is associated with minimal risk and is highly reliable.

Economic indicators

If the results are calculated financial activities an enterprise that produces and sells 400 tons of pellets from wood and agricultural waste during the month, we will get the following figures:

monthly expenses of the company, including the purchase of raw materials and materials, rent, salary, taxes and deductions to the Funds, utility costs, etc. - $12,000;

the wholesale cost of 1 ton of granules is $50, which means the total proceeds from the sale of finished products is $20,000 (50*400);

net profit - 8 thousand dollars;

start-up capital for opening a company, including registration, purchase of equipment and technology, advertising, etc. - 250 thousand dollars.

This means that in 2.5-3 years you will return the invested funds and start receiving 8 thousand dollars a month, and this, given the unfavorable economic situation, is very good indicator. Despite the fact that the production and sale of pellets requires quite large investments, perseverance and diligence, this business can be safely attributed to the most promising areas of activity, which will allow you to receive a decent reward for your hard work and the money spent.

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A pellet plant requires little investment, but brings a lot of profit. After all, alternative fuels are produced at the pellet plant. Energy resources have always been in high demand at all times. Business in the energy sector always has a better chance of success and prosperity. Today, pellets are gaining more and more popularity as an alternative fuel. It is produced thanks to the processing of wood waste and not only. The demand for pellets is growing every day. Wholesale cost 1t. pellet fuel starts from $110. Each plant for production or processing needs to purchase raw materials. For the production of pellets, sawdust from wood, straw, sunflower husks, etc. are used as raw materials. For a pellet plant to produce one ton fuel pellets 7.4 cubic meters of sawdust will be required. The cost of raw materials is $ 5 per cubic meter (on a self-delivery basis). We get gross profit: $110 - ($5 * 7.4) = $73 and this is from only one ton of alternative fuel. Even taking into account all expenses (electricity, wages, packaging, transport), the profitability of the business remains above 100%. The profitability of the pellet plant is one of the highest compared to other types of waste processing businesses. The pellet market covers more and more consumer areas. After all, solid fuel pellets are already actively used today: for space heating, electricity generation at power plants, and they are also beginning to be used as an alternative to liquid fuel for trucks using gas generators. The business idea for the production of pellets is an entire energy industry that can be implemented with minimal investment.

The plant must produce quality pellets

To start the factory production of pellets, you should study the technology. Pellets were invented in the middle of the last century. They were invented by Rudolf Gunnerman. They were looking for a solution to cut waste disposal costs from their sawmill. And I decided to press the sawdust directly at the factory before export, in order to reduce the volume of waste several times. But it turned out that pressed sawdust and shavings burn much better and more efficiently than ordinary wood. Thanks to high performance flammability, the calorific value of pellets is 2.5 times higher. The more carbon in wood fuel, the higher its calorific value. The point is that the usual raw wood In addition to combustible carbon, cellulose molecules also contain a significant amount of hydrogen and oxygen. And when wood is crushed, cellulose molecules are destroyed and hydrogen and oxygen atoms leave it in the form of volatile gases. Another significant advantage of wood pellets is the combustibility of the material. During combustion, a tree loses 85% of its mass in the form of volatile gases, the remaining 15% is ash. And when pellets are burned, only 0.75-1.5% of ash remains (almost 20 times less), depending on the raw materials from which they are produced. It is also important to note that fuel pellets contain 2 times less moisture than wood. During the production process under high pressure, the pellets are heated to 110 degrees Celsius, which makes it possible to halve the moisture content. In addition, due to pressing, fuel pellets have more high density than a tree. It is very easy to verify this fact. Wood, as you know, does not sink in water, floating on the surface, and pellet granules made from sawdust, like a stone go to the bottom. This also explains why a smaller volume of granular fuel produces significantly more heat during combustion than wood. In fact, pellets are a combustible fuel that is gaining great popularity during the energy crisis. It has its own characteristics such as high fuel safety, low cost and other advantages.

Pellet production technology for a small plant

The pellet business is a waste recycling plant. Waste recycling is relevant, profitable and humane. It is especially beneficial if waste is processed into fuel that is safe for the environment. The plant can produce pellets from various types of raw materials: sawdust, shavings, bark, straw, sunflower husks, dry corn stalks, etc. Of course, pellet granules may differ in their characteristic properties depending on the raw materials from which they are produced. The main indicator that affects the cost of wood pellets is the percentage of ash content. The higher the percentage of ash, the lower the cost of pelletized wood. The pellet production technology is simple and straightforward. Raw materials, if necessary, should be crushed to the size of small sawdust (thirs) and, if necessary, pre-dried (recommended moisture content of raw materials up to 20%). After that, the sawdust is fed into a roller or screw press granulator, where, like a meat grinder, finished cylindrical pellets are squeezed out through a special lattice matrix. Each tree in its composition contains an adhesive substance "lignin". Thanks to lignin, whole cylindrical granules are formed from sawdust. The sawdust in the granulator press is heated and releases lignin, which, under the influence of temperature, turns into a natural natural glue. Wood resin itself burns long and evenly.

The plant needs to supply pressing equipment

Pellet plant equipment is quite affordable for both small and home businesses. Pellet presses can be of roller or screw type. The cost of presses directly depends on productivity. For example, a press with a capacity of 250 kg/h is already available at a price of $6200 with an electric motor power of 15 kW, for 380V. Although there are more compromise proposals with lower performance and price of the press. For the production of pellets from straw, the plant will need additional equipment - a grinder. You can use DKU, which will cost $ 1000 with a capacity of 100 kg / hour for fractions of 3 mm in size. It is important to note that with the constant operation of the granulator press, in 2.5-3 months it will be necessary to replace the parts of the units high pressure. In production management, properly control fixed costs funds for a lattice matrix, rollers or auger (depending on the type of press) - the main working parts of the granulator. When producing pellets only from straw or other soft raw materials, the working parts of the press can last twice as long. And also the performance will be slightly higher at the same loads, which will have a beneficial effect on energy costs.

The need for pellets is increasingly experienced by alternative heating systems

Every manufacturing or processing plant has the main issue of marketing products. Heating of premises with pellets on special boilers is today the most popular application for this product. But there are other markets as well. For example, in the area of pet litter. In Europe, they have been using for a long time, and we are only gaining popularity with pellet (granular) boilers with a very high efficiency (85-85%). This type of solid fuel boilers is distinguished by its increased duration of operation without human intervention for 7 days or more. This possibility is achieved due to the flowability of the granules, with the help of which the boiler is filled with solid fuel through a program controller with a control feed screw. The whole process of refueling the boiler takes place automatically. The automation level of the boiler allows you to independently feed a new portion of pelletized wood from the bunker to maintain the set temperature. A special electric heating element and a fan can take over the automatic ignition of fuel pellets. Also, the boilers are equipped with a special pellet burner, which allows you to use pellet solid fuel as efficiently as possible. Pellet boilers do not require special maintenance. Ash cleaning is carried out once a month. The power of the boilers starts from 15-500 kW for domestic needs and can reach up to 2 MW for industrial purposes. The service life of boilers is one of the highest - more than 20 years. The kart depicts a pellet boiler from the Austrian company OkoFen. Description of the boiler device:

Recirculation combustion chamber.
Microprocessor control.
Self cleaning system.
Temperature control panel.
High quality steel chamber.
Pellet burner.
Additional system cleaning.
Electric ignition of fuel pellets.
Place for installing the burner on the back side.
Fire safety system.
Ash box.
Automatic feeding of granules.
Climate control.
Pressure controller.
Air intake.

Pellet boilers are a serious alternative to gas boilers. Although pelletized wood itself has proven to be a highly efficient fuel in conventional solid fuel boilers and even simple stoves as the best alternative to firewood. Below are more examples of efficient pellet fuel consumption.

Cars can be filled with pellets

The sale of pellets of small factory production will be significantly expanded. Already today, cars run on flight fuel. Everyone knows that in the middle of the last century, trucks ran on wood fuel. The internal combustion engine is the same as for conventional fuel. In fact, instead of gasoline, combustible gas was used, obtained from the gas generator by pyrolization of wood. A gas generator is a device for converting solid combustible materials into a gaseous form. Given physical phenomena called pyrolysis - the breakdown of heavy molecules into lungs under the influence of an increase in temperature and a lack of oxygen. For example, a conventional Gazelle car equipped with a gas generator consumes 1 kg. timber per 1 km. That is, for 100 km it was necessary to carry 100 kg of wood in the back. So used a lot usable space in the car body on the volume of firewood and the dimensions of the gas generating unit. Refueling of the gas generator with trees was carried out manually every 50 km. It was necessary to accelerate the car smoothly, giving the gas generator time to switch to an increased power mode. Thanks to pellets, all the shortcomings of cars on gas generating installations are practically eliminated. Their flowability made it possible to automatically refuel the gas generator, since in total mass they are pseudo-liquid. The dimensions and weight of the gas generator set have become much smaller. An electronic microprocessor system monitors the acceleration of the car and automatically switches on conventional fuel at the moment of a sharp change in engine loads by the accelerator. The car's handling is fully preserved. In addition, pellets, due to their greater density and calorific value, emit gas more actively and less often need pauses to switch to another generator power. Especially on trucks. All the advantages of pelletized fuels in relation to wood came in handy for use as fuel for trucks with gas generators. The density and calorific value of fuel pellets require significantly less usable space in the body. Pellets reduced consumption by 3 times solid fuel up to 0.3 kg per 1 km. Even with short-term use of gasoline at moments of sharp acceleration of the car, the consumption is already 2 times less in relation to traditional types of fuel. If you drive in economy mode, you can completely refuse to use gasoline. Then the cost of 1 km will be $0.04. 1kg of pellets = $0.11 / 3 (consumption per 1km = 0.3kg) = $0.04/km. It is also important to note that during the combustion of the gas created by the perolysis of wood pellets, no harmful, toxic substances are released. It is an environmentally friendly type of fuel.

Pellets are used as fuel for power plants

The pellet consumption market is growing every day. By 2020, the European Union plans to reduce the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere by 20%. To this end, it is planned to increase the use of solid bio-fuel up to 50% already in 2015. The main consumers will be pellet power plants. To date, these are the cheapest "green power plants" in comparison even with solar and wind stations. Pellets have high energy performance. All major power plants in Europe are switching to wood pellets. Mobile power stations running on granular fuel are just beginning to appear on the market. More and more wood pellet boilers are being installed. As oil and gas prices rise, more and more gas generating installations for trucks and agricultural machinery. Today we are at the very beginning of the development of the use of a new type of fuel. The demand for it will continue to grow. It is important to note that small or home businesses already have the opportunity to start producing next-generation fuels with a small investment. Already now it is necessary to be ready for the active growth of the market.

Waste woodworking enterprises are very often used in the production of secondary materials. The most demanded waste in Russia is sawdust, from which Construction Materials, as well as biofuel - pellets. Currently, the issue of using biofuels on a large scale is treated with particular interest, because. The main advantage of its use is the relatively low cost of production, and therefore, it is considered cost-effective.

Pellets are recycled sawdust that most people use as fuel. Today, many European corporations are focusing on the introduction of pellets to the markets of their countries. Thus, the turnover of pellet trade in European countries increased compared to 2014-2015 to 200 million tons. Why are pellets attractive to people and how can you make a business in the production of pellets?

Types of pellets, features of their production

Pellets are small pellets made from sawdust and used as fuel. The composition of the granules depends directly on the type of wood from which the sawdust was obtained. So, in production they allocate the following types pellet:

made exclusively from sawdust of pure wood without the addition of any minor impurities
pellets from agricultural crops, straw, with the addition of tree bark, etc.

Pellets made from pure wood are considered the highest grade. For the most part, pure wood pellets are used as fuel. But in order to completely switch to biofuel, the enterprise must have the appropriate equipment.

Low grade pellets made with the addition of a large number impurities are used as animal litter. Therefore, when creating a business plan for the production of pellets, it is necessary to take care of the purpose of using the product - the manufacture of a filler or sale as biofuel to large enterprises and factories.

How are pellets produced?

Pellet production is not considered high-tech and usually involves a number of steps. First, the raw material needs to be crushed - primary processing. For this stage, you will need a production crusher and conventional scales.

After receiving the initial raw material, it is dried in special belt dryers (sometimes drum-type dryers are used).

After the raw material has acquired the required moisture level, it is crushed in hammer mills and then moistened. Humidification occurs under the influence of water and hot steam. This procedure is necessary in order to increase the bonding ability of raw materials.

Further, the bulk semi-finished product is converted into granules, which are processed from waste and packaged. An important advantage of manufacturing pellets is the absence of marriage and production waste. Everything that does not fit the packaging stage is sent to new stage processing, after which a similar procedure occurs.

Equipment for the production of pellets

The production of pellets, although not particularly difficult, requires a large amount of obo in large quantities or small mini-granulators.

Mini granulators differ in the fuel they run on. Allocate diesel, electric and mechanical. Each separate view, in turn, has a number of pros and cons. Mini granulators are suitable for making granules in small quantities. Therefore, if you have chosen the purpose of production - the manufacture of filler for animals, then the most good choice there will be a purchase of a mini-granulator.

The production lines are suitable for the production of pellets for sale as biofuels. Ordinary production lines include:

lifting tray
biomass feeder
scraper conveyor
fuel storage hopper
the combustion chamber
heat generator
dryer drum
cyclone drains of dried biomass
hammer crusher
chopped mass removal cyclone
passive cyclone
cyclone drum cooler
Bunker - storage granulator
Granulator
Drum cooler

After going through the entire production line, at the output you will receive a finished product that is suitable for any purpose. The above set of equipment will currently cost the entrepreneur 1,800,000 rubles. Of course, granulators are the main equipment in the manufacture of pellets, but they require processed raw materials.

In addition, depending on the initial capital, you can make a pallet line from other components:

chipper (market price is about 200 thousand rubles)
dryers (cost from 500 thousand rubles to 2 million rubles)
granulator (the price depends on the characteristics and can vary from 50 thousand rubles to several million)
cooling system (about 350-400 thousand rubles).

Usually, large production lines are installed in separate rooms and are used as stationary objects. A common method is to install mini-granulators right at the place of wood processing, because. Mobility is the main advantage of this equipment.

Main sales markets

Russia is famous for its large timber reserves. Therefore, the main buyer of pallets for us will be Europe. So, in 2010, the export of pallets amounted to about 650 thousand tons per year, by 2015 this figure had almost doubled, and by 2019 - almost four times. Almost all pellets (more than 85%) made in Russia are exported. At the same time, the current economic situation in our country, as well as the increase in the target for oil, gas and other types of fuel, make pallets attractive for Russia as well.

Basically, pallets can be sold in the following ways: through specialized wholesale companies whose activity is to sell domestic goods to European countries; creating your own online store, selling products through large chains building stores.

Main indicators of income

When considering the production of pellets as a business, it is important not to forget that the most attractive this species processing will be for woodworking enterprises. In the course of the activities of these enterprises, sawmills, sawmills are left with large mountains of sawdust, and their processing can bring good money into the pocket of the owners.

At the same time, if you are planning to create your own production from scratch and specialize exclusively in the production of pellets, then it is important to decide where you will get the raw materials.

Pellet production in numbers:

The cost of producing pellets from scratch will include equipment (a line for the production of products), the cost of delivering the line (mainly produced in Belarus), installation and commissioning of the line, as well as the cost of working capital, incl. purchase of raw materials. The approximate cost of all the above procedures and equipment will be about 5 million rubles.

If we take a month as a unit of time, then we can calculate the revenue. Thus, taking into account the three-shift operation of the pellet production shop, about 420 tons of pellets will be produced per month. According to indicators for 2015, 1 ton of pellets on the market costs about 4 thousand rubles. Thus, the total revenue for 1 month will be about 1,680,000 rubles.

At the same time, it is necessary to calculate the cost of production. So, for the production of 1 ton of pellets, about 6 cubic meters of raw materials are needed: wood, sawdust, wood chips, etc. If we take as a unit of measurement the volume of raw materials of 5.5 cubic meters, do not forget to calculate the cost of electricity, then the result will be a figure equal to 950 thousand rubles per month.

A business plan for the production of pellets should also include the usual costs:

employee salary (about 250 thousand rubles)
rent of premises (40-50 thousand rubles)
transport and utility costs (100 thousand rubles)
taxes and outsourcing (about 30 thousand rubles)
other expenses

Based on the above indicators, you can calculate the average net profit in the production of pellets per month:

1,680,000 (revenue) - 950,000 (cost) - 500,000 (basic expenses) = 230,000.

Thus, the net profit per month at the indicated average costs will be about 230-250 thousand rubles. Taking into account the fact that we initially invested 5 million rubles for the purchase of equipment, the payback period for the business will be about 20-25 months.

Thus, if you decide to open a pellet production from scratch and you have found enough good markets sales, then the payback period will be about 20-25 months, in the event that you decide to produce pellets at a woodworking enterprise, then the payback period additional production will be 4-5 months.

Also, creating a business in the production of pellets , It is important to decide on the choice of the form of payment of taxes. An effective form of tax payment, in our opinion, will be simplified, where the tax base is taken into account as net profit. In other words, the tax will not be calculated from the entire amount of income (including the cost of production, additional expenses, which take away most of our income), and from net profit(in our case, out of 230 thousand rubles). It is also important to know that it includes corporate income tax, social tax and income tax.

Against the backdrop of popular start-ups that bring large sums of money to their owners, the production of pellets seems to be a very difficult and necessary task. At the same time, one should not forget that biofuels are increasingly included in the work of large modern enterprises, especially in European countries.

Due to the fact that almost all European countries do not have enough wood, the demand for products will grow more and more every day. Thus, if you have a wood processing enterprise in Russia, then investing in the processing of secondary raw materials will bring you additional income, as well as solve problems with production waste.

Read more: Beer production as a business

AT last years main alternative ordinary species fuel (coal, firewood, peat, gas, fuel oil) became pellets. The only competitor to pellets today is natural gas, which is supplied through the pipeline. It is superior to pellets in terms of price and ease of use, but gas reserves are not unlimited and experts believe that at current consumption it will last no more than a century. In addition, not every house or dacha has a gas main. Because production alternative sources energy and heat is a promising direction that promises decent profits.

Pellet business - a way to turn waste into income

Pellets are also attractive because they are made from waste. It can be used as waste from the woodworking industry (sawdust, shavings, wood chips, substandard products), and agricultural production (husks of sunflower, buckwheat, rice, straw different cultures etc.). Have pellets cylindrical shape and differ small size, which allows you to automate the heating process. Under this type of fuel are being developed, into which fuel pellets are automatically fed.

In Europe, pellets have long been used for heating industrial and domestic premises. In their popularity, in addition to process automation, environmental friendliness and economic expediency this fuel. They are produced from waste, improving the ecological situation and converting waste into income. Especially suitable for woodworking enterprises or large or medium-sized agricultural producers due to the lack of costs for the purchase of raw materials. In addition, during combustion, emissions into the atmosphere are ten times lower than during the combustion of gas or coal, which is very important for European environmentalists. The most active use of pellets is Sweden, Austria and Denmark. They are also leaders in the production of equipment that burns pellets.

Shapes, dimensions and standards

There are no uniform standards for the production of this type of fuel. Each of the producing countries uses its own. Generally speaking, pellets can be from 5 to 10 mm in diameter and from 6 to 75 mm in length. If you are going to focus your business on imports, you need to familiarize yourself with the standards of a particular country and purchase equipment that is able to produce products of the appropriate size and characteristics.

Pellet business is promising not only for implementation in the domestic market, but also in the external one

Standardize not only the size, but also the ash content of the product. This standard also has a certain range of parameters. So, for example, in the USA, pellets upper class should have an ash content of no more than 1%, in most European countries - no more than 1.5%. The "standard" class is limited to an ash content of 3%. A higher indicator is not allowed and is not used: it is unrealistic to conclude a contract for the supply of pellets with an ash content above 3% in Europe. Unless they are used as a filler for cat litter.

Pellets differ in composition and include both clean wood, and wood with bark or sunflower husks. With an increase in the content of impurities, the percentage of ash content of such fuel also increases. Therefore, the issue of the quality of purchased raw materials must be given great importance- it depends on how much the company's products will be in demand.

Production scheme

The production of pellets takes place in several stages:

The cost of equipment for the production of pellets

Main production equipment for this type of business - granulators. These can be small plants with a capacity of 30 kg / h or a production unit that produces about 250 kg per hour. The cost of a set of equipment of average productivity is about $ 40,000, but you can purchase both more expensive and more budget units:

sheporez (or wood chipper plain language) costs about $4,000,
dryer of raw materials - 7000 - 20.000 dollars,
granulator - from 1000 dollars - 10.000 dollars,
cooler - about $ 5,000.

If we are talking about industrial lines, then the cost of a line that has a capacity of about 700 kg per hour is up to $ 130,000, and with a capacity of 2000 kg per hour - $ 200,000.

Business plan for the production of pellets

If the production of pellets will work in one shift, we take as a basis a standard working day: 8 hours, and a working month - 24 days. At the same time, production costs will amount to approximately 30% of gross profit.

The cost of raw materials is about 2 dollars per cubic meter, and 7.5 cubic meters of sawdust are needed to make a ton of pellets. So the raw materials for the production of one ton of fuel will cost $15. In the worst case, the cost of pellets of the first grade is $90 per m 3 , industrial - $ 60 per m 3 . Gross profit calculated as the product of the number of working days and the daily revenue.

After calculations, we conclude that mini-factories will be the most profitable, while it is most profitable to use an electric drive in production. The worst option is an industrial line with a capacity of up to 1000 kg per hour, because such production will pay off in 14-15 months. However, the advantages of such production are its capital and reliability. And you can reduce the payback period if you organize work in two shifts. With such an organization of labor, it will decrease by almost half.

Demand for pellets in Russia

Pellets in Russia are still consumed in small volumes due to the presence (at this moment) a large number natural gas and oil, especially since the issue of environmental friendliness of fuel in Russia is far from being the most important one. The high cost of pellet boilers plays a significant role. All this causes low demand for this type of fuel in the domestic market of Russia - at best, fuel premium can be sold at 100 $/m 3 . AT Western Europe similar pellets cost up to $180. Nevertheless, it makes sense to develop a business for the production of alternative fuel in order to sell this fuel abroad. And it is definitely worth organizing it for those who have sawdust or other raw materials - waste from the main production relatively easily turns into income.

In this article, we will try to give a business plan for the production of pellets from waste obtained from wood processing. Calculations were carried out according to the indicators of the current production.

The production of pellets, as a rule, is located in the immediate vicinity of the wood processing enterprise based on the savings in transport costs. Read the pros and cons of production below.

The pellet business is developed based on the following:

Availability of raw materials in sufficient quantities (sawdust; other wood waste unsuitable for further use). In our case, with the release of pellets in the amount of 8 tons / shift, consumption will be approximately 16-18 tons or 25 cubic meters. m.
The presence of a consumer of goods, both internal and external. External consumers will buy your products in the range of 100-130 dollars/ton in stock. The purchase price by the domestic consumer depends on the region and the cost of energy resources in this region. It is possible that your products will be bought by an enterprise that supplies you with raw materials. Ask why? An enterprise that is engaged in wood processing, as a rule, has drying chambers, and this is a rather energy-intensive equipment. The use of pellets as fuel allows you to automate the operation of the boiler, reducing the cost of heat.
Availability of production facilities and power supply. In our case, this is a closed workshop with an area of 240 sq.m, a height of at least 6 m, a platform for raw materials with an area of at least 300 sq.m. Connected power supply - 400 kW.

Equipment for the production of pellets

Required for the production of pellets minimum set equipment to ensure production technology. As a rule, the production cycle begins with the procurement of raw materials. Raw materials include sawdust, wood waste. Sawdust requires a platform, preferably covered, plus a loader to transport it to the feed conveyor to the drying drum. For wood waste, you will need a crusher, or, as it is commonly called, a chipper. Next, the mixture (sawdust, wood chips) is fed into the dryer, where heat treatment to the desired moisture content. After drying, the raw material is fed into the press, where, leaving the spinnerets, pellets are obtained. The pellet diameter is usually 6 or 8 mm. It is necessary to pay attention to the dimensions, since the customer chooses them based on the specifications of his equipment.

We want to pay attention to the purchase of equipment. The main equipment in the line is a drying unit and a press. It is advisable to buy them from well-known manufacturers or under their brand, even if used. All other equipment can be manufactured in-house.

Let's summarize the set necessary equipment for pellet production line: