Has anyone out there made pellets from grass hays? I made some this fall and they burn alright except high ash content. I can not seem to get them to shine. Would pellet bond help here. i bought a bag but have not tried it yet. We bought a machine from PelletPro and they say I can make 650 lbs an hour but I think they are full of it. Has anyone else bought one of these from them?
» Making Your Own Pellets
pellet making
(36 posts)-
pdgjim
MemberPosted 1 year ago # -
Well pdgjim how much you can make an hour will largely depend on a few things.
a) what size machine you have
b) what biomass you are trying to pelletize
c) how well you are setup to continually feed the pellet mill
d) raw material temp
e) ...and about 10 more variables.What you will find is that if you are producing wood pellets the production decreases significantly. An SS-200A 15hp diesel we quote at about 100-150lbs/hr. PelletPros quotes their similar model PP-650 at 350-650lbs/hr. I know that won't happen.
admin
Posted 1 year ago # -
pdgjim
MemberHi Admin, I have contacted a while ago another pellet mill seller in Alaska and he told me that the machine that he sells and the one that my brother and I bought are made in the same factory in China. I would assume that yours is the same if it comes from China because they all look alike. How would I find out if your parts would fit my machine. In fact we have 2 of them but that is a long story how we ended up with 2.
Posted 1 year ago # -
There are numerous manufacturers of similar equipment in China. I have more than one supplier. It seems the Chinese don't particularly believe in honoring patents with each other.
Our die & rollers match pellet pro models. I am familiar with the manufacturer that pellet pro uses. Can you tell me which parts you need?
Posted 1 year ago # -
pdgjim
MemberAdmin, I do not need any parts at present time but was just checking to see if your parts would inerchange with our Pelletpros PP650D.
Posted 1 year ago # -
mmaf1
MemberI have 6mm dies.What size sawdust do I use
Posted 1 year ago # -
you can use any dust that fits through a 1/4" screen
Posted 1 year ago # -
dave
Memberhi every one, just wanted to chime in. Thanks jide for the info on slowing down the rpm. I was spinning way to fast. I dropped the pully on the driven end from 7" to 3" wow what a difference. Pretty pellets 1 time through.
davePosted 1 year ago # -
mstief
MemberHAS ANYBODY TRIED LIQUID LIGNIN IN THEIR PELLET MIX
Posted 1 year ago # -
jmann7811
MemberDave, where did you get the smaller pulley? i would like to do the same. thanks
Posted 1 year ago # -
mmaf1
MemberI ihave put every thing from small shavings and sawdust to screening to 6 MM.
Still no pellets.
Is there a better way of cleaning the dies ,other than hammer and a metal rod??Posted 1 year ago # -
Hopefully you reamed the die first? If not, after you punch the die holes out...make sure you ream them before using it again. it will save you alot of work. You can order them here... www.makeyourownpellets.com/accessories/solid-carbide-reamer-letter-b Then you should be using Pellet Binder to make pellets. Read through this forum and the rest of the website to learn more.
Posted 1 year ago # -
mvukovich
Membermmaf1, I have a 6mm die and I have ream the die. I use a 15/64 drill bit when the die is still warm to clean out my holes. I have been using two buckets of sawdust. One with very wet sawdust no binder and the other with the binder and 10-15 percent moisture. I throw in the very wet sawdust 1st, until I have the mill hot and steaming and then use the second bucket to make pellets. I'm using a mixture of hay and sawdust.
Posted 1 year ago # -
scotplod
MemberGentlemen,
someone enquired after my welfare. Quite well, but otherwise taken up with finishing my degree.
My suppliers let me down with a switch just not up to the job on my 3hp mill so have only had thinking and not doing time these last few months.
I worked out the issue of friction, however, and having done some work on airflow into car engine carburettors realised that the inlet curve profile is as important as the smoothness. I recall that a parabolic curve allows a better flow than a straight taper. has any of you (American) practitioners considered this?Posted 1 year ago # -
Miniature velocity stacks...... hmmmmmm. It would keep the flow more laminar and might actually do a better compression job.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The chamfers are about 15 degrees. also as important as clear die holes.
Posted 1 year ago # -
msb_blue
MemberI have a 3hp direct drive mill. I have reamed the holes and the tapers and am using pellet binder. The mill no longer plugs at all, but I often stall the motor when I start to make decent pellets. I am using oak sawdust (13%) and/or shredded paper. I guess it's pretty much common knowledge that it is under powered. The motor runs at 1740 rpm. I have a 5 hp that is probably a 1725 rpm. Would I be over-powering the mill? Will the power then break something on the mill? There will be some changes that have to be made to accommodate the 5 hp motor and I am wondering if I am headed down the road of diminishing returns. Any opinions or advice would be appreciated.
Mark
Posted 1 year ago # -
going to a 5hp shouldn't exceed any of the mills components. Your right about being under powered, because it is just when the mills get to temp to make nice hard pellets that you need the extra torque.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Harry McCaully
MemberI’m wondering how you figure the moisture content of your sawdust. The moisture meters have 2 contacts and will read any conductivity between the two points. That is great for solid wood but how do you read the conductivity in lose sawdust or your pellets after they are dried. My sawdust appeared to be dry and when I figured the moisture content it was over the 20% with out a meter. I put some binder with the mix and out came pellets. There was a lot of fines about 30% and the pellets weren’t very shine I didn’t buy a meter because how accurate does it have to be. Northern has them for $25.00 to over $200.00. I can’t see getting a super expansive one if the accuracy has to be a fairly large percentage. This was the first time I ever tried the pellet machine, it’ a 200A, and it worked to my surprise. I also checked the moisture of purchased pellets that I use to start my coal stoker and that were at 10%. From what I read they have to be less than 7% to burn. I’m building a device to read my sawdust with and correlate the moisture from my own chart that I gather from different materials for my reference.
Harry
Posted 1 year ago # -
Harry
A grain tester, MP-16 from Farmex works well, but it is anywhere from 175 - 200
Posted 1 year ago # -
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Posted 10 months ago # -
glenn440
MemberHello all.
New to the forum - have had a 350mm (PK350) pto machine from Wholly Elephant for over a year now - but never really found the time to get to know her. Hoping to get to that soon. Had lots of time since then to think and read as much info as possible. Have the die out now and am reaming the holes so will soon be anxoius to get rolling.
Couple questions burning in my mind.
1 - I have a mountain of corrugated cardboard boxes ready. I underdstand that moisture is critical - so I am thinking that these boxes should be a good fit. Our ambient moisture level around here is 14% - so these boxes which are stored in the barn still assembled should all be 14% moisture as there is lots of air movement around them. Many of these boxes are waxed - I would guess 5-10% are waxed - anyone tried waxed cardboard? I would think that small amount of wax might even help binding??
2 - I forgot to mention that I do have a old pto driven hammermill to process these materials to less than 1/4". Next question concerns junk mail. If there were the occasional staple missed in a catalogue or magazine would this tiny peice of metal cause any damage to the rollers and die? How about the tiny plastic windows that come on envelopes - would a small amount of this "guck" up the dies? If a samll amount of plastic is acceptable and not enough to plug things up - could one purposely add a small fraction of the mix as poly grocery bags - say 5% by weight. I have read that this form of plastic burns as clean as natural gas without releasing any dyoxins such as polystyrene would. Anyone tried hammermilling plastic bags and adding them to the mix?
3 - How big a factor is the outdoor temperature when pelleting? It is getting pretty cold here now. Does the machine generate enough heat to make the weather a non factor - or is it more critical that the feedstock not be super chilled before processing?
Thanks - Glenn
Posted 8 months ago # -
Welcome Glenn440
IIf your going to use cardboard do not reduce it to 1/4 or less. It works better if you have 1" or 1/2" screens.
If you miss a staple or two, chances are they will end up blocking a hole in your die, no the machine will not fall apart if this happens, but metal in you mix is not good.Outdoor temp is a major factor in making pellets. The ability for the pellet mill to overcome that largely depends on the biomass. Generally speaking, adding cold raw material makes it difficult to make pellets, cardboard because it's softer than wood to compress, is in your favor.
Posted 8 months ago # -
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERY ONE ON THE FOURM AND TO THE ADMIN WHO IS A TRUE GRINCH.HE HAS NOT SENT ANY OF US ANY GIFTS! BAH HUMBUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 8 months ago # -
wayne
MemberGlenn, I have hammermilled both cardboard and junk mail. No problems with the small screen. The occasional staple hasn't hurt anything. Just don't put in the BIG staples from cardboard boxes. The cardboard comes out like blown in insulation. I usually alternate the paper products with hay and/or sawdust. My PTO grinder/mixer does just that it grinds and mixes. Most times if you add enough bio mass to the mix you don't need a binder , I find. Moisture content is key and I have access to green sawdust that helps in adding the bit of moisture that the cardboard and such is lacking. I made pellets last year with some dry stuff and when it was too dry I would just sprinkle some snow in with the product as it went through the die. Some times all you need is a little moisture! Some times you will need to run the batch through one more time to distribute the moisture evenly and get a great pellet. Can anyone else out there claim that snow is one of their ingredients? I don't bother making pellets if it is below 20 degrees F. I hate the cold! Happy Holidays to all!
Posted 8 months ago # -
Happy Holidays All!
The best way to hammer mill cardboard is with a larger screen, why? Well for one it's a time saver. You can hammer lots more cardboard in less time if the holes are bigger in the screen. Yes smaller holes like the 6mm Wayne mentions will certainly work, but there's no need to reduce a soft biomass that small. It really will save loads of time using a bigger screen. As far as mixing in snow, well Wayne I think that's why your running the biomass through twice. The snow is cooling the temperature in the die housing. Try using hot water, but not too much, it will save you the second pass. If you used the binder you'd also make a denser pellet. Anyway as far as a present for all of you goes.. it will be out January 1, I'll send a copy to all you demo guys. Maybe I'll throw a party too...at Jeff's place!
Merry Christmas pellet heads!
Posted 8 months ago # -
wayne
MemberHappy Holidays Admin, I only used the snow one day when every thing was up and running and it was too far to the house to fetch water and too cold to boot! Right now I have only the one screen for my hammermill and everything goes through it and mixes up nicely in the end. Yes cardboard takes a while but I throw in a piece and then follow it with leaves or hay and then some cardboard and then some sawdust/shavings and just keep alternating things to keep my PTO speed up. Running pellets through more than one pass is a not much of a pain to me. I made over three tons this summer/fall and probably would have made more if i hadn't tried putting sealed bearings in the rollers.Those puppies need fresh grease frequently!!!That and I have many irons in the fire that also need attention around here( dosen't everybody have a HoneyDO list?) I will say that the pellets I made with distillers grain and those with enough hay to make the pellets green are making some pretty hard clinkers! I still have a bag of your binder and will give it a try when we get a warm spell. Making pellets is fun (to me) and you can ask George if he wasn't impressed with the quality of my pellets. Experimenting is half the fun! Don't deny me that pleasure!Hey some of my mistakes may save others time and money. And some of my exploits may make them laugh or scratch their heads.......
Posted 8 months ago # -
mstief
MemberIf the party is going to be at JIDES can you at least wait until it's a little warmer besides which I can't get out of my yard snowed about 20" here in the last two days and we are going to have another 4-6 tonite MERRY CHRISTMAS to everybody and a HAPPY NEW YEAR and to JIDE I haven't seen my gift either from the GRINCH I really like the new look
Posted 8 months ago # -
Liberty
MemberHello everybody. I've been following this website for some time and you are by far the best knowledge base I have seen. I am new at pellet production and am looking for a suitable machine and believe I have what I want but it was asked of me the other day about recycling newspaper, cardboard, mail etc. on a large scale. We have the volume of material without question. In doing this it will help my Village financially in that we will no longer be shipping junk out but using it instead with hopes of eventually retrofitting and heating our schools/municipal buildings with Biomass pellets or bricks. I know your site handles small scale mills but is anyone familiar with this type of large production?
Posted 8 months ago # -
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