Wood pellets and fuel pellets in general made from a range of materials are being used in more homes and business for heating purposes. The key feature of pellets is their ability to be used in systems that replicate current oil and gas systems. This means the transition between the two systems is made a lot simpler. The other benefit that pellets offer is their low maintenance requirements and high efficiency. New opportunities are produced by pellets, to turn biomass energy into a useable form. However many people, even people who currently use pellets know that there are differences between different brands and there are different qualities of pellets. Users need to be aware of these differences so they can make an educated decision when deciding which brand of pellets to purchase. Premium quality fuel pellets made from wood are the most used form of biomass energy. Premium wood pellets have to meet certain criteria and standards to be called ‘premium’. These features of premium pellets are based around their high heat, high efficiency low maintenance abilities. For the pellets to provide these qualities, they require certain features, namely their density, moisture content, fines content and ash percentage. Premium wood pellets must meet all of the required standards to be called ‘premium’ pellets.

A low moisture content of below 10% is one of the key characteristics of premium fuel pellets. Low moisture content means a more efficient burn is possible which results in more heat produced and therefore they are more efficient. Fines are particles, which didn’t form into pellets, or have broken away from the pellets, this dust doesn’t burn very efficiently and can increase the ash content and possibly cause other issues around clinkers. Ash content is another key point. Premium wood pellets must have low ash content, so their maintenance level is as low as possible. An ash content below 2% is expected, with some pellets producing ash content as low as 0.5%. To achieve this the material the pellets are made from is very important. It will either be softwoods or hardwoods, with bark removed. Hardwood pellets are supposed to produce less ash than softwood pellets, however many users find the opposite is true. Finally density is an overlooked factor of a premium quality pellet, however it is arguably the most important. Earlier it was stated how fines or pellet dust reduce efficiency as they do not burn as efficiently. Well pellets with a low density as they start to burn, break apart easily and turn to dust, meaning they loose burning efficiency. Pellets which are denser are going to produce more heat and less maintenance, but how can you tell which are dense and which are not. Well dense pellets usually have a surface shine, so this is an easy feature to look out for.

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As current energy sources come under more scrutiny for the levels of carbon dioxide they contribute to the atmosphere, alternative energy sources are being considered to provide us with the energy we need. Nuclear energy by some is seen as a solution, as it does not contribute to global warming. However nuclear power plants are extremely expensive to produce, have high risks associate to the plants themselves and to the waste they produce. There is still the issue of what we can do with nuclear waste; simply burying it underground for future generations to deal with is not a responsible and sensible solution. Wind and solar are ever improving forms of renewable energy that will play an important role in our low carbon energy future. However both have issues in terms of their use of land and energy on demand. As they only produce energy when the wind blows and the sun shines, not necessarily when we need it.

Biomass is any cellulose material, which can be used as an energy source. Biomass includes wood, straws and grasses to name but a few. Biomass is part of the carbon cycle, so it does not contribute to global warming; it simply recycles available carbon within the atmosphere to grow more biomass. Biomass in its raw form though does not burn efficiently enough to be a future clean green fuel. To achieve efficient combustion with the highest levels of heat output and the lowest levels of particulates and emissions, the biomass must be compressed. By compressing the biomass a denser material is formed, which performs far better in stoves and boilers. One type of biomass compression is a pellet. Pellets look like colouring crayons; they have a very high density and low moisture content. Due to these qualities pellets perform very well, and many pellet stoves and boilers can achieve 99% efficiency.

Wood pellets are currently the most common form of biomass fuel pellets. They are commonly made from softwood and hardwood by-products. They produce very low ash and high heat and low maintenance. Wood pellets are very popular in Europe and particularly Sweden, and their popularity is growing all over the world. Pellets flow like a liquid due to their consistent shape, size and density. These properties mean that pellets are suitable for screw auger and hopper systems. With automatic cleaning systems on stoves and boilers, maintenance levels can be kept to an absolute minimum. This replicates current oil and gas heating systems, making the transition for the user as small as possible. Designing alternative energy systems that fit into our current lifestyle is very important to convenience people over to the change. Once you factor in the cost benefits of pellets compared to oil or gas, many people see the advantages.

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Fuel pellets are a relatively new form of energy. Pellets have traditionally mainly being used for animal feed. Both fuel pellets and feed pellets have similar properties. Both fuel pellet and feed pellets are made from a compressed milled raw material. Fuel pellets can be made from different raw materials; collectively these materials are referred to as biomass. There are many different types of biomass pellets, for example biomass pellets could be made from straw, such as barley straw and wheat straw. Many grasses are also being considered for biomass fuel pellets, this includes reed canary grass and switchgrass. Hemp also has a huge potential in the future for biomass fuel pellets, went burnt hemp pellets produce very little ash similar to premium wood pellets.

Wood pellets of a certain standard are referred to as premium wood pellets. Premium wood pellets are the most popular type of wood pellet used in the US and Europe. Both hardwoods and softwoods are used in the production of premium wood pellets. Usually the pellets are made from the waste of wood processing. So it is common for wood pellet plants to be setup next to sawmills. For example Canada has very little premium wood pellet consumption, however their premium wood pellet production is as high as Sweden, the worlds largest user and producer of premium wood pellets. For a wood pellet to be called a premium wood pellet it must have certain qualities. It must have very low ash content; in many cases this can be as low as 0.5%. For a premium wood pellet to produce so little ash the raw material must contain very little or no bark. The moisture content of a premium wood pellet must also be very low, this generally means below 10%, however many premium wood pellets are much lower. The density of a premium wood pellet is also very important. It must hold together well, and break cleanly producing few fines. Fines, which are pellet dust, must also be kept below a certain level. Excessive fines can cause issues with the auger system in the pellet stove or boiler, and also combustion efficiency is reduced meaning less heat and more ash is produced.

Premium wood pellets have benefits with efficient burning and low maintenance. The high density and very low moisture content of the premium wood pellet means a very high efficiency burn. Some wood pellet stoves are rated a being 99% efficient. This means as much heat as possible is extracted from the premium wood pellets and very little if any smoke can be seen exiting the chimney. The low ash content means the user will only have to clean the stove and empty the ashbin at most every few days. Some pellet stoves and boilers have very large ashbins and some have ash compression systems. Large ashbins and ash compression means stoves and boilers can operate from tens to hundreds of hours without attention.

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