How does the farming and pelletizing process of Napier Grass work?
Knowledge by PelletIndia.com: Napier Grass – From Farming to Pelletizing
Step-by-Step Process Overview:
1. Harvesting and Pre-processing
Harvesting: Napier Grass is harvested from cultivated fields, providing a high yield of up to 200 tons per acre annually.
Chopping: The harvested grass is chopped into smaller pieces to prepare it for the de-watering stage.
2. De-watering (Mechanical Moisture Reduction)
Dewatering Press or Squeezing Roll: The chopped Napier Grass undergoes mechanical de-watering, reducing its moisture content by approximately 30%. Servoday’s Napier Grass Press Roll is used to achieve this, optimizing the moisture level for subsequent drying stages.
Moisture Content Post De-watering: Achieved moisture content is around 35-40%, depending on the initial moisture level.
3. Drying (Flash or Rotary Dryer)
Flash Dryer: The de-watered grass is further dried using a flash dryer, which rapidly reduces the moisture content to around 12-15%. This stage typically removes an additional 20% of moisture, making the material ideal for pelletization.
4. Grinding (Size Reduction)
Hammer Mill (Tear Drop Type): The dried Napier Grass is ground into a fine, uniform powder using a hammer mill. This creates an optimal particle size for efficient pelletization and uniform heating in industrial applications.
Air Aspiration System: An air aspiration system removes dust and maintains clean air in the grinding area, reducing the risk of fire hazards.
5. Mixing and Conditioning
Ribbon Mixer: The ground material is fed into a ribbon mixer to ensure even distribution of biomass particles for uniform quality.
6. Pelletization
Ring Die Pellet Mill: The conditioned Napier Grass material is fed into the pellet mill. Servoday’s ring die pellet mill is specially designed for biomass, with a capacity of 1-5 tons per hour.
Pellet Formation: The biomass is pressed through the ring die to form pellets. The high pressure and friction cause the lignin in the biomass to melt, binding the material naturally without additional adhesives.
7. Cooling
Pellet Cooler (Counter Flow): Freshly formed pellets exit the pellet mill at high temperatures (70-90°C). The cooler reduces the pellet temperature to about 5-10°C above ambient levels, ensuring the pellets harden and become durable.
Quality Check: Ensures that the pellets meet standards for density and durability.
8. Screening and Quality Control
Vibrating Screen: The pellets pass through a screen to separate fines and broken pellets. Fines are recycled back to the pellet mill for reprocessing.
9. Packaging and Storage
Bulk Storage or Jumbo Bags: The cooled pellets are packed into bulk storage containers or jumbo bags, based on customer requirements.
Storage Conditions: Pellets are stored in a dry area to prevent moisture absorption, which can degrade pellet quality over time.
10. Automation and Control
Automated Feeding and Control Systems: Servoday’s Automated Napier Grass Feeding System manages the feed rate into the system, minimizing manual intervention and ensuring steady material flow.
This comprehensive process ensures efficient conversion of Napier Grass from the field into high-quality biomass pellets suitable for various energy applications. If you need more details or have specific questions about any part of the process, feel free to ask!
