Nowadays, reusing waste for fuel is a sustainable concept, although pellets can also be made from leaves. Burning dead autumn leaves as biomass in a pellet stove is an option that has several advantages. In addition, fallen autumn leaves can be used as an excellent source of renewable heating energy, which also makes street cleaning easier. So, in this post, find out how to use biomass waste for heating to reduce heating costs in the winter season.
Alternative fuel – make pellets from leaves
People have been using biomass for cooking or keeping warm for many years. Today it is used to drive power generators and other machines and why not for themCombustion in a pellet stoveused. The sustainable life that people are trying to create recently involves the use of biomass, be it from waste. In addition, the production of wood pellets is a completely possible option that has many positives.
Biomass energy is usually generated or produced by living organisms. The most commonly used biomaterials for energy purposes are plants such as corn and soybeans. The energy from these organisms can be burned to produce heat or converted into electricity. In principle, biomass contains energy that is absorbed by plants from the sun using the following mechanism: Plants use photosynthesis to accumulate energy and then convert it into carbon dioxide and water into nutrients (carbohydrates). Accordingly, such biomass can also be burned to generate direct heat and convert it into electricity.
Why use leaves as a source of energy?
Autumn leaves are one of the most common biomass wastes. It's easy to get a lot of fallen leaves in a garden or even in the city during fall and winter. Their intensive fall and natural hedge trimming as well as work in the garden leave behind a lot of green waste. As a rule, great effort and expense are required to clean up the foliage or get rid of it by burning. So why not make pellets out of leaves and use them as...Fuel for heatinguse? This means you can save a lot of money during the heating season. In addition, large piles of leaves can be processed using a pellet press and used as an alternative solid fuel in a pellet stove.
As a raw material for heating, autumn leaves have the following advantages:
- Fall foliage is plentiful and easy to get for free.
- The leaves are a fiber-rich material that is easily processed into high-intensity pellets.
- Such wood pellets burn sufficiently and evenly, with a high calorific value.
- Burning leaves produce little smoke or ash.
- Cleaning a pellet stove does not require much effort and is harmless.
- Biomass waste provides environmentally friendly, carbon-neutral energy that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
Benefit from the advantages and make pellets from leaves
An important advantage is the high density of the sheets, which can help save space. Their bulk density is 180 kg/m3, while the density of leaf pellets is at least 650 kg/m3. In addition, such pellets take up only a quarter of the space occupied by voluminous sheets. The high density also makes the pellets even easier to store and transport. Furthermore, pellets produced in this way offer much better energy efficiency and have a longer burning time.
Because they are uniform in size and density, pellets can be made from leaves and easily used in furnaces. Firepower is easily controlled by adjusting the refueling speed. Additionally, cleanliness is another benefit of burning leaves in a pellet stove. The process of manufacturing removes ash and dirt along with additional moisture. This process can not only improve the combustion efficiency of biomass, but also reduce coking in the heating furnace, minimize cleaning effort and ensure greater safety when using it.
Understand the manufacturing process
First, the collected leaves are pressed in a hammer mill and then dried. After putting the biomass into the pellet press, the roller applies high pressure to it and pushes the mass into the holes of the flat die, in which the bulky sheets are formed into solid cylindrical pellets. A knife under the flat die then cuts off the pellets and they end up in a container. So anyone who wants to invest in it can make pellets from leaves using the right machines, but there are some safety guidelines and tips to keep in mind.
Consider important factors and make pellets from leaves
- Freshly fallen leaves contain the perfect moisture for making pellets. However, for green, wet or too dry leaves, the moisture content should be between 10% and 15%, otherwise they will be difficult to shape and easy to break.
- Before using leaves in a pellet press, the leaves should be crushed to a size of less than 5mm, otherwise they may jam the machine and affect production.
- It is recommended to add sawdust to the leaves for betterProduce wood pellets. The lignin contained in the leaves is not enough to bind the granules. With a little sawdust, the quality of the pellets improves significantly.
- The pellet press should be preheated before the raw materials end up in it.
- The mixture should consist of 3-5 kg of raw materials and 10% used oil and enter the heated roller.
- After manufacturing, pellets might have some cracks at first, but after a while they become perfect for burning in a pellet stove.
- The pellets made from leaves can be stored in bags and kept in dry places to avoid moisture.
Convert other types of biomass into pellets
Except for leaves, a flat die pellet press can process various organic wastes, such as crop straw, rice husks, cotton stalks, sawdust, wood chips, grass, twigs, bark, etc. In addition, such pellets can be used in household stoves, boilers and for industrial heating. Additionally, pellet mills can process pet food into pellets to improve taste and nutrients or for bedding in pet stores.
