Biomass and RDF Fuel Pellet Manufacturing Plant in Austria

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Overview

The 4t/h biomass and RDF fuel pellet manufacturing plant in Austria is designed to efficiently convert waste materials into high-quality biomass pellets and RDF (Refuse-Derived Fuel) products. The plant targets an annual production capacity of 5,000 t/a for both biomass fuel pellets and RDF-derived materials. This project addresses growing environmental concerns, offering a clean, eco-friendly alternative to conventional coal and gas fuels for industrial boilers, small power plants, and household heating.

The plant is strategically located near industrial and agricultural zones, providing easy access to raw materials including waste wood, sawdust, straw, and polyester (PET) fabric offcuts. The facility occupies a leased area of approximately 1,500 m², with integrated production lines, storage warehouses, and pollution control systems.

The client’s primary objective was to establish a medium-scale biomass and RDF production facility that could handle mixed feedstock while maintaining high product quality and compliance with European environmental regulations. After consulting with our engineering team, a tailored solution was developed, including optimized workflow, equipment selection, and factory layout.

4T/H

capacity

$210,000

investment

Austria

location

Fuel

project type

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Project Background

The client is an Austrian renewable energy company looking to diversify their fuel supply chain and capitalize on the local availability of biomass and industrial textile residues. Their requirements were:

Production capacity: 4 t/h, running 8 hours/day, 300 days/year.
Products: Biomass fuel pellets for residential and industrial use, RDF pellets from polyester fabric offcuts for industrial processing.
Raw materials: Waste wood, sawdust, straw, and polyester fabric offcuts.
Goals: Sustainable production, compliance with EU environmental standards, and zero-waste management.

The biomass pellet project team conducted a detailed feasibility study, evaluated raw material availability, and designed a customized production line including storage, processing, and packaging systems.

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Facility Layout and Infrastructure

The biomass pellet plant layout is designed for operational efficiency, safety, and environmental compliance. The production facility includes:

Facility	Area	Function	Remarks
Production workshop	1,500 m²	Biomass pellet line, RDF material line, general & hazardous waste storage	Single-floor, 9 m height, leased
1# Finished product warehouse	50 m²	Temporary storage of finished products	West side of workshop
2# Finished product warehouse	50 m²	Temporary storage of finished products	East side of workshop
1# Raw material warehouse	50 m²	Storage of raw materials	West side of workshop
2# Raw material warehouse	50 m²	Storage of raw materials	East side of workshop

Utilities and support:

Water: Supplied by regional water company, ~831 m³/year. Used for pellet moisture control, spraying, and daily operations.
Electricity: Fully electric-powered production, 500,000 kWh/year.
Wastewater: Domestic wastewater treated via on-site septic tanks and connected to municipal sewage system (~360 t/year).
Roads & Fire Safety: Internal plant roads, pedestrian paths, and fire safety systems included.

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Products and Production Capacity

Product	Specification	Annual Output	Running Hours
Biomass pellets	Heat value ≥16.9 MJ/kg, moisture ≤8%, ash <2%, density >1.0 g/cm³	5,000 t	2,400 h
RDF-derived materials	Polyester fabric offcuts pellets, diameter 0.5–1.5 cm	5,000 t	2,400 h

Product notes:

Biomass pellets can be used for industrial boilers, household heating, and gasification.
RDF-derived pellets primarily serve industrial textile applications.
All materials comply with EU solid waste utilization standards, ensuring they are not classified as waste post-production.

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Raw Materials

Product	Material	Annual Consumption (t/a)	Storage (t)	Storage Method	Remarks
Biomass pellets	Waste wood, sawdust	2,002.6	40	Piled	Sourced from local furniture and woodworking industries
Biomass pellets	Straw	3,002.6	60	Piled	Agricultural residues from surrounding farms
RDF-derived materials	Polyester fabric offcuts	5,000.4	30	Piled	Industrial textile waste
Others	Lubricant oil	0.1	0.1	Barrel	Maintenance

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Production Process

Biomass Fuel Pellet Line

Material unloading: Waste wood, sawdust, and straw delivered via belt conveyor (with sideboards).
Crushing: Raw materials crushed to 4–8 mm in a closed crusher.
Drying: Electric heating oven at 60 °C to reduce moisture.
Pelletizing: Material compressed into pellets.
Packaging: Finished pellets packed for distribution.

RDF-derived Material Line

Feeding: Polyester fabric offcuts fed into forming machines.
Forming: Screw heating to 150–160 °C, partial plasticization, water added at 0.6% ratio to prevent clumping.
Packaging: Finished pellets packaged for industrial sale.

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Equipment List

Production Line	Process	Equipment	Capacity
Biomass pellet line	Drying	Rotary Dryer	1 unit
Biomass pellet line	Crushing	Chain Crusher	3 t/h
Biomass pellet line	Pelletizing	Biomass Pellet Mill	3 t/h
Biomass pellet line	Dust collection	Bag Filter + Exhaust	5,000 m³/h
Biomass pellet line	Water spray	Water Sprinkler	1 unit
RDF material line	Forming	Forming Machine	0.2 t/h ×10
RDF material line	Emission control	Water spray + Electrostatic + Carbon filter	20,000 m³/h
Transport	Forklift	2 t	2 units
Transport	Bale Grab	/	2 units

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Environmental Protection Measures

Dust and emissions: Collected via bag filters, high-pressure electrostatic units, and water spray towers.
Wastewater: Domestic wastewater treated in septic tanks and connected to municipal system.
Solid waste: Segregated into general and hazardous waste; zero-waste principle.
Noise control: Foundation vibration damping and workshop soundproofing.
Monitoring: Compliance with EU industrial emissions and odor standards.

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Workforce

Employees: 10 operators
Shift: Single 8-hour shift, 300 days/year
Annual working hours: 2,400 h

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Material & Water Balance

Water balance:

Production water: 300 t/year
Spraying and humidification: 48 t/year
Domestic use: 360 t/year
Losses: 30 t/year

Material balance (Biomass pellets):

Input: Waste wood + sawdust 2,002.6 t, straw 3,002.6 t
Output: 5,000 t biomass pellets

Material balance (RDF pellets):

Input: Polyester fabric offcuts 5,000.4 t
Output: 5,000 t RDF-derived pellets

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Project Highlights

Tailored design: Custom layout to integrate biomass and RDF production.
Eco-friendly: Full dust, emission, and wastewater control.
Market-ready: Products comply with EU standards, stable demand.
Scalable: Additional forming machines or dryers can be added if production expands.
Operational efficiency: Single-floor workshop with logical material flow from unloading → crushing → drying → pelletizing → packaging.

This 4t/h biomass and RDF fuel pellet manufacturing plant in Austria demonstrates a sustainable solution for converting local biomass and industrial textile residues into high-quality fuels while maintaining full compliance with environmental standards and optimizing operational efficiency.

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RICHI Service

● Consulting

Customer Consultation

We want to have a deep understanding of your industrial process, to know your exact needs of feed, wood, biomass, fertilizer or other pellet processing.

● Design

biomass Pellet Plant Design

Based on your unique situation and industrial process, we will tailor complete pellet plant you need, and inform you of every additional detail that could facilitate operation, minimize total cost.

● Manufacturing

Equipment Manufacturing

The critical components of the of the complete pellet production line equipment are built in our own workshops in Asia. Additional equipment is manufactured by our worldwide network of reliable partners.

● Testing

Quality Inspection & Testing

Before leaving the factory, all equipment will be inspected by the quality inspection department. We can also provide customers with testing services from a single machine to a complete pellet plant system, and provide you with real actual data for “worry-free use.”

● Delivery

Equipment Delivery

In equipment boxing and packaging, we adopt professional packaging and modular solutions to ensure the safe and non-destructive delivery of pellet plant equipment.

● Installation

Installation & Commissioning

Whether you choose your own subcontractor for the erection phase or you want to install everything together with us, a Richi supervisor will be around to make sure everything is mounted in a safe and thorough way.

● Training

Staff Training

We provide comprehensive training for the technicians of each project. We can also continue to provide support for the technicians during latter project operation.

● After-sales

Project Follow-Up

When everything is up and running our Richiers will help you further whenever needed. We are ready to answer your call 24/7.We’ll also visit you regularly to learn about your needs.

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Who we are

RICHI Machinery is one of the world’s leading suppliers of technology and services for the animal feed, aqua feed and pet food industries, also the largest pellet production line manufacturer in China.

Since 1995, RICHI’s vision to build a first-class enterprise, to foster first-class employees, and to make first-class contributions to society has never wavered.

In the past three decades, we have expanded our business to a wide range of areas, including animal feed mill equipment, aqua feed equipment, pet feed equipment, biomass pellet equipment, fertilizer equipment, cat litter equipment, municipal solid waste pellets equipment, etc.