Biomass Crop Wood Fuel Pellet Line in Spain

RICHI MACHINERY

Project Snapshot

The 1.5-2t/h biomass crop wood fuel pellet line in Spain was not built as a large industrial complex. It started from a very modest idea: making better use of mixed agricultural residues and wood waste that were already being generated locally.

The client converted an existing 700㎡ workshop into a compact but efficient biomass pellet production line, integrating crushing, grinding, pelletizing, and dust control in one flow. After commissioning, the line stabilized at an annual output of about 5,000 tons of biomass fuel pellets, which is quite reasonable for this scale in southern Europe.

From a technical standpoint, the project sits somewhere between a small commercial plant and a pilot-scale industrial unit. It’s not oversized, not over-automated—but it runs steadily, and that’s what matters.

The 1.5-2t/h biomass crop wood fuel pellet line in Spain is essentially a mixed raw material pelletizing system designed for flexibility. The client insisted on being able to process both waste wood and agricultural straw, which immediately ruled out some standard configurations.

Instead of chasing maximum capacity, we focused on:

stable feeding under variable raw material conditions
short conveying distances (the workshop size forced this anyway)
simple maintenance (only 4 workers on-site)

The result is a compact fuel pellet plant layout where material flows in a loop-like path instead of long straight conveyors. That reduced both energy consumption and dust leakage points.

1.5-2T/H

capacity

$52,000

investment

Spain

location

Fuel

project type

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Project Background

This project came from a local biomass collector in central Spain. He had access to two consistent raw material streams:

offcuts and waste wood from small furniture workshops
seasonal agricultural straw from nearby farms

At first, he was selling raw biomass cheaply. Transport costs were eating most of the margin. That’s when he started looking into a small biomass pellet plant.

Initial inquiry: March 2024
Contract signed: July 2024
Installation completed: October 2024

His first question during consultation was very direct:

“Can I run both straw and wood in one pelletizing line without constant breakdowns?”

That question shaped almost everything in the design.

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Key Technical & Economic Indicators

Before going into details, here’s a quick overview that procurement people usually want:

Item	Data
Capacity	1.5–2 tons/hour
Annual Output	5,000 tons
Working Days	300 days/year
Working Hours	10 hours/day
Labor	4 workers
Workshop Area	700㎡
Total Investment	~$85,000
Equipment Cost	~$52,000

This is a low-to-mid investment biomass pellet plant, which is exactly what many small investors in Europe are looking for now.

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Raw Materials

In Spain, especially in agricultural regions, raw material supply is not the problem. Consistency is.

The client’s raw material mix looked like this:

Material	Annual Consumption	Source	Storage
Waste wood	2,000 t	Furniture workshops	Indoor storage
Crop straw	3,000 t	Local farms	Indoor storage
Fresh water	120 t	Municipal supply	Pipeline
Electricity	480,000 kWh	Grid	Cable supply

A small detail worth mentioning:
The first batches of straw came in with uneven moisture. Some loads were too dry, some slightly damp. The biomass pellet press reacted immediately—either producing dusty pellets or causing die blockage.

We had to guide the client on simple moisture balancing. No fancy dryer installed, just better raw material selection and blending.

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Equipment Configuration

We kept the equipment list straightforward, avoiding unnecessary complexity:

Equipment	Quantity
Crusher	1
Hammer mill (grinder)	1
Biomass Pellet mill	1
Pulse bag dust collector + fan	1

No redundant machines, no oversized units.

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Workshop Layout

The workshop was already there, and the client didn’t want to rebuild.

So we worked around these constraints:

Length: ~30m
Width: ~23m
Steel structure

Layout logic (this mattered more than expected):

Raw material zone placed near crusher → reduces loader movement
Production area concentrated on one side → shorter pipelines
Finished product area separated → avoids cross contamination
Office area isolated → safety and dust control

The crop wood pellet production line is compact, but not crowded. Operators can still walk around equipment for maintenance, which is often ignored in small plants.

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Process Flow

Instead of complicated diagrams, here’s how the material really moves:

Feeding
Mixed straw and wood are loaded into the system.
Basic requirement: low moisture, minimal impurities.
Crushing
Large pieces reduced to coarse size.
→ Dust starts here, so collection points were added early.
Grinding (Hammer milling)
Material reduced to <10mm.
→ This step defines pellet quality more than most people expect.
Pelletizing
Material enters biomass fuel pellet machine under compression.
→ Final pellets: 8mm diameter, 20–40mm length.
Packaging & Storage
Finished pellets moved to storage zone.

A small real observation:

The first few tons were inconsistent.
Some pellets were slightly cracked.
After adjusting feed rate and compression ratio, things stabilized.

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Environmental Handling

Instead of overdesigning, we focused on what actually works:

Type	Source	Treatment
Dust	Crushing, grinding, pelletizing	Pulse bag filter + 15m stack
Wastewater	Domestic only	Septic tank (no discharge)
Noise	Equipment	Dampers + building insulation
Solid waste	Dust, rejected pellets	Recycled into production

No complicated wastewater system—because there is no process water.

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Utilities

Electricity: 480,000 kWh/year
Water: 120 t/year (mostly for staff use)

This is typical for a small biomass pelletizing line of this scale.

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How we actually supported the client

This biomass pellet project wasn’t just about delivering equipment.

We were involved in:

raw material evaluation
layout planning inside existing workshop
airflow and dust collection design
equipment selection based on mixed materials
installation guidance
operator training

After commissioning, we stayed in contact for about 2 months, helping fine-tune parameters.

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Shipping & Delivery

Port of departure: Qingdao Port
Destination port: Port of Valencia (Spain)

Transport took about 32 days including customs clearance.

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A Note on Cost — why this project worked financially

The client didn’t overspend.

Equipment: ~$52,000
Total investment: ~$85,000

At local pellet selling prices, the payback period is estimated around 1.5–2 years, depending on raw material cost fluctuations.

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why this kind of plant is increasing in Spain

Spain has been gradually increasing its use of biomass fuel, especially in:

small heating systems
agricultural facilities
rural energy applications

Straw and wood residues are widely available but underutilized.

A 1.5-2t/h biomass pellet manufacturing plant fits well here because:

it doesn’t require huge capital
it can operate with local supply chains
it produces a standardized, easy-to-transport fuel

What made this 1.5-2t/h biomass crop wood fuel pellet line in Spain work wasn’t advanced technology.

It was matching:

raw materials
plant size
investment level
and operator capability

That balance is often missing in projects that look good on paper but fail in operation.

If you’re looking at a similar setup, the first thing worth checking is not the machine model—it’s your raw material stability and how much space you actually have to work with.

We’ve seen too many projects struggle simply because those two things were overlooked.

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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.