A 4 t/h palm kernel shell pellet production system for Ghana has passed its factory acceptance test at RICHI Machinery and is now being prepared for overseas shipment.

The pks biomass pellet project is being developed for a West African biomass processor with access to palm-processing residues. Palm kernel shell will be the main feedstock, while palm fiber and suitable clean sawdust may be introduced as supplementary biomass streams when their condition is appropriate.

The customer plans to manufacture mainly 8 mm industrial fuel pellets.

FAT Concentrated on Equipment Readiness, Not a Marketing Demonstration

The factory acceptance test checked whether the supplied machines, motors, feeders, control elements and main auxiliary components matched the approved project documents and operated correctly under factory conditions.

RICHI Machinery also reviewed equipment identification and the interfaces required for later installation.

The purpose was to identify manufacturing or coordination issues before shipment, when corrections are easier to make.

PKS and Palm Fiber Were Not Treated as the Same Material

The fuel pellet plant project includes more than one palm-related residue, but the engineering does not assume that all palm biomass behaves alike.

Palm kernel shell is hard and relatively dense compared with fibrous palm residues.

Palm fiber requires different preparation and feeding consideration.

The equipment arrangement therefore reflects these differences before the materials reach the common pelletizing stage.

What the FAT Confirmed

The inspection verified the main areas required before international delivery:

• equipment specification and assembly;
• motor and transmission operation;
• feeder response;
• conveying interfaces;
• safety and control elements included in the scope;
• equipment labels and packing references.

The test did not attempt to establish final Ghana production parameters.

Actual Feedstock Commissioning Still Belongs On Site

The customer’s commercial PKS supply will define the final operating condition.

Shell size, moisture, contamination and the proportion of supplementary fiber or sawdust can all affect practical production.

After installation in Ghana, material commissioning will be required before the line reaches stable operation.

This distinction matters: a successful FAT confirms factory readiness, not permanent performance under every raw-material condition.

With the acceptance stage completed, the 4 t/h biomass pellet plant project can now move into packing and shipment preparation.