Sunflower Husk Bedding Production Plant for Livestock in Ukraine

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Why Sunflower Husk Bedding?

Ukraine’s livestock sector is significant but recovering from war-related disruptions. Key markets for bedding pellets:

Current bedding materials:

The client’s sunflower husk pellets offer advantages:

• High absorbency (sunflower husks can absorb 2.5-3x their weight in water)
• Dust-free (important for animal respiratory health, especially horses)
• Soft texture (gentle on animal hooves)
• Renewable (sunflower husks are a waste product)
• Lower cost than imported products (the client sells at 6,000-7,000 UAH/ton ≈ $145-170)

Why sunflower husks work for bedding:

• Naturally absorbent (high cellulose content)
• Low lignin content (pellets remain soft — not as hard as wood pellets)
• Low ash (2-4% for clean husks)
• No mold issues if properly dried

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Raw Materials: Sunflower Husks 

The client’s raw material is 100% sunflower seed husks from local oil extraction plants.

Sunflower husk characteristics:

Why the client doesn’t need a dryer: Sunflower oil mills dry the husks before storage (to prevent self-heating and fire). By the time the client receives them, moisture is already 10-14% — perfect for pelletizing (target 10-15%). This saved the client about $8,000-10,000 in dryer equipment and eliminates fuel cost for drying.

Raw material supply:

Wait, 3,000 tons input for 2,000 tons output? Yes. For sunflower husks, moisture loss is minimal (10-14% down to 8-12%), so the loss is about 5-10%. Let me correct: The client’s actual input is about 2,200-2,300 tons of dry husks to produce 2,000 tons of pellets (including dust collected and returned).

Raw material quality control:

The client only accepts sunflower husks that are:

• Dry (moisture <15% — tested with hand-held meter)
• Free from stones and metal (the client’s crusher and sunflower husk bedding pellet mill have magnetic separators)
• Not moldy (visual inspection)

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The Site and Building

The client have a brick building on the grounds of a former collective farm. The building is 800m², one story, 5m ceiling height — low for pellet production, but adequate for a 1 t/h line.

Building layout:

Building height limitation: The 5m ceiling is low. The client can’t install tall bins or silos. The pellet mill is on the floor. Material moves by shovel (manual). This is not ideal, but it works for 1 t/h.

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Equipment Configuration

The client bought the minimum equipment needed:

RICHI’s solution for sunflower husks:

1. Removed dryer from main process. Sunflower husks are already dry (10-14% moisture from the oil mill). The client only uses the dryer during the wet season (if husks get wet during transport). The client kept the dryer as emergency backup but it’s not needed for normal operation.

2. Bypassed the crusher. 95% of sunflower husks are already the right size (1-5mm). Only 5% are oversized (larger husk pieces). The client uses the crusher occasionally, but for most production, material goes directly to the pellet mill.

3. Added a magnetic separator. Sunflower husks from oil mills can contain metal fragments (from processing equipment). The client’s sunflower husk bedding pellet mill has an integrated magnet to protect the die.

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Process Flow 

Sunflower husks are much easier to process than wood. They are already small, already dry, and pelletize easily. The simple sunflower husk bedding production plant for livestock in Ukraine works well.)

Step 1: Raw Material Receiving and Storage

Trucks deliver sunflower husks in 25kg bags (or loose, covered) to the site. The client and his 5 workers unload bags into the raw material storage area (northeast corner, 100m²).

The storage area holds about 30 tons of bagged husks (15-20 days of production). During the sunflower harvest and processing season (August-November), the client builds inventory for the rest of the year.

Step 2: Crushing (Optional — For Oversize Only)

Only 5% of sunflower husks need crushing. Most go directly to the sunflower husk bedding pellet mill.)

If the client receives a batch with large husk pieces, he runs it through the crusher. The crusher has an integrated bag filter for dust control.

Crusher usage: About 5-10 hours per month, not daily.

Step 3: Drying (Emergency Only)

The client’s dryer is rarely used. Sunflower husks from the oil mill are 10-14% moisture. The client only runs the dryer:

• After heavy rain during transport (moisture >16%)
• During the wet season (November-March) if husks absorb humidity
• For about 10-15 days per year total

Dryer parameters (when used):

• Type: Rotary drum, electric heating
• Inlet temperature: 150°C
• Outlet moisture: 10-12%
• Exhaust passes through a wet scrubber (95% efficiency)

Step 4: Pelletizing

Sunflower husks pelletize at lower temperature than wood (60-80°C vs 80-100°C). The pellets stay softer — ideal for bedding.

Dry sunflower husks are fed into the sunflower husk bedding pellet mill.

Pellet mill parameters for sunflower husk bedding:

Bedding pellet specifications (corrected for animal bedding):

Why lower compression ratio (4:1 vs 5:1 for fuel): Bedding pellets should be softer than fuel pellets. High compression makes hard, dense pellets that don’t absorb water well. The lower ratio produces softer pellets that break down when wet, absorbing more liquid.

Pellet mill operation: The client runs the mill at 1 t/h, monitoring die temperature with an infrared gun (kept below 80°C).

Step 5: Cooling

Hot pellets (60-70°C) drop onto the floor. The client spreads them in a thin layer (10-15cm deep) using a shovel.

Cooling time: 2-3 hours. Ukraine’s climate is cool (especially in the facility, which is not heated). The client doesn’t need a mechanical cooler.

Step 6: Packaging

Cooled pellets are shoveled into 25kg bags.

Packaging process:

1. Operator shovels pellets into a 25kg bag
2. Weighs on a hanging scale (accuracy ±200g)
3. Sews bag closed with a portable sewing machine
4. Stacks bags on pallets (40 bags × 25kg = 1,000kg per pallet)

The client’s sewing machine is electric (220V). He also has a few hand-crank machines as backup in case of power outages.

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Utilities and Consumption

Electricity breakdown (annual, 250 days, 8 hours/day = 2,000 hours):

The client’s ring die pellet machine is 75 kW × 8 hours × 250 days = 150,000 kWh just for the mill. The actual consumption is about 150,000-200,000 kWh/year.

Electricity cost per ton: 150,000 kWh ÷ 2,000 tons = 75 kWh/ton × 3 UAH/kWh (industrial rate) = 225 UAH/ton ($5.36).

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How RICHI Customized This Line for Sunflower Husk Bedding

The client had specific requirements that shaped the equipment design:

Requirement 1: Raw material is sunflower husks (already dry, already small). The client couldn’t afford a dryer and didn’t want the operating cost.

RICHI solution: Sunflower husks go directly from storage to the pellet mill. This saved the client about 8,000−10,000 in equipment and 2,000-3,000/year in electricity (if using an electric dryer) or fuel (if using a biomass dryer).

Requirement 2: The client needs bedding pellets (soft, absorbent), not fuel pellets. The specifications are different.

RICHI solution: Recommended:

• Die hole diameter: 6mm (produces 6.5-7mm pellets — correct size for bedding)
• Compression ratio: 4:1 (lower than fuel pellets) — produces softer pellets
• Target moisture: 10% (not <8% like fuel pellets)
• The client’s pellets are certified as “animal bedding” (lower standard than fuel pellets, which is fine for the market)

Requirement 4: The client has no prior pellet experience (he was a farmer). The client’s workers are local farmers with no technical training.

RICHI solution: Provided a 1-week on-site training program:

• Basic safety, machine startup/shutdown
• Daily checks (magnets, lubrication, die temperature)
• Adjusting the pellet mill die gap
• Provided a simple laminated “checklist” in Ukrainian

The client learned the system in 3 days.

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Market Outlook for Sunflower Husk Bedding Pellets in Ukraine

Ukraine’s livestock sector was disrupted by the war but is recovering. Key drivers:

1. Reconstruction demand. As farms rebuild, they need bedding materials. Sunflower husks are locally available and not affected by supply chain disruptions.

2. War-related logistics. Imported bedding pellets from Poland and Germany are now more expensive and slower to arrive (due to border delays). Local production has a cost advantage.

3. Growing awareness of animal welfare. Modern livestock farms (especially dairy and horse stables) are switching to dust-free bedding to reduce respiratory diseases.

4. Sunflower husks are abundant. Ukraine produces 5-6 million tons of sunflower seed hulls annually. Most are currently burned for energy or landfilled. Converting just 1% to bedding pellets would produce 50,000+ tons — 25x the client’s capacity.

Competition: There are 10-15 small pellet producers in Ukraine, most using wood waste. Only 1-2 use sunflower husks. The client is one of the first.

Challenges the client is managing:

The client’s breakeven point is 1,200 tons/year (60% capacity). At full capacity (2,000 tons/year), operating margin is about 20-25%. Payback on equipment is about 14 months.

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Why Sunflower Husk Bedding Makes Sense

Sunflower husks are one of the most underutilized agricultural residues in Ukraine and other sunflower-producing countries (Russia, Argentina, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania). Here’s why you should consider this market:

The raw material is already dry. Sunflower oil mills dry the husks before storage. You don’t need a dryer — major cost saving.

The raw material is already small. Sunflower husks are 1-5mm particles. You don’t need a crusher or hammer mill for most of the material — just a pellet mill.

Bedding pellets are easier to make than fuel pellets. Lower standards for durability, lower density, lower compression ratio. The process is simpler and cheaper.

The market is growing. As livestock farms modernize, they switch from straw to pellets. Straw is dusty, moldy, and requires more storage space.

If you’re considering a sunflower husk bedding pellet line, RICHI can help. We’ve designed lines for sunflower husks in Ukraine, Russia, Argentina, and Turkey. We understand the unique characteristics (low moisture, small particle size, low lignin content) and can recommend the right equipment.

Contact us to discuss your pellet plant project. Tell us about your raw material (source, moisture, volume), site conditions, target capacity, and budget. We’ll prepare a customized process flow, equipment list, and budget estimate — no obligation.