Wood Bedding Pellet Production Line in Brazil

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How This Project Actually Started

The first inquiry came in March 2024. Not a detailed RFQ—just a short message:

“We have wood waste and straw. Can it be pelletized for animal bedding without drying?”

That question shaped the entire animal bedding production project.

The client operates a medium-scale agricultural and forestry business in southern Brazil. They had access to:

• Wood offcuts from local sawmills
• Tree branches and forestry residues
• Seasonal straw materials

But they were facing two issues:

1. Loose material was difficult to transport and store
2. Dust levels were high when used as bedding

They weren’t originally planning a complete wood pellet line. They were simply looking for a way to “make the material more usable.” The idea of a pelletizing line came later, after a few rounds of discussion.

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Key Project Milestones

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Production Capacity and Positioning

This is not a fuel pellet plant.

That was clarified early.

The output is designed for animal bedding pellets, which means:

• Larger diameter than fuel pellets
• Lower density requirement
• Better water absorption
• Less concern about calorific value

Typical finished product size:

• Diameter: 6–10 mm
• Length: 10–20 mm

This is important. Several early test batches failed because the compression ratio was initially set for fuel pellets. The first few tons were either too hard or too dusty.

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Raw Materials

In Brazil, the material mix is never stable month to month. That had to be built into the design.

The client sources materials locally within a 50–80 km radius. Moisture is naturally reduced through air drying before processing, usually below 10%, so no dryer was included.

Raw Material Composition

There was a discussion early on whether to exclude straw. In the end, it stayed—but at a controlled ratio.

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Main Equipment Configuration

The animal bedding pellet line is arranged as a single pellet mill line, but internally it behaves more like two parallel preparation routes feeding into pelleting.

Equipment List

One thing that often gets overlooked—those two shredders are not redundant. They serve different roles. The 30 t/h unit handles bulk wood waste, while the smaller one is used when material consistency drops.

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Plant Layout Observations

The workshop is about 4,500 m², and space was tight.

Instead of spreading equipment out, the layout follows a linear flow:

• West side → pelletizing zone
• Middle → grinding
• East → shredding and raw material storage

Storage areas are split:

• 1,000 m² for raw materials
• 600 m² for crushed material
• 400 m² for finished pellets

The entrance is positioned on the south side, which reduces internal traffic overlap. This was adjusted during design—initially, trucks were crossing the production line path.

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Process Flow (Real Operation Logic)

The process is simple on paper, but the actual operation required tuning.

Step-by-step flow:

1. Raw Material Storage
   • Materials stored in enclosed yard
   • Sawdust kept in bags
   • Larger materials stacked with barriers
2. Primary Shredding
   • Input size reduced to 5–20 cm
   • Fully enclosed to reduce dust
3. Intermediate Transfer
   • Belt conveyors + screw conveyors
   • Temporary buffer storage
4. Fine Grinding
   • Hammer mills reduce material to uniform size
   • Output directly into storage bags or pellet feed
5. Pelletizing
   • No additives
   • Compression only
   • Adjustable die ratio for bedding pellets
6. Cooling & Packing
   • Natural cooling (no dedicated cooler)
   • Packed into ton bags

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Capacity Matching (Actual Engineering Check)

This part was discussed quite a bit during design.

• Shredding capacity: 84,000 t/year
• Grinding capacity: 38,400 t/year
• Pelletizing capacity: 38,400 t/year

The numbers don’t perfectly match—and that’s intentional.

The Wood Bedding Pellet Production Line in Brazil produces both:

• Pellets: 35,000 t/year
• Crushed material: 45,000 t/year

So not all material goes through pelletizing. That reduces bottlenecks.

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Utilities and Consumption

No drying system means energy consumption stays reasonable.

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Equipment Cost & Investment

• Total equipment cost: approx. $620,000
• Civil works: existing facility used
• Installation & commissioning included

For a 15-20t/h Wood Bedding Pellet Production Line in Brazil, this sits in a reasonable range.

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Shipping Information

• Port of departure: Qingdao Port, China
• Destination port: Port of Santos, Brazil

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Why This Type of Pellet Plant Works in Brazil

Brazil has a steady supply of:

• Forestry residues
• Agricultural by-products
• Wood processing waste

Transport distances are often long, which makes loose biomass inefficient.

Bedding pellets solve several problems:

• Easier transport
• Cleaner storage
• Higher product value

There’s also growing demand from:

• Poultry farms
• Horse farms
• Livestock operations

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Final Thoughts from an Engineering Perspective

Projects like this don’t fail because of equipment—they fail because the raw material and process don’t match.

This one worked because:

• The process was adjusted to the material
• The capacity wasn’t over-designed
• The client understood that not everything needs to be pelletized

A wood bedding pellet production line like this is not complicated, but it needs to be realistic.

For anyone considering a similar pellet machine line, the first step isn’t choosing machines—it’s understanding your material. That’s where most of the real decisions are made.