Wood Pellet Production Line In Bangladesh

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overview

This is a 2-2.5 t/h wood pellet production line in Bangladesh project.

Against the backdrop of Bangladesh’s energy crisis and the transformation of the wood processing industry, a family business in Chittagong made a key decision. In early 2023, as the Bangladeshi government included biomass energy in the “Sustainable Energy Development Plan” and exempted related equipment from 15% VAT, this three-generation wood business saw new business opportunities.

Bangladesh produces more than 2 million tons of sawdust and wood waste each year, most of which is incinerated or landfilled, while local small and medium-sized enterprises such as brick factories and tea factories are facing the dilemma of skyrocketing coal prices.

After 8 months of in-depth investigation, the customer finally introduced this simple and efficient wood pellet production line in Bangladesh for US$91,120 in March 2024, aiming to convert wood processing by-products into high-value biomass fuel.

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Project background and customer motivation

The customer is a large-scale wood processor in southern Bangladesh, with its own sawmill and furniture manufacturing workshop. The wood pellet production line in Bangladesh project was launched mainly based on the following practical considerations:

• Raw material surplus: The company’s own sawmill produces 150-200 tons of sawdust per month, and the processing cost is as high as US$20/ton
• Energy substitution: The local coal price has soared from US$80/ton in 2020 to US$180/ton
• Policy incentives: The Bangladesh Renewable Energy Development Agency (SREDA) provides a US$0.05/kWh electricity price subsidy for biomass pellet production
• Market demand: There are 12 brick factories and 8 tea factories within 50 kilometers that are in urgent need of alternative fuels

The customer initially inquired through a simple email in July 2023: “Hi, I’m interested in wood pellet machine. What is your machine capacity and price? We need a complete wood pellet line.” Behind this short inquiry is the urgent need for low-cost energy solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises in Bangladesh.

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Raw material characteristics and localized processing

The raw materials processed by this wood pellet production line in Bangladesh are very Bangladeshi:

Main raw material composition

• Primary raw materials: mixed sawdust (containing 30% rubber wood, 40% mango wood, 30% miscellaneous wood)
• Impurities: about 5-8% bark fragments, sand and gravel, occasional metal debris
• Moisture content: up to 45% in the rainy season, about 25-30% in the dry season

Raw material processing innovation

In view of the special raw material conditions in Bangladesh, the customer has developed three practical skills:

• Rainy season response: build a simple drying shed and use the high temperature in Bangladesh (average 32℃) to reduce the moisture to 28% within 48 hours
• Metal detection: install two magnetic separators in front of the crusher (cost only 800 USD), with a metal impurity capture rate of 99%
• Bark utilization: crush the originally discarded bark separately and add it at a ratio of 10% to increase the calorific value of the particles

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core process of the wood pellet production line in Bangladesh

This “simple but not simple” wood pellet production line in Bangladesh adopts a four-step process of “impurity removal-crushing-granulation-cooling”, which is specially optimized for Bangladesh’s high-impurity raw materials:

1. Pretreatment stage

The raw materials undergo triple purification after entering the wood biomass pellet production line:

• Primary screening: drum screen (aperture 15mm) removes large pieces of bark and debris;
• Magnetic separation: two-stage permanent magnetic iron remover removes metal objects such as nails and wires;
• Wind separation: use a 4.5kW fan to separate heavy impurities such as sand and gravel.

2. Core granulation section

For Bangladesh Process parameters specially adjusted for the high fiber characteristics of sawdust:

• Particle size: processed to 3-5mm (screen aperture 4mm) by hammer mill;
• Tempering treatment: simple steam tempering (0.1MPa, 60℃) to improve lignin activity;
• Ring mold specifications: Φ8mm mold (compression ratio 1:6), suitable for a variety of raw materials;
• Discharge temperature: controlled between 75-85℃ to avoid excessive carbonization.

3. Post-processing system

Although it is advertised as “simple”, the key links are unambiguous:

• Countercurrent cooling: reduce the particles from 90℃ to below 40℃ within 6 minutes;
• Vibration screening: remove powder (return rate <5%);
• Manual packaging: 25kg standard Quasi-woven bags, workers can pack 200-250 bags per day.

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Flexible scalability of the wood pellet production line in Bangladesh

In addition to standard wood chip pellets, through simple adjustments, the wood pellet production line in Bangladesh can also produce:

• Agricultural waste pellets: rice husk, sugarcane bagasse mixed pellets (calorific value 3500-3800kcal/kg);
• Industrial by-product pellets: jute stalk pellets (Bangladesh specialty, high fiber content);
• Special purpose pellets: Halal certified barbecue charcoal pellets (add coconut shells to increase aroma).

The most innovative application of the customer is to dry and crush the local abundant water lily stems (a large number of breeding in the rainy season every year) and mix them at a ratio of 15%, which not only solves the problem of aquatic plant infestation, but also reduces the cost of raw materials.

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Core equipment for wood pellet production line in Bangladesh

This $91,000 wood pellet production line in Bangladesh includes the following key equipment:

• SWFP66×60 hammer mill: 55kW motor, processing capacity 2.8T/H;
• MZLH520 wood pellet mill: standard simple conditioner, main motor 132kW;
• SKLN2.0 countercurrent cooler: cooling capacity 3T/H;
• Vibrating grading screen: processing capacity 2.5T/H, equipped with anti-blocking net device;
• Semi-automatic packaging table: including electronic scale (accuracy ±0.1kg);

Improvements based on the characteristics of Bangladesh:

• The equipment foundation is raised by 30cm to prevent water accumulation during the rainy season
• All motors are equipped with dust covers (to cope with high dust environments)
• Key components are made of wear-resistant alloys (adaptable to high silicon content raw materials)

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Bangladesh market prospect analysis

The successful implementation of this wood pellet production line in Bangladesh project reveals the advantages of Bangladesh’s bio Three major trends in the biomass energy market:

• Energy transformation is accelerating: the government plans to increase the proportion of biomass energy to 10% by 2025
• SMEs are awakening: more than 300 brick factories have begun to try biomass pellets to replace coal
• Industry chain formation: professional pellet traders have appeared around Dhaka, and the purchase price has reached US$180/ton

Economic benefit forecast:

• Production cost per ton: about US$85 (coal equivalent calorific value cost is about US$110)
• Investment payback period: 14 months (after considering subsidies)
• Job creation: 8-10 workers are directly employed on each production line

The customer has signed a long-term supply agreement with three local brick factories and innovatively launched the “raw material for fuel” plan – surrounding small sawmills can directly exchange sawdust for pellet fuel, which not only stabilizes the supply of raw materials, but also establishes community cooperation.

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Localized innovation practice

During the implementation of the wood pellet production line in Bangladesh project, a number of innovations adapted to local conditions were generated:

• “Rainy season formula”: In the humidity of June-September, adding 5% waste cooking oil to improve the molding rate;
• Simple dust removal: Use waste sari fabrics to make low-cost dust removal curtains;
• Manpower optimization: Develop a pedal-type packaging auxiliary device to improve the work efficiency of female workers.

These innovations make the project not only commercially valuable, but also a model for industrial upgrading of small enterprises in Bangladesh. Compared with imported equipment from Europe and the United States (usually quoted at more than US$150,000), this wood pellet production line in Bangladesh has won market recognition for its excellent cost-effectiveness and local adaptability.

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Key time nodes of the project

• 2023.07.03: First email consultation
• 2023.09: The customer sent his nephew to visit the Chinese factory
• 2024.01: Completed local bank financing
• 2024.03.11: Formal signing
• Equipment price: US$91,120 (FOB price, including basic tools)

This wood pellet production line in Bangladesh case vividly demonstrates how to create business value through a simple but efficient production system in developing countries with limited infrastructure. As Bangladesh’s urbanization process accelerates, this type of biomass project with moderate investment and short payback period is becoming a popular choice for small and medium-sized enterprises to transform and upgrade.

Operational data highlights

• Actual production capacity is stable at 2.3T/H (92% of the designed capacity)
• Electricity consumption per ton is 108 degrees (including auxiliary equipment)
• Particle density ≥1.12g/cm³
• Heat value ≥4200kcal/kg (ASTM standard)

The most commendable thing about this wood pellet production line in Bangladesh project is its “poverty-friendly technology” concept – it does not pursue full automation, but through reasonable human-machine cooperation, it minimizes the investment threshold while ensuring quality.

This model is being widely used in neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Nepal, providing new ideas for the development of biomass energy in developing countries.