Wood straw pellet production line in Indonesia

RICHI MACHINERY

More than 300 farmers needed an organised material outlet

The client is a mid-sized agricultural cooperative involving more than 300 local farmers growing rice, maize and cassava. Its wood-processing partners contribute sawdust and clean offcuts. The cooperative already had access to several residue streams, but their existence did not establish a usable pellet feed. Collection condition, stalk dimensions, moisture and foreign material determined how much of each delivery could enter production. RICHI’s brief was to connect those different preparation duties to one annual output target.

The cooperative needed a working stock system that could accept seasonal farm material without crowding the process bay. Rice straw and corn stalks require organised collection and covered dry storage. Cassava stems have a woody structure and can arrive wetter. Sawdust needs less primary reduction than offcuts, while treated or coated wood is excluded. The customer coordinates these supplies; the machinery route makes their accepted fractions manageable at the press.

Three priorities determined this cooperative biomass pellet project in Indonesia:

1. Material control starts with identified suppliers and separate stock positions. Operators release a delivery according to its condition rather than assigning every crop residue the same preparation setting.
2. A practical working calendar connects one appropriately sized press with two normal production shifts. The annual plan includes time for adjustments, service and changes between ingredient lots.
3. A defined fuel product gives industrial customers a declared composition, agreed dimensions and relevant quality information. The receiving equipment determines whether the blend is suitable.

The target outlets are compatible industrial heating duties, including food-processing and textile applications where the receiving operator has accepted the fuel. A rice-straw-rich blend has different ash properties from clean wood pellets. Household appliances and export buyers are therefore not treated as automatic outlets. Any supply discussion starts with material composition, representative product and the properties relevant to the intended combustion and handling system.

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Resource availability is different from factory intake

For this agricultural residue pellet plant in Indonesia, the cooperative’s resource estimate provides collection context. It does not represent a purchase obligation or the quantity that must pass through the workshop. The resource table totals 28,000 tons across four streams. The annual production balance uses a smaller selected intake, allowing the customer to leave unsuitable material and quantities needed for other uses outside the pellet programme.

The identified supply pool

The following figures describe potential annual availability and the intake conditions relevant to selection. Actual loads are checked individually. Rain can interrupt upstream curing, so damp deliveries remain outside approved dry stock until their condition is suitable. Fresh, wetter material does not enter the dry working stock merely because its ingredient name appears in this table.

Select and prepare the quantities needed

• Moisture preparation: Material at or below 20% moisture uses the dry route after suitable upstream curing and verification. Cassava stems arriving above 25% use size reduction and the thermal drying branch. Press feed is controlled at 10–14%, with 12% used in the annual balance.
• Size reduction: Straw needs opening and cutting ahead of hammer milling. Corn stalks and cassava stems need cutting or coarse reduction matched to their dimensions. Suitable sawdust bypasses primary reduction; untreated offcuts require it.
• Recipe preparation: The receiving allocation uses 40% rice straw, 25% corn stalks, 15% cassava stems and 20% wood residues by received mass. Preparation losses and water removal change the proportions by wet weight downstream; they are not treated as four unchanged press-feed percentages.

The annual intake plan is 18,000 tons: 7,200 tons of rice straw, 4,500 of corn stalks, 2,700 of cassava stems and 3,600 of wood residues. At balance moisture conditions of 20%, 18%, 30% and 15% respectively, the combined input averages 20% moisture. The balance assigns 15,000 tons to finished pellets and 1,000 tons to rejected sorting material, both at 10% moisture. Water removal accounts for the other 2,000 tons. The 14,400-ton incoming dry-matter quantity is distributed between 13,500 tons in product and 900 tons in the rejected stream.

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A connected process with a controlled wet-material branch

The wood straw pellet production line in Indonesia receives ingredients separately and joins them after suitable preparation. The compact site depends on upstream curing for the drier agricultural streams and a dryer for the accepted wet fraction. A small buffer supports continuous press feeding while keeping the source lots identifiable. Processing follows these stages:

1. Receiving and stock allocation: Farm deliveries and wood loads are checked for identity, moisture, bindings and foreign pieces. Accepted material enters a designated stock position. Wet stems remain separate from dry straw and sawdust. Receiving records distinguish gross delivery weight from material released into the annual intake plan.
2. Opening and coarse reduction: The straw assembly opens bales and cuts long fibres. Corn stalks and woody cassava stems are reduced according to their form, while larger wood offcuts need a suitable primary reduction step. Operators check transfer behaviour before fine milling. Long fibres that bridge a chute can interrupt an otherwise adequately sized press.
3. Moisture preparation: Upstream curing accounts for 1,100 tons of the annual water-removal allowance. The selected wet fraction passes through the dryer, which removes approximately 559 tons on the balance basis. About 341 tons leave during pressing and cooling. These streams total 2,000 tons. The furnace uses separately allocated dry wood fuel; reusable pellet fines remain in the product circuit.
4. Fine milling: An SFSP-series hammer-milling assembly controls the prepared fibre fraction before blending. Screen selection follows the material and pellet specification. The operating check covers coarse pieces and remaining long fibres as well as screen condition. Dry sawdust that already meets the preparation requirement avoids unnecessary primary handling, although it still needs inspection and controlled metering.
5. Blending the selected intake – Raw materials are blended to achieve an optimal formula:
   • Rice straw: 40% of received ingredient mass, equal to 7,200 tons annually; curing and sorting occur before release to the press-feed blend.
   • Corn stalks: 25% of received ingredient mass, equal to 4,500 tons annually; the cutting stage prepares the fibrous stalks for milling.
   • Cassava stems: 15% of received ingredient mass, equal to 2,700 tons annually; the accepted wet fraction uses the drying branch after size reduction.
   • Untreated wood residues: 20% of received ingredient mass, equal to 3,600 tons annually; suitable sawdust and offcuts have different primary preparation duties.
6. Ring-die pressing: The prepared blend enters one wood pellet mill, model MZLH768, with a 315 kW main motor. Its biomass range is 3–4 T/H, and this production programme uses 4 T/H as the nominal duty. Roller adjustment, die selection and feed consistency determine the working rate. The cutter setting follows the agreed pellet length rather than an unverified fixed result for every recipe.
7. Cooling: The counterflow cooler accepts the press discharge and removes heat before finished-stock transfer. Airflow and discharge control follow the product condition. Operators check the outlet before releasing pellets to packing, since bagging warm material can impair storage condition even when the press has formed an acceptable pellet.
8. Screening: The product screen removes loose fines before weighing. A defined return route meters clean reusable fines back into processing. Internal circulation is excluded from received-input and saleable-output totals. Increasing fines prompts a check of feed preparation, pressing and handling; repeated return alone does not resolve the cause.
9. Packing: One weighing and filling station serves the agreed industrial bag format. The customer coordinates bag changes, lot identification and movement of filled units so that these tasks do not queue product behind the cooler. Finished stock stays dry and follows the dispatch schedule. Overseas supply is not described as an established order without a buyer record.

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A single press and equipment duties sized around it

The wood pellet production line combines the press with its preparation and finishing assemblies. At the mass-balance feed condition, 4 T/H of finished pellets requires about 4.09 T/H of prepared feed. Preparation is therefore assigned a 5 T/H design duty. The listed capacities describe different things: received feed, prepared fibre, finished pellets or water evaporation. They are not interchangeable throughput claims. Procurement checks match each assembly to its actual duty and the agreed material condition.

RICHI Machinery supplied the equipment package with installation, commissioning and operator instruction included in the project scope. Preparation interfaces receive particular attention: material must leave each section in the form the next assembly can accept. The site team checks transfer routes, feed continuity, dryer condition and finished-product handling together during commissioning. Equipment names alone do not establish that the complete route can sustain its nominated duty.

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Electrical services and staff follow the operating schedule

Grid operation with limited standby support

The biomass pellet production line uses a 520 kW installed-power planning basis. Electricity planning uses 110 kWh for each finished ton. Applied to the annual programme, this gives 1,650,000 kWh, or roughly 397 kW when averaged across scheduled hours. This includes milling, pressing, fans, conveyors, cooling and packing. The 250 kVA standby generator serves selected essential loads and controlled stopping; it is not specified to restart or operate the whole line. Apparent-power rating and motor running power are different quantities.

Water and dryer fuel are separate services

The site water allowance is 900 m³ annually for staff and general site services. The selected product route has no wet washing, routine steam conditioning or water-cooled pellet cooler. Dryer fuel is separately budgeted at 200 tons of dry wood annually, additional to the 18,000-ton ingredient intake. At 15 MJ/kg and 70% useful-heat planning efficiency, it provides 2.1 TJ for the calculated 559-ton thermal evaporation duty, or about 3.76 MJ per kilogram of water removed.

Fourteen people across two shifts and shared functions

The straw pellet plant has a core team of 14. Four production operators cover each operating shift; technical, quality, stock and administration roles support the two-shift programme. The 260-day calendar provides a more workable staffing basis than assuming the same small team covers production around the clock for most of the year. Roles are allocated as follows:

• Eight production operators, covering preparation, pressing and finishing positions across the two shifts.
• One mechanical and electrical technician for planned service, fault diagnosis and coordination of specialist support.
• One quality inspector for ingredient checks, batch records and release of finished lots against the agreed specification.
• Two warehouse and logistics staff coordinating incoming stock, packed goods and scheduled loading.
• Two administrative and management staff coordinating purchasing, production records and customer deliveries.

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Keeping a small site supplied without filling it with stock

Receiving follows booked quantities

• The site is a working-stock location. Harvest quantities remaining in the supply network are not counted as material already stored inside the factory boundary.
• Delivery quantities are matched to covered ingredient space and the next production batches. Wet material has a separate holding position before preparation.
• Vehicle appointments prevent incoming farm loads and packed-product loading from competing for the same handling space.

Prepared feed has a short path to the press

• The preparation sequence retains access to screens, cutters, bearings and transfer points. Operators need room to inspect and remove components, not just a conveyor connection between machines.
• The feed buffer smooths brief interruptions. It does not replace the requirement for adequate dry ingredients and a repeatable blend.

Finished stock remains separate

• Pellets enter the warehouse after cooling, screening and the required release checks. Lot identity remains visible through storage and dispatch.
• Packed goods are kept off damp surfaces and protected from rewetting. Stock rotation follows production lot and customer order.

Shift handovers carry the operating observations

• The outgoing team records ingredient changes, moisture results, equipment observations and the identity of product awaiting release.
• The incoming team reviews outstanding actions before admitting a new batch, then checks that conveying and finishing are available for press discharge.

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Output control replaces speculative return calculations

The operating plan has six review points

The annual capacity is a production plan

• Finished output: 15,000 tons annually, requiring 3,750 productive hours at the nominal 4 T/H rate.
• Scheduled time: Two eight-hour shifts on 260 days provide 4,160 hours, leaving 410 hours within the working calendar.
• Daily average: The working-day production average is approximately 58 tons of finished fuel. Ingredient receiving and packing schedules follow the corresponding material quantities.
• Material recovery: The balance converts 18,000 tons of received ingredients into 15,000 tons of product after sorting and water removal. Recirculated fines are internal to that calculation.
• Performance records: Actual release weights, moisture and operating hours are used to review the plan. The calculation does not establish achieved annual sales or a guaranteed financial return.

RICHI MACHINERY

Domestic industrial users need a declared fuel

The industrial biomass pellet factory in Indonesia supplies a product discussion around composition and test results. It does not rely on a general claim that biomass demand will absorb every ton produced. For the cooperative, the practical questions concern available dry ingredients, repeatable product properties and delivery arrangements that fit its small site. Four checks guide those discussions:

1. Receiving equipment must suit agricultural biomass. The buyer reviews the straw-rich recipe, feeding behaviour and relevant ash properties before agreeing routine supply.
2. Product information covers dimensions, moisture, fines and the agreed fuel tests. No SNI certification or international approval is claimed without the corresponding documentation.
3. Delivery conditions cover bag format, loading method, storage protection and order frequency. Container or bulk-bag handling is considered only for an identified customer requirement.
4. Recipe changes are communicated before supply continues. A replacement ingredient can affect fuel properties even if the pellets keep the same dimensions.

RICHI MACHINERY

RICHI matched the line to the cooperative’s working year

The wood straw pellet production line in Indonesia turns a diverse local supply pool into a selected manufacturing programme. The retained 15,000-ton target is served by one MZLH768, while the working calendar provides time beyond nominal productive hours. Material preparation follows fibre form and moisture, with the wet fraction separated from dry-stock handling. The configuration remains a complete production route from ingredient receipt through packed industrial fuel.

The practical distinction in this Central Java pellet project in Indonesia is the relationship between supply and intake. Potential farm residues remain larger than the amount scheduled into production. The cooperative selects material, prepares it and records the losses; it does not treat all available residue as finished fuel. That discipline also keeps a 2,300 m² property from being represented as a full annual harvest store.

For a comparable mixed-residue pellet line in Indonesia, RICHI reviews incoming material forms, moisture, required annual output, working days and available site space before selecting the press. The completed project brings those decisions together with commissioning and operator instruction. A useful equipment enquiry therefore includes representative ingredients and the intended fuel specification, allowing preparation, drying and finishing duties to be considered with the central machine.