How to make wood pellets

Making wood pellets involves grinding dry wood waste (sawdust/chips) to a uniform size, drying it to 10–15% moisture, compressing it through a pellet mill at high pressure to release natural lignin (binding agent), and cooling the resulting pellets. This process requires a hammer mill, a pellet mill, and a dryer.

1. Gather Raw Materials: Use wood residues like sawdust, shavings, wood chips, or prunings. Avoid treated, painted, or glued wood.
2. Grinding: Use a hammer mill to crush the wood into small, consistent particles (roughly 6mm–25mm).
3. Drying: Ensure the wood material has a moisture content between 10% and 15%. If too wet, dry in the sun or with a dryer; if too dry, add a small amount of water.
4. Pelletizing: Feed the processed material into a pellet mill (flat die or ring die). The machine compresses the wood using high heat and pressure, forcing it through holes.
5. Cooling and Binding: The heat (often 140°F or more) melts natural lignin in the wood, which binds the pellets together.
6. Screening and Packing: After the pellets cool and harden (around 15 minutes), sieve them to remove fine dust. Store in a cool, dry place