Thailand’s biomass resources and biomass pellet market

General Situation ofThailand Energy Sources

Thailand has abundant forest resources and crop resources, which is an advantage for Thailand to produce anduse wood pellet as a kind of green energy, and makes it possible to develop Thailand as the biomass pellet tradecenter in ASEAN.

Varieties ofThailand Biomass Resources

Thailand is a major country of agricultural products producing and exporting, and the government attaches greatimportance to bio-industry. By setting senior management institutions, presenting preferential policies, enactingdevelopment projects, Thailand has achieved good progress in bio-agriculture, bio-pharmaceutical, bio-energy,etc. The main raw materials for making bio-pellets in Thailand are sugarcane, cassava and rice. Thailand is cultivating the giant king grass as a new material for bio-energy. Abundant natural resources, cheap labor costand wide domestic-foreign market, all these factors make it possible for developing pellet fuel.

Sugarcane：

Thailand is the main sugarcane producer and cane-sugar exporter country in the world, locating in the moisttropical-region of Southeast Asia. In 2013, Thailand cane-sugar exports ranked 2nd in the world, followingBrazil. Cane-sugar industry has a great contribution to Thailand economy as one of the main economic sectors in Thailand. During 2013-2014, the military and government has proposed a plan of expanding sugarcane plantation to increase the production of cane-sugar, which will promote a further development of the cane-sugarindustry. And what comes with the cane-sugar industry is the cane wastes, of which the outstanding one is the bagasse.

Cassava：

Thailand is the third large producer country, the first large exporter country of cassava around the world. As oneof the four dominating crops, the cassava has a strong supportform the government, wide planting areas and high productivity. In the 76 provinces of Thailand, there are 46provinces are planting cassava now, and its main production are located in the northeast, the north, and themiddle areas, including the east area.

rice plant：

Thailand is of superior conditions for planting rice: wide plain area, fertile soil; enough sunlight, large temp difference between day and night; tropical monsoon climate, same period of rain and heat; high-level agrcultural mechanizatlon: great market demand, conyenient transport, etc.Rice is the main food crop in Thailand, and its large amount of planting and harvesting can bring a good deal of crop waste. Under the social environment of environment protection and economic benefit having priority, howto deal with the waste is a new problem for Thailand government and the industry development. At present, alarge amount of rice husks are dumped, leading to problems of garbage management and methane emission; dueto the low density of rice husks, it will cause dust and smoke, bringing about the problem of respiratory tract;burning rice stalks results in air pollution, Processing rice husks and stalks to make bio-pellet fuel can ease theinfluences from these problems upon society and environment.

Production ofThailand Biomass Pellet

Biomass pellet producing procedures：

• raw materials collecting-drying-crushing-pelletizing-cooling-packing and shipping-storing.
• The leading machines are crushing machine, drying machine, pellet machine,cooling machine, conveyingequipment and packing equipment. The major materials for wood pellet in Thailand are timber and the leftoverwhen making furniture, but the rice husks and stalks, sugarcane waste and cassava stem are becoming the maiorcrude stuff, Because of the differences of raw materials, there should be different production equipment and processes.
• Sugarcane waste pellet process: raw materials collecting-drying-pelletizing-bagging and selling. Store enoughraw stuff timely according to different harvest time, then dry the material and make pellets. The moisturecontent of sugarcane waste is about 20%-25%. The heat value of cane waste pellet can be 3400-4200 calories.
• Rice husk pellet only needs pelletizing, cooling and packing these steps. But the rice husk has the in-compactproperty, so it is better to add sawdust into the rice husk to make pellet.
• Cassava stem pellet has the same pelletizing procedure of usual wood pellet, but the stem moisture content is animportance in pelletizing, and cassava stem pellets will be of high durability and density mass if the stemmoisture content is 10% or 1296 0r 1496.

Market and Prospect ofThailand Biomass Pellet

Wood pellet is being, known and accepted by most people as a kind of new bio-energy with economic and eco-friendly qualities. The lack and rising price of mineral energy makes bio-energy more and more popular.Thailand locates in tropic area, it has quite rich biomass resources, which is the extraordinary advantage forThailand wood pellet market. Abundant raw materials supply, convenient traffic, domestic market requests,national policies support and extensive foreign market make it possible for Thailand to grow wood pelletindustry.

The favorable climate, low labor costs, national policy support, capital income, and awakened awareness are the potential and advantages for Thailand to develop bioenergy. The Thai pellet market developed earlier, but the demand for pellet fuel continues to increase. The shortage of new technologies, pellet machines, and pellet fuels has forced Thailand to seek cooperation, and China has become an excellent partner.

What equipment is used in Thailand to produce biomass pellets?

Thailand widely adopts two technologies in biomass pellet production, namely flat mold pellet machine and circular membrane pellet machine, to meet the production requirements of different scales and demands.

Application of Flat Mold Granulator in Thailand

Flat mold pellet machine is a common biomass pellet production equipment, which works by uniformly pressing the raw materials into the holes of the flat mold through a pressure roller to form pellets. The flat die pellet machine has a simple structure and low investment cost, making it suitable for small and medium-sized production projects or start-up enterprises. In Thailand, flat die pellet machines are widely used to process raw materials such as sawdust, rice husks, corn stover, etc. These raw materials are crushed, dried, and then sent to the flat die pellet machine for compression molding.

Application of circular membrane pellet machine in Thailand

The circular membrane pellet machine is a high-capacity and high-efficiency biomass pellet production equipment, which works by extruding raw materials into shape through a rotating ring mold and pressure rollers. The mold of the ring film pellet machine is a porous cylinder, and the material is squeezed through the mold holes by the ring mold and pressure roller to form particles. The output of the circular membrane pellet machine is relatively high and suitable for large-scale production. In Thailand, the circular film pellet machine is widely used in the production of products such as sawdust pellets and straw pellets.

Comparison between flat mold and ring membrane pellet machine

Flat mold pellet machine and flat film pellet machine have their own advantages in biomass pellet production in Thailand. The flat die pellet machine has a simple structure and low investment, making it suitable for small and medium-sized production, while the ring film pellet machine is suitable for large-scale production with high output and low energy consumption. In the production of biomass pellets in Thailand, both types of equipment have their applicable scenarios. For example, in some biomass pellet production lines in Thailand, flat die pellet machines are used for small and medium-sized production, while ring film pellet machines are used for large-scale production.

The Thai government has provided strong support for the production and development of biomass pellets, and it is expected that the production industry of biomass pellets will continue to expand in the coming years.

Zhengzhou Fude Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. is a supplier of biomass pellet machines, and its product line covers a variety of mechanical equipment; Not only can you obtain advanced technology and high-quality products, but you can also enjoy comprehensive after-sales service and good market reputation, making it an ideal choice for biomass pellet production.