Pellet binders and lubricants is a complicated area of pellet production, and one that many people find confusing. Whether a binder or lubricant is required depends on several factors, and is something which is gained through experience.
Pellet binders are additives to the pellet production process, which help to increase pellet quality, productivity and reduce fines loses. All biomass is cellulosic material, and contains a certain percentage of natural binder lignin. Most cellulosic material can be pelletized without using additional binders, however some materials do require an additional binder.
For lignin to work as a binder, sufficient heat needs to be generated in the pellet mill, to essentially melt the lignin. Now to obtain the heat required in the pellet mill, the correct pressure must be reached. Several factors are needed to reach the correct pressure; two of the most important factors are roller height and moisture percentage. If the roller height is too low or too high, or the moisture percentage is too low or too high, the critical pressure point required to melt lignin cannot be reached. In large-scale pellet production they use high temperature steam to begin the melting process. So many materials can be pelletized without binders, however it does require good process control to obtain the correct pressure.
Binders can be used to make the process easier, removing the need for precise pressure control. Pellet binders can also increase the efficiency and productivity of the pellet mill, reducing energy demands. The lubricating factor of the binder increases productivity and reduces the chances of die blockages. The decision that arises is, does increased pellet quality and productivity justify the additional cost of the pellet binder. Again the answer to this question is gained through experience with the raw material.
There are many different types of commercially available pellet binders on market, however there are waste resources from other industries which can also be used, for example dried distiller’s grain and rape cake.
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