Making Acacia Wood Pellets in Australia

Acacia in Australia
Acacia is a monophyletic genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, commonly known as thorn trees or shittah trees. It is a type of lumber that grow naturally in the subtropical and tropical parts of the world, mainly in Europe, Africa, South Asia, America and Australia. There are about 1,300 different species of Acacia found throughout the world, and the acacia trees of Australia make up a majority of the species (about 900 species). Acacia is the largest genus of vascular plants in Australia. Australia’s national floral emblem is Acacia pycnantha, the Golden Wattle. Therefore, the Australia is compared to the hometown of Acacia pycnantha.

Within the vast areas of the continent that the Australia Acacia occupies, the acacia is to be found in a wide range of differing habitats from coastal to sub-alpine regions, and from high rainfall to arid inland areas. They are particularly prevalent in the arid and semi-arid and the dry sub-tropical regions of the country. Acacia occurs in the understorey of open forest or woodland and in open scrub formations in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. In the world wide range, the acacia is to be found in Australia, Africa, Madagascar, throughout the Asia – Pacific region and in the Americas.

Acacia Wood Properties
Acacia pycnantha, Golden Wattle, is a shrub or small tree about 4-8 meters tall. The acacia trees grow slowly, therefore, the acacia wood is delicate, high-density (air-dry density: 0.88 ~ 0.96g/cm3). The core wood is dark brown or chocolate color, uniform structure, high strength and impact toughness & corrosion resistance, growth rings are clear and natural, with a unique large swirling wood grains, great elegance. The usual harvest time for Acacia wood is 30 years. It is a fast growing and renewable resource.

Acacia Wood Application
Some acacia plants in Australia are valuable as timber, such as Acacia melanoxylon (Blackwood), its wood is used for furniture, and takes a high polish. Acacia omalophylla (Myall Wood) yields a fragrant timber, which is used for ornaments. Acacia seyal is thought to be the Shittah-tree of the Bible, which supplied shittim-wood. Some Acacia species (e.g. Acacia fumosa), are traditionally used locally as firewood. Acacia wood comes with good stability, toughness, corrosion resistance, low shrinkage, rich impressive natural wood texture, wonderful colors, etc. It is widely used for furniture, ornaments, and flooring, as well as for firewood and pulpwood in the paper industry. Acacia wood is the richest artistic wood, it can also be used as the inside wood decorate of the world-famous Mercedes-Benz, BMW, as well as the wood surface of top piano. As a result, plenty of sawdust is remained waiting to be made use of.

Why Take the Acacia Wood as the Raw Material for Fuel Pellets?
In the green marketplace, acacia wood is often touted as eco-friendly. Sitting next to a fire holds great pleasure for most of us. But daily use of firewood in poorly ventilated households can have hidden health consequences, particularly for women and children. According to Professor Tony Cunningham of the School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, the 2.4 billion people in developing countries, notably in Africa and Asia, who use solid biomass fuels such as wood, charcoal and dung for cooking and heating are especially at risk. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right tree for fuel wood in order to limit health risks from inhaling smoke with particular toxic compounds. The Acacia wood is a good burning wood that has a slow burn with good heat output. And it is a fast growing tree that produce wood with high calorific value that has no toxic compounds. With the wide distribution and sustainability of raw materials, the biomass pellet becomes an available alternative to traditional fuels and relieves the shortage of fossil energy.

General Process of Making Acacia Wood Pellets
Raw Material Collection
The production of acacia wood pellet begins with the generation of the raw materials. Since the acacia wood is widely used in various aspects, like furniture, ornaments, flooring, firewood and pulpwood. Many leftover materials can be collected. Australia is compared to the hometown of Acacia pycnantha. The acacia trees are planted nearly everywhere in Australia. Therefore, the raw materials are very easy to get.
Crushing
If the size of raw materials is smaller than that of the final pellets you need, the raw materials can be pelletized directly. Conversely, the materials need to be crushed first. Our wood crusher has the function of raw materials chipping and crushing, which is the optimal choice for acacia wood pre-processing.
Drying
Maintaining an appropriate moisture level in your feedstock is vital for overall quality of the final pellets. For acacia wood, the required moisture content of crushed acacia wood is near 15%. They need to be dried in the sun or by a dryer machine if the moisture content is much higher. We have rotary drum dryer and pipe dryer to satisfy your different needs.
Pelletizing
After drying, the sawdust is conveyed to the wood pellet machine. Our pellet experts know the best compression ratio for acacia wood pelletizing, the pellet maker can make the sawdust into excellent acacia wood pellets. Ring die wood pellet mill and flat die pellet mill are available for your selection.
Cooling
Acacia wood pellets discharged from the wood pellet mill are of high temperature and moisture content. They will get mildew easily. Therefore, these pellets must be cooled and dried before ready to use. Here a pellet cooler is necessary. The cooler can also sieve the pellets, so that poor quality pellets and powder materials will be collected and reproduced.
Packaging
Once the pellets are formed and cooled, they are packaged in bags or stored in bulk in case of dust, rain or mildew.

Application of Acacia Wood Pellets
–Biomass industry boiler: acacia wood pellets as the main fuel in industry boiler can replace coal, oil, and natural gas, reduce the air pollution.
–Used to generate electricity in thermal power plants, reduce the emission of sulfur dioxide, smoke dust, carbon dioxide, etc.
–Used as living fuel. The wood pellets are high in burning efficiency, convenient to store and use, safe and hygienic.

Advantages of Acacia Wood Pellets
Similar to wood or other biomass pellets, acacia wood pellet is a highly processed form of biomass fuel. After pelletizing, both moisture content and ash content of acacia wood are reduced, which is suitable for burning. Therefore, the acacia wood pellets are of high burning efficiency and low ash after burning. No additives, no chemical, no harm for human beings, providing an excellent alternative for energy supply to traditional fossil fuels.