Feasibility of Pelletizing Forest Residues in Northern Mexico

Abstract

Ciudad Madera is a town in the mountains of the northwestern Mexico in which the activity of lumber mills generates large amounts of waste in the form of sawdust, wood chips, and shavings. Pellet production from these residues could be implemented as an environmental solution which could also generate an economical benefit for the region and, consequently, for the country. In this study, we examined the feasibility of pelletizing forest residues by first determining the chemical and energy characteristics of the residues and then by analyzing the cost of production of pellets. According to the results, residues reached a higher heating value of 22.13 MJ/kg and the chemical characteristics of the pellets meet the requirements of the DIN Plus standard for high-quality pellets. An analysis of sensitivity indicates that if the owners of the mills (also owners of forest residues) install its own factory pelletizer, the cost of the raw material could be removed; this results in an 80 % decrease in the total cost of pellet production. Our results also indicate that pellets can be produced at a rate of 3 ton/h whit a specific cost of US$152/ton of pellets (when the cost of the raw material (sawdust) is taken into account) or with a cost of US$23/ton of pellets, (when the owners of the raw material installed their own factory pelletizer). The results of this study suggest that, as long as the price of raw materials is controlled, pelletizing forest residues is an economically attractive opportunity for conifer areas in Mexico.