Wood chip drying is a key link in the biomass energy industry chain. There are many forms of wood chip drying, and the cost varies greatly. Next, we will sort out and compare the costs of different drying technologies for wood chips.

Components of wood chip drying cost

1. Energy cost: Fuel or electricity consumption, which is the largest investment after equipment operation. To reduce energy costs, the most economical fuel solution in the local area should be combined with the actual situation.

2. Equipment depreciation: The depreciation period for large wood chip drying equipment is usually 10-20 years. Combined with the equipment output, the direct cost of the equipment can be calculated.

3. Labor and maintenance: wages for operators and replacement of vulnerable parts (such as molds and conveyor belts).

4. Civil engineering: If it is natural drying, a sufficiently large site needs to be purchased or leased. If it is industrial drying, additional factory buildings need to be built.

Main wood chip drying technologies

1. Traditional natural drying

Utilize natural environment wind and heat to achieve drying purposes. Due to the lack of energy consumption, the investment cost is extremely low. But it is greatly affected by climate and seasons, and the drying time is long. Large land area, drying costs mainly come from land costs, suitable for areas with low land prices.

2. Mechanical drying

Using mechanical equipment to heat air with gas, steam, or electricity for forced convection drying, hot air exchanges heat with wet wood chips to achieve the purpose of drying, with fast drying speed and high efficiency. Common types of wood chip dryers include rotary dryers, belt dryers, and drying rooms. The investment in rotary dryer equipment is moderate, with the main costs coming from the cylinder, transmission, and hot air system. The energy consumption and labor costs are moderate, but the processing capacity is large, suitable for high moisture wood chips, and the overall operating cost is the lowest. It is the most common and economical choice; Belt dryer equipment has a complex structure, the highest initial investment, and high maintenance costs for the fan and mesh belt during operation. However, it dries evenly, causes minimal damage to wood chips, and has low unit energy consumption, making it suitable for projects with high quality requirements; Drying room equipment has the lowest investment and simple structure, but is mostly operated intermittently, with low thermal efficiency and more manual involvement. It has the highest unit drying cost and is only suitable for small-scale or trial production use.

3. New innovative technologies

There are also some new wood chip drying technologies that demonstrate cost or energy efficiency advantages under specific conditions. For example, the KDS system can reduce the overall cost by about 27% compared to traditional drying technology by enhancing heat exchange and system integration, making it suitable for continuous and large-scale applications; Microwave drying significantly improves energy efficiency through body heating, with a thermal efficiency of up to 21.54% -28.4%. However, due to high equipment investment and small processing capacity, it is currently mostly used in small-scale or high value-added scenarios; Dome Aeration is a low-cost natural ventilation solution with a drying cost of approximately $4.5-5.0 per ton. It can reduce moisture content by about 20% within 1-3 months and is suitable as a pre drying or storage stage precipitation method for bulk wood chips, rather than rapid industrial drying.

Nowadays, there are various ways to dry wood chips and the technology is relatively mature. In the actual production process, cost estimation should be done in advance, and the most suitable and economically feasible drying solution should be selected based on production needs. Zhengzhou Jiutian has rich experience in wood chip drying technology. You can contact us at any time to learn more details.