Krefeld, 12th September 2019 – Expobiomasa, the International Bionenergy Fair, has awarded the 2019 Innovation Award to the German company Pallmann (Siempelkamp Group) for its EcoPulser technology, an innovative mill that crushes wood using 'shock waves'. Energy- and resource efficiency are regarded as the essential key factor for market success in the wood products industry. In the size reduction field the EcoPulser is the pioneer: Energy savings of up to 80% are possible compared to processes used so far!
Due to its unique operating principle, the EcoPulser supplements the extensive product range of size reduction technology of Pallmann Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG who is a full member of the Siempelkamp Group since the beginning of 2017.
The EcoPulser is a mill that does not crush with mechanical contact, but it does so through "shock waves" which are generated by two revolving rotors. This new system saves 80% in energy costs compared to conventional mills such as hammer mills, flakers or similar machines. Thus, significant reductions in pay-back times are now feasible, i.e. in some cases a Return on Investment in about only 8 months can be realized by customers. More detailed: The EcoPulser can crush approx. 5 Tn / h (atro) of wood chips with only 2 engines of 22 kW each. Having no mechanical contact, maintenance costs between stops, wear parts, etc. can be reduced by up to 30%. In addition, it does not generate wood dust during crushing, so it does not generate an ATEX zone and the extraction system can be of a much reduced design, consequently saving energy, too. Finally, in the case of recycled wood, the shock waves only crush the wood, but not other contaminating elements such as plastics or metals (ferrous or non-ferrous), without these affecting the rotors of the EcoPulser when passing through it. Therefore, the final material can obtain a better separation and an improved final cleaning.
The production of pellets or biomass as fuel for energy generation, has a significant disadvantage, as more than 50% of its total production costs stem from energy costs. While true, it still sounds like a paradox that it costs us a lot of energy to produce something that then has to provide energy, right? The EcoPulser is an alternative and revolutionary technology compared to current grinding systems in pellet manufacturing processes or when obtaining wood chips to be burned in biomass boilers. In addition, its application in the case of recycled wood is a revolution since customers can obtain an even greater purity of the final product without the need of a rather complex separation system. Metals and plastics are not crushed and can be separated much better, significantly reducing the level of contamination of the final product. Potential customers are producers of wood panel products, pellets, briquettes, flakes or chips for power plants and all wood recyclers.
Success story: FINSA ordered the EcoPulser Twin-version
Technological lead perfectly meets customer needs: The Spanish wood material manufacturer Financiera Maderera S.A. (FINSA) has just ordered this innovative and efficient size reduction technology. During the LIGNA 2019 trade fair the project was discussed in detail and finalized in July: FINSA ordered two EcoPulser Twin, each equipped with two pairs of rotors. The Twin-version achieves a throughput rate of approximately 10 Tn / h (atro) with dry material (i.e. particleboard surface layer). The second EcoPulser Twin will be used by FINSA for the processing of waste wood with a moisture content of approximately 30%.
