Quality Standards

Reliable quality is critical for the commercial success of refined wood fuels. Quality standards for pellets exist in several countries with established markets and production facilities. These include Sweden, Austria and Germany. A unified European standard for processed wood fuels is under preparation and should be published by 2005.

In the UK, a voluntary Code of Good Practice for Pellets (COGPP) has been formulated that stipulates raw materials, chemical and physical properties. There are two grades, domestic and commercial.

Pellet Raw Materials
Domestic class wood pellets should be manufactured from:

• Products from forestry and agriculture
• Untreated waste wood from wood processing and manufacturing industries

In addition to these sources of feedstock, commercial class pellets may include:

• vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry
• vegetable waste from the food processing industry
• wood waste that does not contain halogenated organic compounds or heavy metals
• cork waste

The only additives that may be used in COGP pellets are lignin as a binder and trace amounts of vegetable oil as a die lubricant.

Ash production

COGP pellets should be labelled to indicate their ash production when used in efficient equipment :
<1% ash, "Premium"
<3% ash, "Standard"
<6% ash, "High Ash"

<<< Previous: Wood pellets   Next: >>> Advantages

In this section
-->
Woodfuel Wales, Unit 6 Dyfi Eco Park, Machynlleth, Powys SY20 8AX (+44) (0)845 456 0342