World premiere: Proxipel, a company based in Vaud, unveiled a mobile plant in Gimel capable of producing pellets directly at biomass sites.
Last week in Gimel, the Vaud-based company Proxipel inaugurated its first fully mobile pellet production plant. This facility, mounted on a semi-trailer, can directly convert forestry, agricultural, or vineyard residues into fuel on site. According to the company, this is a world first, as no other fully autonomous mobile pelletizing plant currently exists on the market.
Developed after ten years of research and development, this technology aims to bring production closer to available resources. Unlike a stationary plant, it requires neither a dedicated site nor a building permit and can be moved to wherever biomass deposits are found. It is capable of processing materials as diverse as tree branches, grapevine cuttings, straw, agricultural residues, and even scrap wood.
This approach also offers environmental benefits. “By compacting the biomass into pellets before transporting it, the number of trips is reduced by a factor of 3 to 10,” says Richard Pfister, founder and CEO.
The company also estimates that its solution can reduce the carbon footprint of pellet production by 20 to 50 percent. Proxipel now plans to begin mass production of its mobile plants. Priced starting at approximately 1 million francs, they can produce up to 2.5 metric tons of pellets per hour and meet growing demand in Europe.
- Source: Article from PME
- Photo credit: Florian Cella for 24 Heures
