sawdust bricks

[Tom L]

I was reading that a brick can be formed with 12 tons of pressure
is this right?

if so , you can make a die, fill die with sawdust, compress it with 12 tons of force and it will hold it's shape?

or do you have to add something else to bind it.

what do they use in pellets?

[r.man]

Nothing is added to the raw material to make pellets out of wood. The material has to be the right moisture content and then bonding occurs under pressure. This is for both hardwood and softwood. I have seen videos about other base materials where another material is added but I believe it is for moisture adjustment. I toured a pellet plant with a 200 hp main mill and they had the ability to add water to the raw material if it was too dry. If it is too wet I believe quality suffers.

[thecfarm]

I do have to ask where is the 12 ton coming from.? Must take a frame to hold 12 ton of pressure too.

[trapper]

It would be slow but a hydraulic wood splitter could provide that amount of pressure.

[Tom L]

I do have to ask where is the 12 ton coming from.? Must take a frame to hold 12 ton of pressure too.

just a number I read on an add , advertising bricks, formed with 24,000 lbs of pressure.

[jueston]

my understanding of pellets is that the heat created by the process helps bind the pellets together. if you look on youtube it appears to me they also use a great deal of heat to make the bricks out of sawdust....