Iwate Prefecture's Third Wood Pellet Factory Starts Operation

RANA System Inc., a company that specializes in marketing wood pellets and pellet stoves in Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan, built a wood pellet factory that started operation on January 7, 2005. This is the third wood pellet factory in the prefecture.

The wood pellets are made from 100-percent natural wood. The material is cut into chips about three centimeters in length, and dried until it reaches a moisture content of about 15 percent. The chips are ground into fine sawdust-like particles and compressed into pellets using a metal mold shaped like a honeycomb.

Due to their consistently low moisture content, the wood pellets provide stable heating. A wood pellet fire provides about 50 percent of the heat of a kerosene fire; this is quite a high calorie level for a wood fire. The pellets are used as fuel for space heaters, boilers and barbecue grills.

Encouraged by a citizens' movement campaigning for the use of local energy sources and with the support of the local government, pellet stoves have become increasingly popular in Iwate Prefecture. About 200 stove sets were sold from April to December 2004. With more pellet stoves being used in the area, the demand for wood pellets is also rising.



Posted: 2005/06/05 10:24:55 AM
Japanese version