The Netherlands-headed torrefaction and carbonization technology developer Blackwood Technology B.V. (Blackwood) has announced the successful start up of production of the first commercial "FlashTor" black pellet plant in Lampang Province, Thailand.
Owned and operated by NT Biomass Products Co. Ltd (NTBC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TTCL Public Co. Ltd (TTCL), the commercial plant in Lampang Province will produce 75,000 tonnes of black pellets per annum.
The plant will use corn stover as the primary biomass feedstock along with woody biomass, and the black pellets will be used to replace fossil coal in power generation and steel production.
Black pellets offer a great business opportunity, not only for TTCL but for all the stakeholders in the black pellet supply chain, from feedstock suppliers to product off-takers. Using corn residues as a source of raw material provides local farmers with an extra source of income from selling their residues. For off-takers, black pellets allow them to replace fossil coal with a green alternative while using their existing infrastructure, commented Chamnarn Atsanatam, VP Energy Business Unit of TTCL.
Black- and SuperBlack pellets
Blackwood’s proprietary FlashTor technology is a thermal pre-treatment technology that facilitates the large-scale replacement of fossil coal by renewable biomass. The FlashTor technology can be used for torrefaction as well as for the carbonization of biomass.
The NTBC plant produces regular black pellets to replace thermal coal in power stations and industrial boilers, and more carbonized “SuperBlack” pellets, which are used as replacements for metallurgical coal in steel mills and other metal production plants.
Our Thai demonstration plant built in 2022 proved that the FlashTor technology is robust, efficient, and safe to operate. The NTBC plant undeniably demonstrates that it is also scalable and flexible. The plant is capable of handling different feedstocks, as well as producing a wide range of product specifications. This positions the FlashTor technology as the proven solution to produce black pellets at an industrial scale and to serve the needs of the different biocarbon market segments, said Maarten Herrebrugh, CEO of Blackwood Technology.
