There is an increasing opportunity for producing biomass pellets from abundantly available agro- and forest residues in emerging economies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Congo Basin Pellets GmbH is one such company looking to build a wood pellet production portfolio in western Central Africa. A quest that has its very own set of challenges as Chris Fodor, Founder, and CEO of Congo Basin Pellets explains to Bioenergy International over an apfelstrudel with coffee.
Regular readers of Bioenergy International may recall Chris Fodor and Congo Basin Pellets in last year’s edition of Pellets Special.
Amongst other things, the article reported on the very first wood pellets that had just been pressed at the company’s inaugural project Gabon Pellets in Nkok, Gabon.
From our base in the Special Economic Zone at Nkok, 25 km from the Gabonese capital Libreville, our three pelletizers are now in place and churning out pellets, although we cannot yet claim 24/7 operations, Chris Fodor said.
Sharing experiences and lessons learned
Chris Fodor is one of several speakers at the upcoming World Bioenergy Association (WBA) webinar ‘Pellet plants in developing economies – Experiences of project developers’ to be held at 15.00 CET on April 12, 2022.
At this free-to-attend webinar, Chris, together with other project developers from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, will share their experiences in planning, building, and operating biomass pellet facilities in these regions.
At the same time, they will be offering unique insights into a nascent biomass pellet market in the making – clean cooking.
With better knowledge of our wood species, we have decided to look into adding another production line for briquettes, more suited for the hardwoods, Chris Fodor said.
Biomass pellets for clean cooking
Biomass pellets coupled with modern cooking appliances offer a tangible and equitable solution to several of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including health.
Recognizing this, the World Bioenergy Association (WBA) has selected advanced biomass cooking as a key focal area of engagement and has launched a Working Group on Advanced Biomass Cooking (ABC) that brings together actors from around the world engaged in Advanced Biomass Cooking.
The upcoming webinar, which is focused on biomass pellet production, is the second in a series on advanced biomass cooking.
Our pellets were originally destined for export markets but we have started examining local uses, so as to circumvent the chaotic sea shipping nightmares. Briquettes have readily available local markets, Chris Fodor said.
As far as technology lessons go there are a number of hard-earned ones, some of which Chris will elaborate on during the upcoming webinar.
With our better knowledge of the shortfalls of Chinese machinery, we are looking into second-hand European or American equipment, as well as locally built equipment. But perhaps the biggest disappointment was the inability to find good local production managers, and we are now (alas) looking for expatriate skills. Even so, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and good hope for a brilliant future, made up of pellets and probably also briquettes, ended Chris Fodor.
