Effect of steam addition on pellet quality, energy input and capacity of a pellet mill

M.L.C.B. Azevedo
MSc student in Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
1. Background and aim
Pelleting is a costly process that convert fine ground ingredients into a compact agglomerate.
The benefits of plant revenue and animal performance validates the utilization of the pelleting method.
Proper steam conditioning of mash is an essential feature of the pellet line, since it brings natural oils
to the surface of mash and lubricates the die, facilitating the process and improving production rates
and pellet durability (Behnke, 2015; Briggs, Maier, Watkins, & Behnke, 1999). At a feed mill,
different strategies can be applied to optimize pelleting process by controlling mash moisture and
steam flow rate in order to achieve greater pellet quality at low energy consumption (Gilpin, Herman,
Behnke, & Fairchild, 2002). The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether different levels of
steam addition have an effect on pellet quality and energy consumption of the pelleting line.
2. Materials and Methods
The experiment was carried out at the feed mill of Practical Training Centre (PTC) in
Barneveld, the Netherlands. The feed was composed by Maize (20.00%),Wheat (15.00%), Barley
(37.41%), Palm kernel expeller (0.70%), Rape seed meal (10.00%), Soybean (9.85%), Molasses
(3.00%), Soybean oil (1.20%), Chalk (0.19%), Mono Calcium Phosphate (0.30%), Salt (0.20%), Llysine HCl 98% (0.15%), Finishing pigs feed TWM 2% (2.00%) and a premix of micronutrients.
In a silo with capacity of 1000 kg, two batches of 250 kg were processed separately. The
steam valve controls the flow of steam into the Hessen feeder/conditioner, which is placed above the
pellet mill to add steam to the mash. The Universal Milling Technology pellet mill type V3-30 has a 3
roll pellet mill with a motor of 30 horsepower (22 kW). The die used in the experiments has holes of 5
mm diameter and 75 mm length. The pellet cooler is a counterflow type produced by Geelen, with
capacity of 1 tonne per hour and pellets retention time of 12 to 15 minutes.
The two batches were separated in two experiments, Test 1 was carried out with a low steam
addition (conditioner temperature at 58C), and Test 2 was set to 60C conditioner temperature,
resulting in a higher steam addition.
The temperature and moisture content of the mash were measured at the silo and conditioner,
pellets temperature was measured at the pelleter and cooler. Moisture content of the pellets at the
cooler was measured as well. Electricity consumption (A), Power consumption (kW) and capacity of
the pelleting line (t/h) were calculated. Pellet quality was evaluated by the New Holmen Pellet Tester
that foresees how pellets endures the degradation during transport and handling; and by the Quick
Tester, where pellets are placed in a cylindrical unit and are exposed to mechanical action, and
afterwards, the fines are measured as a proportion of the initial weight.
3. Results and discussion
Regarding pellet quality, both experiments showed acceptable results according to the
standard required from farmers for the diet (Table 1). These results are consistent with the study of
Huang, Christensen, & Yu (2015), where it was found that conditioning temperature did not affect the
pellet durability index (PDI) of canola meal pellets.
Table 1 Pellet quality properties of the two experiments carried out at PTC and the requirements for
the formulated diet
Temperature pellets pelleter (C)
Moisture pellets cooler (%)
Holmen pellet quality (%)
Quick pellet quality (%)

Test 1
74
13.0
96.6
2.6

Test 2
78
13.8
97.2
3.0

Standard
70
13.6
95.0
4.0

As can be seen in Table 2, in the low steam addition experiment (Test 1), from silo to the
conditioner, the mash temperature increased 36C, whereas in Test 2 the increase on temperature was
of 42C. On the other hand, from the conditioner to the pellet mill, Test 1 increased 16C of feed
temperature, while Test 2 increased only 14C of the feed temperature at this step. At the conditioner,
the increase of temperature is due to the steam addition, however, at the pellet mill, the temperature
increases because of friction. The results can be explained by the fact that protein, starch and lignin
can be chemically modified by moisture content and temperature, which facilitates better binding
(Tumuluru, 2014). In Test 2, probably there were less friction in the pellet mill, which clarifies the
higher capacity and less energy consumption.
Table 2 Measured temperatures at different points of the pelleting line, energy consumption and
capacity of the pellet mill
Mash silo Temperature (C)
Mash conditioner Temperature (C)
Pellet mill Temperature (C)
Power (kW)
Capacity (kg/h)
Energy consumption (kWh/tonne)

Test 1
22
58
74
13
0.8
16.3

Test 2
22
64
78
12
0.9
13.3

4. Conclusion
The lower steam addition (Test 1) did not affected the pellet quality; however, it lead to a
higher energy consumption when compared to Test 2. Therefore, in order to achieve the lowest energy
cost, it is important to have the proper steam addition, which can be done by changing the conditioner
temperature, to lubricate the mash and facilitate the pelleting process.
References
Behnke, K. C. (2015). Chapter 19: Factors affecting pellet quality. In Feed Pelletting Reference Guide (Section 5: Pellet
Durability). Kansas State University.
Briggs, J. L., Maier, D.E., Watkins, B. A., & Behnke, K. C. (1999). Effect of ingredients and processing parameters on pellet
quality. Poultry Science, 78: 1464-1471.
Gilpin, A. S., Herman, T. J., Behnke, K. C., & Fairchild, F. J. (2002). Feed moisture, retention time, and steam as quality and
energy utilization determinants in the pelleting process. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 18(3): 331-338.
Huang, X., Christensen, C., & Yu, P. (2015). Effects of conditioning temperature and time during the pelleting process on
feed molecular structure, pellet durability index, and metabolic features of co-products from bio-oil processing in
dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Sciences, 98: 1-13.
Tumuluru, J. S. (2014). Effect of process variables on the density and durability of the pellets made from high moisture corn
stover. Biosystems Engineering , 44-57.