Unicorn Flour Bond is a binder used in the production of pellets.
Depending on the type of raw material used, it can be added in a dose of between 0.5 and 2 % of the total wood raw material used.
It strengthens the bond between the wood particles, increasing the quality and yield of the pellet, increasing the hourly productivity of the pellet mill and significantly reducing the cost of production. These advantages are confirmed by the many tests that have been carried out.
We recommend the use of a hygrometer to check the moisture content of the wood chips before preparing the pellets.
Pellets can generally be obtained from: wood chips/ paper and cardboard/ shavings.
All common types of wood such as beech, birch, poplar, Holm oak, oak, and not from needle-like plants (pine, fir, cedar, etc), which therefore do not have a high resin content, can be supplemented with needle-like wood, usually in a percentage of around 40% to ensure perfect companion by the pellet mill (and thus the release of pellet grains at least 2 cm long from the die).
Alternatively, the best solution is to use binder-binder.
Vine shoots, olive pruning (which have a limited starch content), and in general fruit tree pruning (which have a certain resin content for their own protection) are also excellent; however, they require supplementing with a little corn powder, which increases the binding effect due to its high starch content.
ATTENTION: maize alone cannot be pelleted!
To make pellets, olive husks have also been tried, or grape shards from pressing; but these still have to be ground through a bio-shredder (using a sieve with small holes) or with a grain mill (mounting a sieve with large holes).
Peanuts, fruit bones and seeds can also be used. Of course, they must be ground with a grain grinder or grain mill, but for almost all of them, binder must be added as they are generally extremely dry and devoid of moisture; the percentage of this must be personally tested case by case, depending on the type of seeds or shells and their dryness, to find the ideal mix with the addition to glue.
If maize powder is used as a glue, it should generally be dosed at a rate of 1%, which increases the moisture content of the wood chips by about 2-3%. The starch (and thus the proportion of corn powder) must not be overdone, otherwise the pellets may subsequently swell.
Certainly, our binder can be regarded as the absolute best solution for all woods that are too dry, or lacking in resin or starch, to achieve the binding effect required for pelletising.
