Hamer Pellet Fuel

Jim Dearing showed us around the pellet factory.  Interesting fact (& great problem-solving strategy ): This business was created after the related sawmill had a sawdust pile which cost the company $1 million to clean up.  They have taken a waste product and turned it into profit by transforming it into a new product.

The Process:
Step 1 - The sawdust (mix of hardwoods) is put through a drying process.  These machines dry about 15 tons per hour.

Step 2 - The sawdust is then heated and mixed with a little vegetable oil (and/or water) until it turns into a paste that is pressed through small holes and scraped into small pellets.  (The heat used in the process is generated by burning sawdust.)  This machine produces about 6 tons per hour.

Step 3 - Pellets are dropped into bags that are sealed, stacked, and wrapped for delivery.  (Bags weigh 40 pounds each.  Pallets hold 50 bags or one ton.)

Step 4 - Quality tests are performed on one out of every 50 bags.  Pellets are poured onto a sifter.  They want the percent of fine dust to be less than 3.2%.

All-in-all the plant produces 100 to 180 tons (5,000 to 9,000 bags) per day.  And the whole operation is controlled by this computer.

Questions to consider:
* Approximately how many bags are quality tested in a day?
* If a bag is sold to the retailer for $2.50, how much income is produced at the factory in a day?

* Think: What are some other waste products that might be able to be transformed into something useful?