Blackwood Technology BV (Blackwood), a torrefaction and carbonisation technology company, has announced the successful start of production of the first commercial FlashTor® black pellet plant in Lampang Province, Thailand.
The plant is owned and operated by NT Biomass Products Company Limited (NTBC), a 100% subsidiary of TTCL Public Company Limited (TTCL).
When fully ramped-up, it will produce 75,000 tonnes of black pellets made from renewable biomass per year, to replace fossil coal in power generation and steel production.
The plant will primarily use corn straw as biomass feedstock and can also process woody biomass.
Maarten Herrebrugh, CEO of Blackwood, said: “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 industrial scale and to serve the needs of the different biocarbon market segments.”
Chamnarn Atsanatam, vice-president energy business unit of TTCL commented: “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 offtakers. Using corn residues as a source of raw material, provides local farmers with an extra source of income from selling their residues. For offtakers, black pellets allow them to replace fossil coal with a green alternative while using their existing infrastructure.”
The NTBC plant produces regular black pellets aimed at replacing thermal coal in power stations and industrial boilers, as well as more carbonized SuperBlack pellets, which are used as replacement of metallurgical coal in steel mills and other metal production plants.
Blackwood announces production start of Thai commercial black pellet plant
