Characterization and cost savings of pellets fabricated from Zea mays waste from corn mills combined with Pinus radiata

In Chile, the demand for pellets has increased considerably in the last years. However, woodchips and sawdust from Pinus radiata which are the traditional materials used for its confection are not always available, making it necessary to investigate other biomass sources complementary. In this study, the residue from corn milling (corn dust) in a maximum distance of 49 km from the pellet production company was analyzed and evaluated as a biomass source. The physical-mechanical and energetic properties of this material were analyzed, then the quality of the pellets created with different percentages of this and P. radiata sawdust was determined. The company requires 10,000 tons of material for its production at a cost of US$80,000 annually. Its distance from the sources of P. radiata sawdust causes it to make them pay US$ 8 t −1 for the material compared to US$ 3 t −1 that companies close to the sources pay, affecting its competitiveness. It was determined that the test tube 50M/50PR meets all the quantitative, qualitative and economic requirements. The acquisition of the 5000 tons required would generate a cost of US$5800 in transporting this material to the plant, this way the company would save US$34,200 in its operational costs annually.