Wood chips: description, types, applications

Everyone who is somehow connected with the harvesting of timber knows how much waste is generated in the process. This includes tree branches, stumps, twigs, croaker, sawdust and other substandard parts of the wood.

It’s easiest to burn everything, it would seem unnecessary, but it’s impossible to achieve profit from this. There is a very effective way to get rid of wood waste and get income. We are talking about processing substandard wood, as a result of which we get wood chips.

In this article, Wood.ua will tell you what wood chips are, what types of chips exist and in what areas you can use this material.

Wood chip production

Wood chips are created in the process of processing waste from woodworking enterprises. Manufacturing technology is quite simple. The process itself consists of two stages:

1. Preparatory work - sorting of raw materials and drying.

2. Crushing.

Crushing is carried out using wood shredders. Crushers are single-disk, hammer and drum. To get the chips of the right size, the raw materials must be calibrated, in such cases drum crushers are used.

The production of wood chips, despite its simplicity, is considered cost-effective and brings considerable permanent profit. At large woodworking enterprises, wood chips are produced with the help of large wood-shredding machines, which are able in a short time to turn a large amount of wood waste into a valuable, sought-after product.

Types of wood chips

Wood chips are particles of different sizes. Depending on the size of these particles, their composition and uniformity distinguish the following types of wood chips:

1. Fuel.

2. Technological.

3. Green.

4. Decorative (natural and color).

Green wood chips are characterized by an admixture of bark, leaves and needles. It is suitable for mulching the soil.

Technological chips represent various types with specific requirements regarding use: chips for the manufacture of wood-based panels, for the production of pulp, for smoking products and other types.

The most demanded in the domestic and foreign markets is fuel chips. This type is used as fuel for solid fuel boilers, as well as at small thermal power plants, gradually replacing coal and gas.

Chips, like fuel, do not leave ash, which has a positive effect on the life of heating boilers. This material is the cheapest in terms of how much you need to pay for heating a private house with a solid fuel boiler.

Wood ash is used as a fuel in gas generating plants. Wood waste gas generators are very economical. In addition, wood chips are a wonderful fuel for a small portable stove and for samovars. You can buy pine wood chips at a low price, with delivery directly from the manufacturer here.

Decorative wood chips decorate the site. She is appreciated by landscape designers. From the painted chips you can create different compositions, drawings, artificial streams.

Fields of application

Wood chips have a wide scope. It can be effectively used as:

1. Raw materials for the manufacture of furniture.

2. Mulching.

3. Raw materials of the construction industry - the manufacture of chip cement boards.

4. Fuel material (briquettes for heating, wood pellets, pellets).

5. Smoking (sausages, fish, cheese, meat products ...) with correctly selected wood chips by breed and size. The taste and smell of the original product is affected by heat treatment and exposure to smoke from burnt resins.

6. Infusion of alcoholic beverages.

7. Production of wood concrete.

8. Decorative design of lawns.

If you use a paint plant during the production of wood chips, you can get decorative chips that are used for landscape design.

It is worth noting the popularity of another type of wood production waste - sawdust, tyrsa. Read more about the types of sawdust and the possibilities of their application here.

Pros and Cons of Chips

Wood chips, like other building materials, have their advantages and disadvantages. The obvious advantages of wood chips include:

1. Ecological cleanliness.

2. Accessibility - many regions have a raw material base for product development.

3. Low cost.

4. Easy disposal.

5. Low percentage of ash.

6. Excellent aesthetic qualities.

7. Solving problems with waste disposal at wood processing enterprises.

8. Non-stop, virtually waste-free production.

The disadvantages of wood chips include: increased humidity, which requires mandatory drying to prevent rot, the preservation problem, a predisposition to fire.

None of these shortcomings excludes wood chips from the list of the most promising materials for heating premises, gardening and raw materials for various industries.