Soybean pellets, particularly those derived from soybean hulls, are primarily created through a process involving grinding and then compacting the material.
Following the initial processing of soybeans, which typically includes oil extraction and toasting, the remaining hull fraction is utilized. This hull material undergoes further steps to be transformed into pellets.
The Pelleting Process for Soybean Hulls
The process of making soybean hull pellets is straightforward and efficient, designed to prepare the fibrous material for easier handling and transportation.
Here are the key steps involved:
- Preparation After Toasting: After the soybeans have been toasted and the hulls separated, the remaining hull fraction is prepared for pelleting.
- Grinding: The hull fraction is ground to the desired particle size. This ensures consistency and prepares the material for compaction.
- Pelleting: The ground hull material is then pelleted. This involves forcing the material through a die under high pressure, creating dense, uniform cylindrical pellets.
Reference: Following toasting, the remaining hull fraction is ground to the desired particle size and either pelleted or sold as bulk.
Why Pellet Soybean Hulls?
Pelleting soybean hulls offers significant practical advantages, primarily related to logistics and cost-efficiency.
- Reduced Transportation Cost: Pelleting significantly reduces transportation cost. By compacting the loose, bulky hull material, more weight can be transported per volume, leading to lower shipping expenses.
- Easier Handling: Pellets are easier to handle, store, and transport compared to the unpelleted, fluffy hull material.
Alternative Forms
While pelleting is common, it's not the only way soybean hulls are sold or used. The reference notes that the ground hull fraction can also be sold as bulk instead of being pelleted. Many commercial feed companies, for example, prefer the unpelleted bulk form for direct inclusion into their feed products.
| Form | Characteristics | Transportation Cost Impact | Preference by some users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pelleted | Dense, uniform cylinders | Significantly reduced | Easy handling |
| Bulk | Ground, unpelleted hull material | Higher relative to pellets | Preferred by some feed co. |
In summary, soybean pellets (specifically hull pellets) are produced by grinding the hull fraction obtained after toasting and then compacting it into a dense pellet form. This process is primarily driven by the benefit of reduced transportation costs.
