Valmet to deliver world’s first BioTrac system for black pellet production

In France, Valmet agreed with FICAP on the delivery of the world’s first continuous steam explosion system, BioTrac, for production of black pellets. The pellet plant will produce both white and black pellets and has an annual capacity of 120 000 ton/year of pellets. The black pellets produced will be used mainly by district heating network operators and coal fired power plants as a substitute to fossil fuels. The start-up of the black pellet production plant is planned for 2020.

The black pellet plant will be part of an existing large industrial area, located in the Region of Champagne-Ardenne in France. The integration of the BioTrac system and plant will be conducted by De Smet Engineers and Contractors (DSEC) of Belgium. The value of the order was not disclosed.

“FICAP is our first industrial project, a concrete showcase of our know-how and mastery of biomass industrialization processes and technology…Its success will allow the global roll-out of a new biofuel industrial sector in France, Europe and the rest of the world,” says Jean Baptiste Marin, CEO of Européenne de Biomasse.