4T/H Bangladesh Rice Straw Pellet Production Line Project Progress in Bangladesh

RICHI MACHINERY is installing a 4-ton-per-hour rice straw pellet production line in northern Bangladesh, addressing both energy needs and environmental concerns in a country where rice cultivation dominates agriculture.

Market Context

Bangladesh produces more than 35 million tons of rice annually, generating corresponding volumes of straw. With limited alternatives, much of this straw is burned in fields after harvest, contributing to the dense haze that affects the region during winter months and exacerbating respiratory illness in rural populations.

The government has sought alternatives, including straw collection for power generation and industrial fuel. Pelletizing offers a solution: compact, uniform fuel that can be transported economically and stored without degradation.

Raw Material and Processing Challenges

Rice straw shares characteristics with wheat straw but presents additional challenges. It contains higher silica content—up to 15 percent by weight—which accelerates wear on processing equipment. The hollow stem structure also traps air, making compression more difficult than with solid biomass.

RICHI's process design addresses these factors through material selection in wear zones, compression ratios adjusted for straw's compressibility, and moisture control systems that account for the material's tendency to absorb and release water with ambient conditions.

Production Line Configuration

The rice husk biomass pellet production line features:

• Pre-chopping and feeding system for breaking bales and metering material
• Hammer mill with screens optimized for straw particle size
• Rotary dryer with temperature profiling for consistent moisture reduction
• MZLH series rice husk pellet machine with reinforced components for high-silica materials
• Counterflow cooler for pellet stabilization
• Screening system for fines separation
• Bagging and palletizing for finished product

Pellets are optimized for density target above 600 kg per cubic meter, moisture below 12 percent, and durability—specifications required for both domestic industrial users and potential export customers.

Installation and Timeline

Mechanical assembly at the customer's site in northern Bangladesh is complete. Electrical integration and automation programming are ongoing, with local contractors completing power supply and control room installations.

Trial production is planned for March 2026, with commercial operation to follow once performance testing confirms throughput and quality targets.

Benefits and Regional Impact

The line converts agricultural waste into a profitable fuel product while reducing open-field burning that affects air quality across the region. For the customer—a diversified agricultural group—it creates a new revenue stream while supporting government renewable energy objectives.

The biomass pellet project also demonstrates RICHI's ability to adapt biomass technology to the specific characteristics of South Asian rice straw, a material with growing importance as the region seeks alternatives to field burning.