Small Bale Shredder in Portugal

The farm owner, who also processes feed for three neighboring farms, searched online for small bale shredder options and found RICHI Machinery through a Spanish-language agricultural forum.

He purchased two YPPK-2600 units as standalone replacements for his old machine – not as part of a full production line, but as dedicated shredders that allow him to process different materials without cross-contamination.

Portuguese Olive Pomace and the Byproduct Challenge

Portugal is one of the world's largest olive oil producers, with over 350,000 hectares of olive groves concentrated in the Alentejo and Trás-os-Montes regions.

The olive oil production process generates two main byproducts:

• Olive pomace – the solid residue after pressing, consisting of skins, pulp, and pits
• Olive mill wastewater

Traditionally, olive pomace was spread on fields as a soil amendment or burned for energy. However, spreading raw pomace can harm soil structure, and burning requires drying.

Some innovative farmers have started mixing olive pomace with straw and baling the mixture, creating a nutritious – if challenging – feed for sheep and goats. The pomace provides energy and fiber, while the straw adds structure.

The challenge is that olive pomace is oily (10-15% residual oil content) and sticky. When processed through a standard shredder, the oil builds up on screens and hammers, causing jams and – in extreme cases – fires.

The Beja farm owner had been experimenting with olive pomace-straw bales for three years. His sheep and goats loved the material, and milk production from the dairy goats increased by approximately 15% when the pomace-straw mix replaced standard straw in their winter ration.

But the processing bottleneck was severe. His old hammer mill would run for 15-20 minutes before the screen blinded with oil residue. He would then spend 45 minutes cleaning the machine before restarting. This meant he could only process 10-12 bales per day, even though he needed 30-40 bales per day during the winter feeding season.

He had been searching for a small bale shredder that could handle oily, sticky materials without blinding. The RICHI YPPK-2600, with its damping plate design (which reduces the material's contact time with the screen) and open rotor design (which prevents material packing), was a perfect fit.

He ordered two YPPK-2600 units – one dedicated to olive pomace-straw bales, the other to almond hulls and standard straw.

 The YPPK-2600 for Portuguese Olive Pomace and Almond Hulls

After discussion of the specific challenges of processing oily olive pomace, the farm selected the YPPK-2600 model with modifications for sticky materials.

The primary materials processed daily at this Portuguese farm include:

• Olive pomace-straw bales – 25-35% moisture, 10-15% oil. These bales are approximately 60% wheat straw and 40% olive pomace. The pomace is the solid residue from two-phase olive oil extraction systems, which produces a wetter, more paste-like material than traditional three-phase systems. The damping plate forces the sticky material through the hammer zone quickly, minimizing contact time with the screen and preventing oil buildup.
• Almond hull bales – 15-20% moisture. Portugal's almond orchards concentrated in the Algarve and Alentejo produce hulls that are high in sugar and fiber. The hulls are baled separately or mixed with straw. Almond hulls are not as challenging as olive pomace, but they can be dusty and abrasive.
• Pure wheat straw bales – 12-15% moisture. Used for bedding and as a fiber extender in rations when pomace is not available.
• Carob pod bales – 12-18% moisture, occasional. Carob pods are a traditional feed in southern Portugal. The pods are tough and dense. The YPPK-2600's carbide-tipped hammers handle them without issue.

The target output size for olive pomace-straw is 20-25mm. The smaller particle size helps distribute the oily pomace evenly throughout the mix, preventing the goats from sorting out the pomace-rich pieces. For almond hulls and carob pods, the target is 25-30mm.

The Damping Plate and Open Rotor Design: Handling Oily Materials

Olive pomace is one of the most difficult materials to process in a bale shredder because the oil builds up on screens and hammers.

As the machine runs, the oil residue accumulates until the screen holes are completely blocked. At that point, no material can pass, and the rotor either stalls or the motor overloads. Cleaning a oil-blinded screen is a messy, time-consuming job.

The YPPK-2600 addresses this challenge with two key design features:

1. The Damping Plate

The damping plate reduces the amount of time that material spends in contact with the screen. By forcing the material through the hammer zone quickly, the damping plate minimizes the opportunity for oil to transfer from the material to the screen surface. The plate is positioned at an angle that accelerates the material toward the discharge, rather than allowing it to circulate in the chamber.

2. The Open Rotor Design

The open rotor design – no internal baffles or obstructions – prevents material from packing in dead zones. In a standard hammer mill, there are crevices and corners where sticky material can accumulate and harden. The YPPK-2600 bale crusher machine's rotor and chamber are designed with smooth surfaces and minimal crevices, making it much easier to clean when necessary.

For the Portuguese farm, this combination means:

• No more screen blinding after 15 minutes of operation – the machine runs for 4-5 hours continuously
• Oil residue builds up slowly over several days rather than minutes
• Cleaning takes 15 minutes once per week rather than 45 minutes multiple times per day

The thickened transmission chain is also important for olive pomace because the oily material creates higher resistance in the chamber. The heavy-duty chain has a safety factor of 8:1 and has not required adjustment after 700 hours of operation.

Hammer Technology: Cutting Through Oily, Fibrous Pomace

Standard hammers can struggle with olive pomace for two reasons: the pits (which are hard) and the oil (which creates a slippery surface). The hammer tips need to be hard enough to crack the pits but shaped to cut through the slippery fibers.

• Base material – 65Mn manganese steel, heat-treated quenched to achieve a surface hardness of 45-50 HRC. This hardness allows the hammers to crack olive pits without deforming.
• Wear surface – Tungsten carbide overlay welding applied to the working tips. This carbide layer is extremely hard (65-70 HRC) and maintains a sharp edge even when processing oily materials. The carbide also resists the abrasive wear from sand and soil that is inevitably present in olive pomace.
• Hammer shape – The hammers have a slightly broader tip than standard, which provides more surface area for cutting oil-slicked fibers.

The farm owner reported that after processing 400 tons of olive pomace-straw bales (approximately 500 bales), the hammers showed less than 3mm of wear. The carbide tips still had sharp edges, and none of the hammers had cracked from impact with olive pits – a significant improvement over the old machine, which would have required new hammers every 150-200 bales.

What Happens to the Shredded Material: Sheep and Goat Rations in Alentejo

1. Lactating goat ration – The shredded olive pomace-straw mix (20-25mm) is blended with concentrate (barley, soybean meal, minerals) and fed to the 150 dairy goats. The olive pomace provides energy from the residual oil (approximately 10-15% fat content) and fiber from the skins and pits. The farm's goat milk production increased by approximately 12% after switching to the YPPK-2600-processed pomace ration. The milk also has a distinctive flavor profile that local cheese makers prize.
2. Sheep maintenance ration – For the 400 sheep (a mix of Merino and Campaniça breeds), the farm uses a higher-fiber mix with more straw and less pomace. The uniform 25-30mm particle size ensures that the sheep eat everything, reducing winter feed costs by approximately 15%.
3. Almond hull supplement – Almond hulls are high in sugar (30-40% by weight) and are used as a palatable supplement during late pregnancy when ewes and does need extra energy. The shredded hulls at 25-30mm are mixed into the ration at 10-15% inclusion.
4. Carob pod treat (occasional) – Carob pods are used as a high-energy treat for animals that need extra condition. The shredded carob at 20-25mm is mixed with molasses to create a sticky, high-energy supplement that the animals love.
5. Bedding for lambing/kidding pens – When processing pure straw at 30-40mm, the output is fluffy and absorbent. The farm uses this bedding in the lambing and kidding pens, where cleanliness is critical for newborn survival. The bedding has reduced neonatal mortality by approximately 5% because the pens stay drier.

A Smart Investment for Byproduct Processing

The small bale shredder in Portugal – represented by this Beja farm installation – proves that heavy-duty Chinese equipment can handle challenging materials like olive pomace that defeat standard shredders.

The YPPK-2600 processes oily, sticky olive pomace-straw bales without blinding, delivers consistent 20-30mm output for sheep and goat rations, and withstands daily use without excessive maintenance.

For any Portuguese sheep or goat farmer, olive oil producer, or agricultural waste processor currently struggling with olive pomace or other challenging byproducts, the YPPK series offers a heavy-duty, cost-effective solution. The ability to purchase two units for the price of one European machine provides operational flexibility and the ability to process multiple materials simultaneously.

Contact RICHI Machinery directly for a site assessment, to request hammer samples for olive pomace testing, or to arrange a conversation with the Beja farmer about his experience. The return on investment is clear: reliable processing, improved animal performance, lower feed costs, and machines built to last through many Portuguese harvest seasons.