This is a project regarding a sunflower husk rotary dryer in Russia. A large sunflower oil extraction plant in Voronezh had a massive waste problem: wet sunflower seed husks. The plant processed 300,000 tons of sunflower seeds annually, generating about 90,000 tons of husks at 18-22% moisture.
This is a project regarding a sunflower husk rotary dryer in Russia. Russia is the world's largest producer of sunflower seeds, with oil extraction plants concentrated in the Southern Federal District and Central Black Earth region.
A large sunflower oil extraction plant in Voronezh had a massive waste problem: wet sunflower seed husks. The plant processed 300,000 tons of sunflower seeds annually, generating about 90,000 tons of husks at 18-22% moisture.
Wet husks burned poorly in the plant's boilers, causing slagging and reducing thermal efficiency. The plant manager decided to install a drying system to improve boiler performance and produce higher-value products. He already had conveyors, cyclones, and a pellet press for sunflower meal. What he needed was a sunflower husk rotary dryer in Russia that could reduce moisture from 18-22% to 8-10% at 8-10 tons per hour, handling abrasive, oily material without excessive wear.
Name:
sunflower husk drying system
Country:
Russia
Date:
2025
Capacity:
Flexible
Model:
φ1.8×20
Raw material:
wet husks
Initial Moisture Content:
18-22%
Target Moisture Content:
8-10%
After evaluating options from China and Europe, he purchased one φ1.8×20 single-pass rotary dryer from RICHI. RICHI has supplied similar sunflower husk drying systems to oilseed processors across Russia and Eastern Europe. His decision has increased boiler efficiency by 25%, reduced natural gas purchases by 40%, and created a new revenue stream selling dried husk pellets to the European biomass fuel market.
The plant's boilers ran on a mix of wet husks (18-22% moisture) and natural gas. The manager calculated that drying husks to 8-10% moisture would allow 100% husk firing, eliminating natural gas purchases. Natural gas cost was $5 million USD annually. Dried sunflower husk pellets sold for $120 per ton. The dryer cost $450,000 USD delivered. Payback was under 4 months.
The φ1.8×20 sunflower husk rotary dryer in Russia processes 90,000 wet tons annually into 75,000 dry tons. Natural gas purchases eliminated: $5 million USD saved annually. Pellet export revenue: $3.6 million USD. Dryer cost: $450,000 delivered. Payback under 1 month.
The sunflower husk rotary dryer in Russia that the Voronezh plant purchased has the abrasion resistance and self-cleaning flighting that oily, abrasive sunflower husks demand. One φ1.8×20 rotary dryer, AR500 liners, and a waste stream that was reducing boiler efficiency.
That was enough to save $5 million annually in natural gas costs, generate $3.6 million in pellet export revenue, and turn Russia's sunflower husks from a boiler problem into a premium fuel product for European markets.
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