Innovative Solution for Pellet Transshipment

Fully Automated Pellet Transshipment

With the construction of the 8,000-ton pellet handling facility at Bayernhafen Passau, Rematec has implemented a fully automated system that sets new standards in efficiency, cleanliness, and operational safety. The two-stage facility enables nearly fully unmanned operation.

Truck drivers and freight forwarders can independently carry out the entire process from delivery to loading, without any assistance from on-site staff. Already in the first year of operation, pellet handling volume increased from approximately 10,000 t to 18,000 t per year; the current annual handling volume is 35,000 t. This is made possible by a ground-level receiving module developed and patented by Rematec, which has been in operation since the first expansion phase in 2020 and was specifically designed for fully automated operation.

Process

· Intuitive control interface: A single button press starts the unloading process
· Rematec’s chain conveyors can transport 250 t/h of pellets from the hopper

· Loading a tanker truck with pellets takes 20 minutes

Delivery

· Truck reception – the truck does not need to be moved during the entire loading process

· The driver selects the conveying direction and monitors the loading weight via an integrated truck scale

· Danube-side bulk material reception also for ship loads (this can also be used by trucks)

Discharge and Loading

· A chain conveyor for discharge is located beneath each silo

· The respective silo is opened via a spindle gate

· Dosing gates regulate the conveying rate

· A 36 cubic metre storage silo can be filled and emptied simultaneously during high throughput

· Radar sensors continuously monitor the fill level and automatically initiate additional feeding when the level falls below a defined threshold

Cleaning, dust management, and recirculation

· Consistently high quality for the end customer, thanks to a meticulous cleaning process

· A drum screen removes chips and residues, while a counterflow system extracts dust particles and retains them via filters

· Pellets are continuously aerated and dust is reliably extracted

· extracted dust is conveyed via rotary valves into screw conveyors and temporarily stored in a fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) silo

· after loading onto trucks, transport to nearby pellet suppliers, and re-pelletization

· This closes the material cycle completely (100 t of pellets yield up to 1.7 t of dust)

Watch the video “Pellet Transshipment at Passau,” approx. 75 MB, only available in German

Read the press article “Unmanned Pellet Handling” in HOLZKURIER, Issue 44/2025
available online at Holzkurier (an article by Philipp Matzku) or as pdf-file Download
(only available in German)