It is imperative that the quality standards be maintained while the wood pellets are being transported. Thus there are stringent rules laid down to ensure high quality during transportation right from the manufacturer till the consumer. The organization responsible for setting the standards of logistics aspects is called DIN CERTCO. The exact rules and regulations regarding transportation issues have been laid down with great detail inside the scheme of certification. The entire ONORM M 7136 details have been elaborated inside this scheme. There are also several other vital considerations which have been mentioned in the scheme regarding implementing these standards.

Two major standards

There are two vital product standards namely the DIN 5173 and the ONORM M 7135 which are also incorporated while considering logistics aspects of transporting wood pellets. The DIN 5173 standard is all about the testing of all solid fuel types such as untreated and compressed wood.

Responsibilities of the transporting company

The company which is transporting the wood pellets needs to provide certain proofs of the quality. For example the company needs to supply proof that the wood pellets have all been certified and come with the seal of quality stating DIN Plus. These wood pellets then need to be delivered and supplied. It is also mandatory that the wood pellets which are not certified are transported in a separate vehicle from the certified pellets. The warehousing aspect of the logistics also needs to satisfy certain regulations. In addition, aspects regarding immediate storage, as well as end delivery to user and regarding transportation vehicles etc. as well as delivery personnel must adhere to the regulations.

Quality checks performed

First the transportation company will need to perform quality management checks inside its own premises in order to ensure adherence to standards. In addition to these checks it is also ensured that the implementation aspects are also in strict accordance with the regulations as stated in the logistics standards. These checks are performed on an annual basis by third party personnel who are commissioned from the organization DIN CERTCO.

Improvement areas

As far as logistics is concerned in the transportation and distribution of wood pellets there are certain areas that seriously need improvement. For example the overall quality of the wood pellets need to be raised dramatically, the costs of transportation issues also need to be significantly reduced and the overall confidence of the end user needs to be enhanced. Only then will the usage of biomass increase and so will the storage, distribution, delivery as well as transportation of wood pellets improve. Being an alternative source of fuel which is carbon neutral it is imperative that the quality standards be implemented stringently.