April 2023 - Saalasti

Learning together with customers keeps the wheels running in Saalasti Spain

“We have seen an improvement in energy efficiency and overall performance in our customer’s sites with the help of our local services,” says Jarno Petäkoski, Saalasti Spain’s General Manager, as he sums up the benefits of working closely with customers.

Located in the majestic mountain region of Léon, northern Spain, the Saalasti Spain site has been operational since 2019. We offer a complete range of services from Spain, including machine installations, maintenance, and manufacturing of new parts. The customer base includes paper and pulp mills, pellet manufacturers, and power plants.

Keep reading to learn more about why our customers trust our services in Spain and how our team approaches customer work.

The presence of the original manufacturer ensures high-performing machines

There are many benefits to our clients when they use the services, spare parts, and products of the original manufacturer. The Saalasti machines are robust and top-quality, and we ensure that working near customers.

All in all, the daily operation of the machines is easier for our clients, as we are near. As Petäkoski says:

“When we are closely present in the customer’s process, we can tailor the best solutions. For example, we can manufacture customized wear parts that fit the customer’s process just perfectly.”

“It’s important to learn about our customers’ processes, and visiting their sites helps us do that. Plus, our customers save money and avoid stress when they have access to local maintenance services within 24 hours in case of urgent needs.”

It makes a big deal when the machine manufacturer is one call away and in the same country.

Saalasti services in Spain

Serves clients in Spain, Portugal and France and, also Overseas France such as French Guiana.
Client portfolio ranges from paper and pulp, pellet manufacturers, wood chip terminals, and power plants.
Both new business services and maintenance services available.
Services: Machine installations and upgrades, maintenance and original spare parts.
Unique service: New part manufacturing in a workshop.
New facilities from 2023 onwards with a larger storage capacity.
Employs six professionals from management to service engineers and mechanics.

Saalasti Spain also operates closely with Cross Wrap, Saalasti’s subsidiary company.

Cross Wrap offers innovative solutions for bale wrapping, opening and handling with market-leading machines. The company has a long history of working with paper, plastic, cement and waste industries.

“Partnering with Cross Wrap allows us to provide even more value to our customers. Additionally, Cross Wrap has a strong presence in the Italian market, which we can now tap into as a result of this partnership”, Petäkoski says.

Customised top-notch parts from our workshop

One of the unique services offered by Saalasti Spain is the in-house manufacturing of parts for our machines.

Our on-site workshop has a range of capabilities, including a machining center, robotic welding, and manual welding.

In-house manufacturing also provides advantages in terms of predictability and cost efficiency.

”Thanks to our on-site manufacturing, we can offer custom parts tailored to our customer’s processes rather than relying on outsourced parts.”

”By controlling the entire manufacturing chain, we can offer reliable delivery to our customers. By this, we can also provide more predictable prices for the raw materials”, Petäkoski says.

In addition to manufacturing new parts, we also offer a rebuilding service for worn parts. When it is possible to renovate existing components, we can restore them to like-new condition. Saalasti machines are built to last for decades, and rebuilding is an essential part of maintaining them, in addition to timely maintenance.

Emphasising teamwork while learning together with our customers

Saalasti Spain is known not only for its high-quality machines and parts but also for its service-oriented approach. We believe in collaborating with our clients and working alongside them rather than above them.

According to Service & Project Manager Luis Miguel Rosales and Production & Safety manager Julio Barthe, Saalasti’s mindset encourages employees to solve problems creatively.

“The most important thing in my job is to think about how we can deliver the best results to our clients. So when I am not working on-site or communicating with clients, I can be working with the robot machine, designing new tools, and reporting for example”, Rosales says.

“At Saalasti, our focus is on helping our clients improve their processes. Whether it’s through spare parts, technical assistance, or managing maintenance operations, our goal is always to boost our clients’ production levels”, Barthe adds.

Both Julio and Luis Miguel emphasise the benefits of being a family-run business, which fosters teamwork and a sense of shared success.

As Luis Miguel puts it, “It’s great that we are a family company and we work as a team for the benefit of the customer. We always think about how we can work smarter and share ideas with others.”

“Once you start working at Saalasti, you’ll quickly notice that coming up with new ideas and improving processes is almost automatic and a vital part of your job,” he ends.

Do you want to hear more about our services in Spain, Portugal, or France? Contact us and let’s discuss how we can help you!

Biochar production – The benefits of high-performing biomass pre-processing

Biochar production offers significant opportunities to pursue carbon neutrality and promote the green transition. For instance, this so-called “black gold” has great potential in the construction and infrastructure sectors.

Moreover, the new industrial market for biochar is steadily growing, which also means the need for efficient biochar production will increase. For example, biochar has great potential in speeding up the green transition and carbon-negative goals in many industries.

Saalasti is involved in biochar processing with efficient mechanical dewatering and particle size reduction methods.

In Europe, the biochar market grew by approximately 80 % in 2021. Estimates vary, but the global biochar market size was valued at 763.48 million USD in 2024, with projected growth to ~860 million USD in 2025 and 2,097.72 million USD by 2032.

According to industry estimates, revenues from biochar producers, distributors, value-added producers, and equipment manufacturers exceeded 600 million USD in 2023, with a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 97% between 2021 and 2023.

Read ahead and learn the potential of biochar and how to make your plant’s biochar production process more efficient.

Glossary of key terms in biochar production

Biochar: A stable, carbon-rich material produced by heating biomass in a low-oxygen environment (pyrolysis). Biochar can store carbon, improve soil quality, and replace fossil materials in industry.
Biomass: Organic material, most commonly from plants, wood, or agricultural by-products. It can be used directly as fuel or raw material for producing energy, heat, biofuels, and value-added products like biochar.
Carbon sink: A process or material that captures and stores more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases. Biochar can turn carbon from biomass into a stable form instead of returning CO₂ to the atmosphere. As a result, biochar is considered a carbon sink.
Carbon neutrality / Carbon negative: Carbon neutrality means balancing carbon emissions with carbon removal. Carbon negative goes further by removing more carbon than is emitted.
CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e): A measurement used to compare the climate impact of different greenhouse gases, expressed as the amount of carbon dioxide that would have the same global warming effect.

Biochar production depends on biomass

Biochar is produced in pyrolysis, where organic material is heated to a high temperature in a low-oxygen environment. This creates a stable carbon-rich material with a larger surface area and a porous structure. As a result, some of the carbon is not released into the atmosphere but remains in the resulting material.

Biochar is mainly produced from plant-based biomasses, such as wood industry by-products, straws, and demolition wood. However, a growing tree still binds carbon in its trunk, so using side streams for biochar is more beneficial than growing trees.

Saalasti offers solutions for fiber-based biomasses used in biochar production.

The quality of biomass is a crucial factor in quality and potential uses of biochar. There is no one-size-fits-all biochar, as different types are suitable for different purposes.

The properties of biochar are affected by the used raw material, the production process, and post-treatment. For instance, the particle size of the biochar matters. A larger size of biochar is considered better for improving soil ventilation, while a finer size is more suitable for supporting beneficial microbes.

A perfect solution for projects committed to carbon-neutral or carbon-negative goals

There is a good reason why biochar is expected to be the next big thing to curb carbon emissions:

Biochar is a carbon sink that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases. While estimates vary, recent studies suggest that each ton of biochar can net remove approximately 2.68 tCO₂e. For comparison, a typical passenger vehicle emits 4.6 metric tons of CO₂ per year.
Biochar improves the soil’s nutrient binding and water retention capacity and adds to the soil’s porosity.
Biochar can bind/absorb hazardous chemicals and compounds, such as heavy metals and pesticides.
Biochar has a great water retention capacity and can retain water up to five times of its own mass.

Read customer story: Maximal production volume with the same amount of heat (Van Roje)

Applications of biochar

There are several uses for biochar in the infrastructure and building sector, and new applications are constantly being developed. The current use cases of biochar include, but are not limited to:

Improving the soil in green areas in the construction sector.
Treating water and urban runoffs.
Purifying soil and water systems.
Replacing fossil coal and coke in the steel industry.

As an example, in Finland, Outokumpu is investing in a biocoke plant in Tornio that will utilize forestry and wood residues to replace fossil coke. The company estimates this will reduce its direct CO₂ emissions by about 82,000 tonnes per year. This corresponds to the annual emissions of 8,000 Finnish citizens.

At Saalasti, we are eager to tap into the benefits of biochar and step into new biochar applications as the innovation develops.

Saalasti’s biomass processing solutions

How to get the most out of biochar production with high-performing pre-processing?

Every stage of biochar production is crucial to the quality of the resulting material. Pre-processing plays a significant role in ensuring the biomass is sufficiently dry and stable-sized before pyrolysis.

At Saalasti, we offer solutions for processing biomass before it is exposed to heat in the pyrolysis process:

Reduction and standardization of particle size.

Crushing biomass is a crucial step in the early stage of biochar production. When the particle size is controlled, it results in a more uniform mass that can be utilized with greater efficiency. Saalasti Biomass Crushers (Horizontal and Vertical) are the market-leading solutions for particle size reduction.

Read more: Reduction of particle size

Mechanical dewatering of biomass.

The dryer the biomass is before pyrolysis, the greater the energy savings you can expect while reducing operating costs and carbon footprint. With our mechanical drying solutions, we can drastically reduce the water content of any fiber-based biomass.

Once biomass is first pressed mechanically, the following step with thermal dewatering requires significantly less energy, dropping from 700-1000 kWh to only 30-50 kWh per cubic meter of water removed. With our solution, it is possible to save up to 50% of energy in biochar production compared to only thermal drying.

The best machines for mechanical dewatering include the Saalasti High-Pressure dewatering press “Hippo” and the market-leading Bark Press.

Read more: Mechanical dewatering

The benefits of Saalasti solutions in biochar production:

1) Up to 50 % energy savings in the drying process.

2) More homogenous and higher-quality material improves productivity and allows capacity scaling.

3) No more seasonal fluctuation in production, as the biomass has a steady, even quality all year round.

Saalasti’s unique mechanical drying technology is unmatched in its field.

Do you want to hear how our solutions can support your biochar production? Contact us!

Month: April 2023