The Silform system uses unique environmentally clean chemistry to produce cold bonded, spherical, granular agglomerates.

• The Silform patented FuelForm® system uses unique environmentally clean chemistry to produce weather resistant, hard-shelled, cold bonded spherical granular agglomerates (spheroid pellets) with a moisture content of less than 5%.

• The systematic processes require comparatively low capital investment and minimal energy (+/- 2kWhrs/tonne) input to produce these spheroid pellets, as opposed to standard briqueting and pelletising operations requiring up to +/- 250kWhrs/tonne.

• The FuelForm® system is significantly less complicated to implement and operate than comparative processes like traditional briqueting and pelletising plants, requiring significantly less labour and maintenance.

• The pellets are produced in a patented circuit by mixing coal fines in an agglomerator with a proprietary reagent mixture. 

• The chemical reactions and physical processes in the agglomerator can be controlled  through the Process Control Module (PCM). During the pelletisation process to produce hard spheroid granular pellets from 5–100mm diameter, to customer specifications and requirements.

• The pellets then cure, utilising inherent chemical accelerated evaporation, requiring no added heat, pressure for 7-14 days, at which point they can be easily transported as a bulk product.

• The agglomerator is mobile, and can be located at the feed sources.

• Coal spheroid pellets can be used directly or pulverised for use in power generation at major plants and display enhanced combustion characteristics due to very low moisture content and subsequent easier grindability.

The system offers “industry changing” benefits for coal production companies, as it makes it commercially viable to carry out particle agglomeration on a much wider scale.

For users of the Silform FuelForm® system, this means:-

• Producing more revenue from current operations and creating revenues from waste where there were associated costs before. 

• Reducing environmentally damaging waste, demonstrating an environmentally positive opportunity for customer leverage.

• Utilising resources that presently are uneconomic to process.

• Improving product handling systems by improving material “flow” due to spheroid agglomerates rather than dust, slurry or angular lumps.

• Designing “new” product types, such as customised fuels.

• Improving productivity and greatly speeding up return on investment timescales.

High moisture levels in coal make transportation and combustion inefficient. Sub-bituminous coals, which comprise a large and valuable part of the world's coal reserves, contain "chemically attached" moisture within the coal structure (up to 20%-30% moisture). This "moisture" severely limits the use and value of sub-bituminous coals.
For every 3 truckloads of coal that is transported, one truckload of water must also be transported. During combustion this moisture also robs energy from the flame in order to turn to steam. Attempts to drive the moisture out by heating have proved unsuccessful because the coal falls apart as it dries and also becomes susceptible to spontaneous combustion. As a result, very little sub-bituminous coal is traded internationally.

The huge reduction in moisture content by using the Silform FuelForm® system is a significant and substantial advantage, as it positively changes the combustion characteristics of any incorporated fuel by raising the useable heat value. Peat, lignite, low rank coals and washery tailings can become premium solid fuels as opposed to smoky, low value second class substitutes, or, in some cases, discarded waste.