Premos – an idea catches on

Almost ten years ago, Krone presented its Premos 5000, a mobile pelleting press that today more than ever offers sustainable solutions in livestock farming and energy supply.

Spelle, April 2025: It is now nearly ten years since Krone presented the Premos 5000 as the first mobile pelleting press in the world at Agritechnica 2015. The idea of producing high-fibre pellets from stalk-based materials such as straw directly on the field or alternatively in stationary operation was awarded a well-deserved gold medal by the German Agricultural Society (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft, DLG). High-fibre pellets produced with this machine can be used in a variety of ways, including forage and litter for animals as well as fuel.

The unique success concept

When used in the field, crops are taken from the swath by the pick-up and conveyed to two compression rollers. Then they are pressed inside the rollers through perforated dies measuring 16 mm. The special feature is that unlike other processes, the Premos 5000 has no performance-sapping pretreatment with chopping or grinding. This means that only half as much energy is expended. The temperatures and high pressures reached during pelletizing reduce the bacterial load and macerate the material.

With technical modifications for even more efficiency and comfort

Over the following years the pelleting press was continuously modified. At "Grüne Woche 2018", for example, Krone presented a machine with larger compression rollers and a new main gearbox. This boosted throughput from 3 to 5 t/h. The tandem axle, now installed as a standard feature, ensures even better driving comfort. At Agritechnica 2019, Krone presented a bale shredding system that won the DLG silver medal with an automatic twine remover that simplifies handling in stationary operation. The bale shredding system can be conveniently controlled from the tractor cabin via an operating terminal. The software and hardware, which had already been updated two years previously, were again modernised to make it even more convenient to operate the machine.

Highly absorbent, clean and safe: Ideal for animal welfare

What was originally intended as a versatile solution for energy and agricultural uses – as fuel, litter, forage material and manipulable material – became widespread mainly in livestock farming. Due to their high absorbency, hygienic properties and easy handling, high-fibre pellets today are a popular alternative to chopped straw.

Thanks to their enormous absorptive capacity – 1 kg of high-fibre pellets binds up to 4 litres of water – the high-fibre pellets quickly bind moisture from animal excretions and improve the stable climate due to minimal outgassing of ammonia. Significantly less material is required in comparison to chopped straw, which means less accumulation of manure and less time spent mucking.

Litter made with high-fibre pellets is very easy to handle and low in dust compared to chopped straw, which makes them a good choice especially for horse owners. Due to heating during the pelletizing process, the high-fibre pellets are nearly germ-free, so they are safe to use as manipulable material in poultry and pig farming. Dairy farmers are also increasingly using high-fibre pellets as litter material for lying stalls, where they form a dry mattress. This provides a clean and comfortable place for cows to lie, which promotes cow comfort and udder hygiene. For further information and application examples please visit www.strukturpellets.de.

Power from the fermenter: More gas, less maize

Use of high-fibre pellets for energy as a co-substrate in biogas plants is also currently a matter of interest. Unlike conventional straw, high-fibre pellets do not form any floating layers in the fermenter and have no problem mixing with the fermentation substrate. Due to the decomposition during pelletizing, the energy contained in the straw is also available for the methane-forming bacteria considerably faster and the wide C/N ratio improves process stability in the fermenter. This makes it possible to increase the gas yield by up to 40% in high-fibre pellets compared to untreated straw. 1 t of high-fibre pellets can replace a good 2 t of maize silage, thereby significantly alleviating the competition over biomass for both feed and energy.

Press contact:

Markus Steinwendner
Head of Marketing KRONE Agriculture
+49 5977 935 188 20
markus.steinwendner@krone.de
www.krone-agriculture.com