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Cordwood, wood pellets, wood chips, and waste paper, along with dozens of other agricultural products and by-products capable of being used for energy, are all examples of biomass fuel. One of the most compelling attributes of biomass fuel is that it is renewable. The remarkable consistency, and combustion efficiency, of pellet fuel produces a fraction of the particulate emissions - compared to raw biomass. Pellet burners feature the lowest particulate matter emissions of all solid fuels burners. Given the proper Sustainable Forest Initiatives, and proper agricultural management, biomass fuel is virtually limitless. And the price of biomass fuel have proven to be remarkably stable over the years - especially compared to the wide price fluctuations regularly found with fossil fuels. |
The majority of North America’s forest is second-growth, and requires periodic forest management in order to address forest health and fire mitigation issues. A tremendous amount of otherwise unusable material remains on the forest floor after such treatment. This material is rejected by high-end wood product manufacturers, but is a perfect resource for commercial pellet manufacturers.
Fossil fuels such as coal or petroleum are considered “non-renewable” resources because they take millions of years to form. Furthermore, the carbon released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are utilized would otherwise have very likely remained buried underground for millions of years more. But by utilizing “energy crops” and agricultural waste such as corn stalks and straw - as well as residual forest waste - fuel pellets can utilize millions of tons of “waste”, and put it to work to reduce our dependence on dirty, often unstable sources of energy, while also improving our environment and stimulating the local economy.
At a wood pellet manufacturing facility, woody by-products and other forms of wood waste is refined into pencil-sized pellets that are uniform in size, shape, moisture, density and energy content. Why not simply burn raw biomass? First, the moisture content of pellets is substantially lower (4% to 8% water - compared to 20% to 60% for raw biomass). Less moisture means a higher Btu value, and easier handling (especially in freezing situations), compared with green raw biomass materials.
Second, the density of pellet fuel is substantially higher than raw biomass (40 lbs. per cubic foot verses, 10-25 lbs. per cubic foot in raw material form). More biomass fuel can be transported in a given truck load (reducing the use of transportation fuels), and more energy can be stored at your site.
Finally, fuel pellets are more easy and reliable to handle. Their uniform shape and size allows for a smaller, and simpler fuel feed systems, which reduce equipment costs. This high density, and uniform-shaped product can be stored in standard silos, transported in rail cars, and delivered in standard trucks. When placed in plastic bags, the product is convenient to pick up at a local retailer, simple to transport in the trunk of your car, and easy to load into your pellet appliance or hopper.
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Bio-energy
Pellet Combustion
