Hi everyone.
Although CBE decided not to pursue the local pellet plant
idea, at least not now, there is still a lot happening on
the local biomass development front. This update will fill
you in on what we are up to, where we are going, and how you
can help.
In November, we took delivery of a truckload of wood fuel
bricks (25 tons on pallets from a factory in Indiana that
processes furniture factory waste). The final ton sold a few
weeks ago. Craigslist was the only advertising used. The
quality of this firewood substitute was excellent: low
moisture, very low ash, and the same bulk density as
pellets. They have about 3 times the energy density and cost
about the same per BTU as average cordwood. In fact, a ton
of bricks occupies about 30% less space than a ton of
pellets because the bricks stack perfectly. Tony burned two
tons in his home boiler system and was very pleased with
them, mainly because he could get a lot more fuel in the
firebox for longer burns than with firewood. Here are a few
photos; note bricks stacked right next to boiler in
shed…very convenient! Early next Fall, we would like to
organize cooperative pre-season purchase of several
truckloads of this or similar fuel. If you are interested in
taking part, please let us know.
One of the reasons
for buying and reselling the bricks was to assess the amount
of interest in this type of fuel. The market for firewood is
well established so if only a small fraction of firewood
users were to substitute bricks for some of their fuel,
there might be an adequate market to start a small local
manufacturing operation. In anticipation of this
opportunity, CBE has purchased a small, inexpensive, Chinese
made briquetting machine for evaluation (see photos below).
This machine, which is rated at 500 lbs per hour, operates
like a sausage maker: a screw auger forces ground biomass
through a heated die to produce a continuous “log” which is
then cut into pieces of the desired length. We expect
delivery later this Spring and will be evaluating the
machine over the Summer using both woody and herbaceous
materials. We also purchased a used tub grinder than will be
used to grind materials prior to briquetting. We will post
the results in a future CBE update.
Model ZBJ-III
briquette machine from Anyang Gemco Energy Equipment
Co., Ltd.
Last Fall, we purchased a ton of grass briquettes from
Tom Lee, a farmer in Canton, NY, as well as a ton of
grass pellets from Enviroenergy in Wells Bridge, NY.
Tony has been test burning the briquettes in his home
boiler and Tom Kucera, owner of Ithaca Stove Works,
has be test burning the pellets in a variety of
stoves. As expected, both forms of grass fuel burn
well but have high ash content requiring more frequent
appliance maintenance. Clinkering (ash melting and
fusing) is a problem for any pellet stove without an
active burn pot clearing mechanism. Even 50-50
mixtures of grass and wood pellets do not cure the
problem. Lower grass percentages are also being tried.
Fortunately, significant clinkering did not occur in
Tony’s Econoburn boiler, perhaps because of its two
stage combustion “gasifier” design. Due to corrosion
problems associated with high chlorine content of some
grasses, long term use of these fuels should probably
be limited to stoves and boilers specifically designed
for grass .
CBE has received a grant to design and prototype a
container-based system for delivering and dispensing
bulk biomass fuels. The grant, which is funded by USDA
and administered by the New York Farm Viability
Institute, provides consulting support for the project
through SUNY Cobleskill. The system consists of 1) a
yard where roundwood and bales are aggregated, stored,
and processed (wood: debark, air dry, chip; grass:
grind) and 2) interchangeable containers that
compress, transport, store and meter fuel into a
customer’s boiler. The design goals for the containers
are: 10 tons of fuel at 20 lb/cu ft (about 40 cu yds).
Fuel metering from the container is controlled by the
boiler. Fuel level (and perhaps other system
functions) can be monitored remotely so container
exchange timing can be optimized. Customer benefits
include: lower fuel costs because the fuel is
minimally processed; lower heating system capital
costs because most of the dedicated fuel feeding
hardware is eliminated from the heating installation;
fuel flexibility (if the boiler is a multifuel
design); minimized customer responsibility and
involvement. We have set a goal to have a prototype
within a year.
Taitem
engineering (www.taitem.com ) has been hired by
the Town of Danby to design and coordinate
construction of the biomass boiler system for
the highway department garages. The funding
grant from NYSERDA stipulates that the boiler
must be operated on wood chips for a one year
evaluation period following commissioning. After
that, it will be possible to fire the boiler
with either chips or grass. Ongoing design
coordination with Taitem may allow the container
system to be used for grass fueling.
We are supporting development of an educational
forest management project at the Cayuga Nature
Center. It will complement the CNC biomass
boiler by demonstrating how woody biomass can be
sustainably harvested along with sawtimber while
improving forest health and maintaining forest
ecosystems. Too often, forests in our region are
exploited for short term profit by
harvesting only the best specimens of the most
valuable tree species. This practice, known as
“high-grading”, is not sustainable and
eventually leaves forests in very poor
condition. The CNC project, being
developed by foresters Mike DeMunn and Jeff
Luoma with support from CBE, will serve as both
a plan for the long-term management of the CNC
forest as well as an opportunity to educate the
general public about this important part of our
natural environment. We hope to secure
additional funding for this project from a
variety of sources.
The “T-P” transporter mentioned in the Fall
update has been completed as well as a trailer
version (see photos). Both were built as
experimental prototypes of low-cost delivery
options for one ton palletted
loads of bagged or bulk fuel (pellets or
bricks). They can lift the load several feet off
the ground so the pallet can be raised on blocks
for dispensing pellets out of a bulk bag bottom
spout. Hopefully these
machines will prove useful in the future.
Tony and Betsy will be
attending the Heating the Northeast (
www.heatne.com )
conference this April in Manchester, NH. Tony will be giving
a presentation on the Nature Center boiler and forest
management project. Tony will also make a presentation on
biomass energy to the Western Finger Lakes Chapter of the NY
Forest Owners Association this May in Honeoye, NY. Also,
check out
www.danbylandbank.com for latest news and
developments at DLBC.
So what lies ahead for CBE and how can you contribute to our
local biomass energy development efforts? Our strategy has
evolved over the past year. Initially we thought that a
local pellet plant was key: converting locally harvested
biomass into a locally marketable product would create an
economically viable value chain. Subsequent research
revealed unacceptable risks in this approach: very high
capital costs; long, costly learning curve; very competitive
market. In addition, there are unresolved ash clogging
problems with grass pellets in residential stoves that would
limit their marketability. So, as you can see from this
update, we decided to take a slower, low-key approach on
multiple fronts. We now believe that, at least in the short
term, commercial and institutional heating applications
where cheap, locally harvested bulk biomass displaces
expensive fuel oil or propane hold the most promise. The
economics are excellent, as demonstrated at the Nature
Center, where fuel costs have been cut by 85%.
So how can you help advance local biomass energy
development? Here are some ideas.
1) Indentify potential applications, for example, a rural
school. Contact them and explain the benefits of converting
to biomass heating, then follow up and make it happen.
2) Pursue policy changes, for example, eliminating the local
sales tax on biomass fuels. If Tompkins County has a
greenhouse gas initiative and the Board of Representatives
approved a resolution in support of a national carbon tax,
why does the County tax firewood and pellet sales just like
fuel oil and coal? Lobby for property tax changes that would
incentivize forest land owners to practice forest management
with sustainable biomass production. Or, go nuts, lobby for
a state carbon tax!
3) Educate the public, for example, with presentations and
article submissions. Or volunteer to help build components
of the Nature Center forest management demo project, e.g.
deer exclosures in Smith Woods. Help with market
development: how about organizing a larger group buying
effort for pellets and fuel bricks next year?
4) Help with experiments, for example, evaluating the
briquetting machine or conducting soil fertility
evaluations.
5) Pursue grant funding, for example, REAP (USDA Rural
Energy Assistance Program) or WERC (Forest Service
Administration Wood Education Resource Center) grants.
6) Invest in CBE, for example, to develop the prototype
containerized bulk fuel system or fund a small briquette
manufacturing plant.
That’s it for this update. If you are interested in what we
are doing, you are welcome to join in. There are plenty of
opportunities for visionaries, volunteers and investors. Who
knows, we may even create real paying jobs someday!
The CBE Steering Committee (Tony Nekut, Elizabeth
Keokosky, Ken White, and Ed Dodge)
