wood pellets
thingermejig posted a photo:
What are Wood Pellets?
Wood Pellets are produced from compressing coarse saw dust through holes in a metal ring dye. A quantity of dust will reduce to between a half and a quarter of its original volume during the process. Friction generated during manufacture creates heat that in turn releases the natural lignins within the dust to act as a glue. Our press produces 6mm diameter pellets that are cooled and screened to remove excess dust prior to packaging.
Source: www.ecowoodfuels.co.uk
Why Promote Wood Fuel?
The woodland that exists today in the UK does so because it had a use, and thus a value to their owners. They were managed, mostly using coppice systems, to provide fuels and other materials, mainly for local use. The eco-systems that exist in those woods today depend on continuing management for their continued survival.
Many of these woodlands, especially the smaller ones, are no longer managed because they no longer provide any economic benefit to their owners. Continued neglect is not an option for these woodlands. They are managed systems, which require continuing management, if they are to be sustainable. Extracting firewood and other wood from them is one way to ensure that they are managed (because there are economic benefits in doing so).
Source: www.nef.org.uk/logpile/sustainability/environment.htm
Sustainable Fuel
Wood pellet has become one of the most economic biomass fuels the world can provide. Unlike fossil fuels, biomass fuels are a managed renewable resource.
Wood pellet is a carbon neutral fuel solution which is exempt from the Climate Change Levy and can attract financial incentives in the form of grants that can be used to mitigate initial capital investments of equipment installation and ongoing running costs.
Wood pellets have a very low ash content (typically in the region of 0.2% - 0.5%) compared to other solid fuels (coal 8 – 12%). The resultant wood pellet ash (potash) can be used as a fertiliser thus reducing disposal and carbon footprint costs. Source: www.woodpellet.co.uk
