The Forestry Forum
General Forestry => Alternative methods and solutions => Topic started by: beenthere on August 24, 2007, 06:12:28 PM
Just ran across this techline, telling about converting wood chips to gas for electric power.
BioMax (http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/techline/biomass-for-small-scale-heat-and-power.pdf)
Plans are to heat a small "carriage house" constructed of small-diameter timber at the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, WI
A small group of investors are interested here in getting it going also. A former employee of mine has been trying to muster interest now for 2 years.
Government is dragging it's knuckles concerning investment in biomass energy because the pulp industry feels threatened by possible wood supply problems. Already one pulp mill wants to go off the grid and generate it's own power from wood if the government invests into it. Surplus power would be sold to the utility. The same mill is soon to be producing rayon for clothing to be made in India from dissolved pulp produced here. They are also seeking more government investment to make this happen.
Today the UPM pulp mill in Mirimachi put 600 people out of work for a minimum of 9 months. ::)