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â– table of contents
www.woodbioenergymag.com
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FROM THE EDITORS Pellet Numbers And Russia
26 EASTERN EMBERS Shaw Pellet Plant Keeps Going
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FIRE PREVENTION Major Technology Suppliers Step Forward
32 PRODUCT NEWS Transactions, New Products
11 WOOD BIOENERGY CONFERENCE Gearing Up For 2018 Event In Atlanta
Cover Photography: A fountain of chips (David Abbott)
14 HOLMES GOES FOR MICRO CHIPS Q&A With Specialist Robey Holmes 18 PELLET POTENTIAL IN JAPAN Consultant Strauss Has Finger On Pulse
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Wood Bioenergy / October 2017
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table of contents ■
advertising index Advertiser Index is a free service for advertisers and readers. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions.
Volume 9
Number 5
18 Co-Publisher/Adv. Sales Manager ■ David H. Ramsey Co-Publisher/Executive Editor ■ David (DK) Knight Chief Operating Officer ■ Dianne C. Sullivan Publishing Office Street Address ■ 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address ■ P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Tel: 334.834.1170 ■ Fax: 334.834-4525 Editor-in-Chief ■ Rich Donnell Managing Editor ■ Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor ■ David Abbott Associate Editor ■ Jessica Johnson Associate Editor ■ Jay Donnell Art Director/Production Manager ■ Cindy Segrest Ad Production Coordinator ■ Patti Campbell Circulation Director ■ Rhonda Thomas Marketing/Media Coordinator ■ Jordan Anderson Advertising Sales North American Sales Representative Susan Windham ■ P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery AL 36102-2268 334.834.1170 ■ Fax: 334.834.4525 E-mail: windham.susan4@gmail.com International Sales Murray Brett ■ Aldea De Las Cuevas 66, Buzon 60 03759 Benedoleig (Alicante) Espana +34 96 640 4165 ■ Fax: +34 96 640 4331 E-mail: murray.brett.aba@gmail.com Classified Advertising Sales Bridget DeVane ■ Tel: 334.699.7837 ■ 800.669.5613 E-mail: bdevane7@hotmail.com A Hatton-Brown Publication Other Hatton-Brown Publications:
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563.264.8066
Andritz Feed & Biofuel
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800.446.8629
Astec
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205.663.5330
Rotochopper
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Wood Bioenergy (ISSN 1947-5306) is published six times annually by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Wood Bioenergy is free to qualified readers in the United States, including owners, managers, supervisors and other key personnel. All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $50 per year, Canadian subscriptions are $60 and foreign subscription are $95 per year (U.S. funds). Subscriber Inquiries and Back Issue Orders—TOLL-FREE: 800.669.5613. Fax 888.611.4525. Subscribe or renew online: www.woodbioenergymagazine.com and click on the “Subscribe” button. When requesting change of address, please specify both old and new. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices.
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■ from the editors
The Numbers Don’t Lie,
Well, They Might G
iven its vast resources, Russia is always the 800 pound “gorilla” in the room (okay, “bear” in their case), and so we decided to look into the state of wood pellets in Russia. We came upon a report from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN). It’s basically an update of the bioenergy industry in Russia, including wood pellets. We’re all pretty much numbers hounds around here, so here are a few numbers for you (but be wary, as the GAIN report acknowledges that Russian statistics are difficult to piece together. Really?). Russia’s wood pellet production is relatively young, ranking eighth in the world at 1.33 million metric tons in 2016, an increase of 5% over 2015, and forecasted to increase 10% in 2017, primarily driven by continued strong demand in the European Union as well as Asian countries. Russia is the third larger exporter of wood pellets to the EU, after the U.S. and Canada. However, a lack of a domestic standard for pellets, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of warehouses will all drag on the development of the wood pellet sector. About 65% of Russian production of wood pellets is manufactured by 12 processing facilities. There are about 20 wood pellet facilities in Russia with production capacity from 30,000 to 70,000 MT. Vyborg Forestry Industrial Corp. was the leading production facility until 2016 with annual production capacity as high as 400,000 MT. But the GAIN report, based on sources, says various legal claims, tax issues and management changes eventually resulted in the idling of the facility in 2016. SP Arkaim Ltd. in Khabarovsk province is reportedly the leading producer now, with 130,000 MT. The facility was built in 2011 to utilize wood waste from sawn timber and laminated panel production facilities in the area. JSC LDK-3 in Arkhangelsk province has been in operation since 2014, and in 2016 increased its annual production to 95,000 MT. The company owns its pier, so most production is exported by sea to EU countries. JSC Lesozavod-25 (part of the State Corporation,
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Titan) procures low cost raw material from Titan Group timber processing facilities, and produces 90,000 MT. The forestry company NovoYeniseyevskiy in Krasnoyarsk province has been in operation since 2010. In 2015 the company built a new production line and its annual capacity is now 80,000 MT. Rounding out the list of major pellet producers are Mir Granul Ltd. in Leningrad province, DOK Yenisey in Krasnoyarsk province, North Western Holding in Leningrad province, SvedWood Tikhvin Ltd.—part of Svedwood, and RusForest Magistralniy—a Swedish owned firm. Russian Customs Service reports exports of wood pellets from Russia in 2016 at 1.075 million MT, 14% higher than 2015, with leading export destinations Denmark (399,400 MT), Sweden (129,700 MT), South Korea (129,300 MT) and Netherlands (79,100 MT). More than 50% of Russian wood pellet exports originate from Leningrad. The number of smaller capacity facilities is expected to increase because they have more mobility in sourcing raw materials and can market their production locally. Russia has huge potential for biomass production, with estimated annual waste from timber harvesting and processing at nearly 200 million m3, but it’s inhibited by a large supply of high value fossil fuels, and lack of government incentives.
Wood Bioenergy / October 2017
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■ fire prevention Clarke’s Pyroguard Spark Detection, Extinguishment The PyroGuard system manufactured by Clarke’s Industries, Inc. is designed to detect and extinguish sparks in pneumatic conveying and material transfer systems. Infrared radiation is detected by the spark sensors, which in turn activates a solenoid valve to introduce an atomized water spray inside the duct. During a normal activation, production can continue, as only a limited amount of water is introduced into the pneumatic system. The system is typically installed prior to a dust collector and provides protection for plant personnel as well as equipment and assets. In addition, Clarke’s offers the PyroComm Windows software package, providing for interaction from the PyroGuard Control Console to a PC unit. This powerful software program enables monitoring of the spark detection and extinguishment system from a remote location. To supplement the PyroGuard system, Clarke’s manufactures a complete line of safety devices such as HiSpeed abort gates, backdraft dampers, and isolation dampers. Visit pyroguard.com.
Evergreen Engineering Combustible Dust Mitigation Evergreen Engineering performs inspection and audit of facilities requiring dust collection and management, specifically those with concerns over combustible dust. Its team includes internal auditors formerly employed by many industry-leading wood products producers. During an audit, the Evergreen team of engineers will make recommendations for the collection and containment of combustible dust, along with recommendations for maintenance and operations best practices. These can range from the sealing of doors to maintaining hoppers and low-pressure air systems. In addition to audits, Evergreen designs dust suppression systems, including: dust bin design; dryer inlet dust collection systems; truck dump dust suppression systems; hog fuel dust suppression systems; vacuum systems for production equipment. Evergreen employees have designed and overseen the installation of dust collection systems and internal audits in particleboard mills, machinery manufacturers, beverage companies (glass dust) and other industrial organizations, including the world’s largest producer of wood charcoal. Evergreen Engineering has the expertise, experience and a proven track record of delivering for its customers. You can be sure Evergreen’s recommendations will make a difference, both in the way you do business and in the safety of your employees. Visit evergreenengineering.com.
Firefly Quick Suppression System Every year people are injured and even killed as a result of industrial fires. The wood and bioenergy sector worldwide lose millions of dollars per year in damages and production interruptions due to fires. In the production process, there are several high-risk zones where fires can occur and the process environment is very demanding. When protecting critical machinery or high-risk areas from fires, the response time of a fire protection system is essential. The quicker a fire can be detected and extinguished, the less damage it will cause, production losses can be kept to a minimum and employee safety will be greatly enhanced. By using an appropriate fire protection system with a quick response time, the risk for the fire to be spread to other areas can also be minimized. Conventional sprinkler or water mist systems give a good overall
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fire prevention ■
protection of a facility or a building, but is not ideal for protection of high-risk areas or critical machines. By the time a sprinkler system is activated, the fire has most likely already caused damages and possibly even spread into other areas. A Quick Suppression System will act quickly enough to avoid or significantly reduce damages and production downtime, as well as preventing the fire from escalating and spreading into other areas, and thus increase personnel safety. A Quick Suppression System is a Fixed Automatic Discharge Fire Suppression System, including flame detection, water mist suppression and control system, with strict demands on quick system response times and fast extinguishing performance. The system is designed for quick detection and suppression of fires/flames around critical machinery or high-risk areas in the wood and energy sector. The Quick Suppression System in its design is similar to a spark detection system. The spark detection system, however, is designed to detect and extinguish ignition sources preventing a fire, whereas the Quick Suppression System is designed to detect and extinguish fires/flames at a very early stage. A Quick Suppression System is based on high performance flame detectors and efficient water mist systems. The flame detectors are combined with a water mist suppression system with remarkable flame suppression capabilities, utilizing a very small amount of water. It is the unique design of the hydraulic system that enables a very quick system response time. The complete system response time for a Quick Suppression System can normally be as short as 1-3 seconds. Even shorter response times can be achieved for special applications. The Quick Suppression System can be integrated with a spark detection system, combining prevention and protection, to achieve an optimized system functionality. Visit firefly.se.
Flamex Dust Fire, Explosion Protection A number of processes employed in the manufacturing of wood pellets present a fire and explosion hazard, which must be addressed to ensure the safety of those working in those facilities. Operations that employ size reduction and drying of wood material are particularly conducive to the generation of sparks and fire within the pneumatic transport system. Other processes such as pelletizing, pellet cooling, screening and product load out are also subject to possible ignition from sparks, overheated pellets and mechanical friction sources. The tremendous amount of combustible dust created and being handled during operation of a wood pellet facility greatly magnify the risks inherent in these processes. FLAMEX Inc. specializes in the protection of industrial facilities that handle combustible dusts. Capabilities include design, supply, repair and service of complete protection systems. To combat the all too common problem of dust fires and explosions in woodworking industry, FLAMEX pioneered the use of a new technology in North America by introducing the FLAMEX Spark Detection and Extinguishing System in 1977. It soon became the first system of its type to gain a Factory Mutual Approval. Since that time, thousands of FLAMEX systems have been installed in a variety of industrial facilities across North America including many large industrial wood pellet plants. The FLAMEX system offers a number of unique advantages to the users of these systems, which enhance their reliability, effectiveness and ease of maintenance. Automatic external test lights, inline flow monitoring, field removable IR filter lenses and a self- closing stainless steel nozzle that emits a 180 degree curtain of water are a few of the features that provide practical benefits in the daily operation and maintenance of these systems. The wide range of detection and suppression offerings allow selection of the proper components for the application instead of a “one size fits all” approach. Advanced remote supervision capabilities include a web module for monitoring the status of the system via the internet and the INVERON HMI software which can allow multiple systems to be networked, supervised and operated by a single or multiple computers in a control room setting. Visit sparkdetection.com.
October 2017 / Wood Bioenergy
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■ fire prevention GreCon Safety, Production Enhancement Production of wood biomass or pellets often requires aggressive sizing processes. Wood is worked by fast running machines, hammermills and pelletizers. The byproduct of these production processes, combustible dust, is especially explosive. Fire is created with three elements—combustible material (wood dust), oxygen, and an ignition source. Dust explosions need two additional conditions—dust disbursement into the air and confinement to temporarily trap the resultant energy. Friction and heat create ignition sources. Sparks, embers or hot particles are transported through dust collection and material conveying systems to downstream process equipment, filters, silos or bins. These hazards can meet explosive wood dust concentrations and quickly cause fire and dust explosions. Reactive systems only activate after a fire or explosion has started and the event already caused damage or harm to personnel. Production downtime, cleanup, and system repair are often the results. There is a loss of production, loss of customers, loss of profit. In large events, rebuilding entire facilities is required and only one third of these businesses survive. GreCon spark detection and extinguishing system significantly increases the safety of the production and transport systems. The GreCon system detects sparks then signals an alarm and automatically triggers countermeasures to extinguish the hazards before they reach downstream processes, silos, bins of the dust collector filter. GreCon spark detection and extinguishing system, as a preventive method, reduces the risk of fires or dust explosions from occurring. The system eliminates ignition sources in production systems before a fire or explosion can start. GreCon spark detection and extinguishing system plays an important role in making your workplace safer, maintain production uptime, minimize equipment damage, reduce insurance premiums and help meet NFPA standards and OSHA regulations. Visit grecon.us.
SonicAire Fans Capture Fugitive Dust Combustible dust can create real dangers for your employees and have a huge financial impact on your facility. Controlling that dust continues to be of critical concern in the wood industry, as the threat of fires and explosions from combustible dust must be dealt with on a daily basis. SonicAire fans have changed how the wood industry deals with combustible dust. SonicAire offers the first—and only—proactive, engineered solution designed to eliminate overhead fugitive dust problems. SonicAire fans can robotically prevent fugitive dust from accumulating in the first place. In addition, SonicAire fan systems meet or exceed NFPA standards on combustible dust, keeping you in compliance with relevant OSHA and NFPA regulations. In fact, NFPA 652 identifies the use of SonicAire fans as a verified housekeeping solution for dust accumulation. Using the proprietary BarrierAire technology, SonicAire fans help to prevent dangerous dust explosions and improve overall air quality in your facility, creating a cleaner and healthier work environment for your employees. This technology alters the direction of the dust and forces it to the floor by preventing upward currents and stagnant air that keeps dust in suspension, preventing accumulation of fugitive dust in overhead and hard-to-reach places. With a focus on Dynamic Particle Control, the SonicAire team of engineers works with you to develop a customized solution for controlling fugitive dust in your facility. The SonicAire 2.0 was developed to meet the specific challenges of more complex dust generated by the wood and timber industries. Its 2HP TEAO fan motor delivers twice the cleaning power of the original SonicAire fan. Variations of the fan can also be purchased to meet the needs of your facility, including a compact version for tight spaces, water-tight version and high-temp version. Visit sonicaire.com.
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Wood Bioenergy / October 2017
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in the news ■
Speakers Announced For Wood Bio Event rganizers of the fifth Wood Bioenergy ConferO ence & Expo announced the first wave of keynote speakers as well as the first 25 exhibitor sponsors for the event to be held April 11-12, 2018 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Thomas Meth, co-founder of Enviva and executive vice president of sales and market- Omni Hotel at CNN Center will again play host. ing, will address the company’s industrial and commercial cusposition as the world’s largest protomers in the U.S., Asia, Europe ducer of wood pellets, with sales and the Caribbean. He also is reof more than 2.3 million metric sponsible for Enviva’s sustainability tons in 2016. and public affairs initiatives. Enviva Meth has led Enviva’s global has seven wood pellet manufactursales and marketing team since the ing facilities and two deep-water company’s inception, developing marine terminals with transatlantic strategies and contracts for utility, export capabilities.
William Strauss, president of FutureMetrics and perhaps the world’s leading consultant and analyst on wood pellets and biomass power, will address North America and international markets and trends. Dr. Rich Vlosky, director of the Louisiana Forest Products Devel-
October 2017 / Wood Bioenergy
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■ in the news
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Thomas Meth
William Strauss
opment Center, will provide his highly valued update of the North America wood bioenergy and pellet industries. Clay Crosby, partner in Twin Rivers Land & Timber, based in Hawkinsville, Ga., which may be the largest producer and supplier of raw material biomass in the Southeast U.S., will address his company’s continued growth as well as developments in in-woods biomass production and procurement. “We’re off to a good start,” comments show Co-Chairman Rich Donnell. “We have another four keynote talks to fill, and we’re also making a serious dent into an additional 40 speaker slots that will address a range of subjects and technologies in industrial wood pellets, wood biomass power, in-woods chipping and biomass procurement. Hosted by Wood Bioenergy magazine every other year, the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo will feature 70 exhibitor sponsors, eight keynote talks to the general attendance and 40 presen-
tations in three meeting rooms adjacent the exhibitor floor in the Grand Ballroom North. As of early September, drying specialist TSI-Sigma Thermal, air emissions control specialist B&W MEGTEC and in-woods chipper and grinder manufacturer Morbark had signed up as Gold sponsors. Silver sponsors include: Atlantic Combustion, Brunette Machinery, Cogent Industrial Technologies, Con-Vey, Dustex Lundberg, MoistTech, Pallmann Industries, Player Design Inc., Process Combustion, SolaGen, SonicAire, SUGIMAT and Timber Products Inspection. Early Bronze sponsors include Alabama Dept. of Commerce, Flamex, Georgia Forestry Commission, GreCon, Mid-South Engineering, Process Baron, Process Sensors Corp., Wechsler Engineering and West Salem Machinery. The 2016 event attracted 400 industry personnel. The complete 2018 agenda will be available soon. To become an exhibitor sponsor, e-mail: fredkurpiel@aol.com.
Rich Vlosky
Clay Crosby
Wood Bioenergy / October 2017
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in the news ■ Dong Pushes Forward On Power Conversion With a new 20-year agreement recently concluded between Novo Nordisk, Novozymes, Kalundborg Forsyning and DONG Energy, a sustainable alternative has been found to Denmark’s largest coalfired power station unit, enabling a complete phase-out of coal. Thomas Dalsgaard, Executive Vice President in DONG Energy, comments, “I’m very pleased that we now have an agreement regarding Asnaes Power Station. The future belongs to sustainable energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass. We’ll therefore be phasing out all use of coal at our power stations by 2023, and the decision, which was made together with our customers, is an important step on the way.” The 20-year steam and district heating contract involves a conversion of Asnaes Power Station and the connection of a new wood chip-fired plant to the power station’s existing installations and systems. This will enable Asnaes Power Station to supply steam, district heating and power from sustainable wood chips at the end of 2019. The conversion from coal to wood chips at Asnaes Power Station will result in an annual reduction in CO2 emissions of around 800,000 tonnes. This corresponds to the annual CO2 emissions from more than 400,000 cars, and the new agreement thereby contributes significantly to Denmark’s green conversion.
pellets is also expected to expand. Wood pellets have attracted particular attention in Japan as a means of improving power generation efficiency to achieve the FY2030 energy mix formulated by the government in 2015.
PBEC, through its own and affiliated manufacturing facilities, markets in excess of 550,000 tonnes of industrial grade wood pellets per annum and is Canada’s second largest wood pellet manufacturer.
Sumitomo Reaches Out For Wood Pellets Sumitomo Corp. has acquired 47.6% of the shares of the wood pellet manufacturer Pacific BioEnergy Corp. of Vancouver, British Columbia, Can. Demand for biomass power generation is rising not only in EU countries but in Japan and the rest of Asia as well, and demand for wood
October 2017 / Wood Bioenergy
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â– Q&A
Micro Chipping Paying Off
For Long-Time North Carolina Logger
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Q&A ■
By Jay Donnell EDITOR’S NOTE: Holmes Logging recently celebrated its 40th anniversary in Wallace, North Carolina by hosting a large gathering. Approximately 100 people showed up including family members, colleagues, employees and friends of Holmes Logging owner, Robey Holmes. Holmes Logging Company was established in 1977 and at the time the business was owned by Robey’s father, Elbert Holmes. Today, two of Holmes’s brothers, Gene and Ben, work alongside him. The event included several speakers including the owner of 360 Forest Products, Larry Batchelor. Holmes’s wife, Kim, also spoke and had some high praise for her husband. “Robey Holmes is a naturalborn leader who constantly strives to bring out the best in his employees. He is not one to shy away from a challenge and is always looking at ways to make the company better,” she said. “He, along with his brothers, credit their success to God and to their parents as they continue to carry on their family heritage.” The company has eight employees and operates Caterpillar, John Deere and Morbark equipment. Ben Holmes operates the trucking arm, which includes a mixture of LoneStar/International trucks, five of which are 2017 models. The Holmes family went from buying its first farm tractor used to pull wood in 1979 to today’s lineup of three skidders, two loaders, a track feller-buncher and a micro chipper. In 2007, the business branched out and started fuel chipping because of the rise of the wood pellet markets in North Carolina. In late 2015, the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, Enviva, opened up a new plant in Faison, NC and Holmes’s business was the first company to haul a load of chips to the wood pellet giant’s latest location. Holmes is now one of only a handful of companies to supply micro chips for Enviva’s Faison location. To gain some deeper insight into Holmes’s company, Wood Bioenergy associate editor Jay Donnell traveled to Wallace to visit with Holmes and struck up the following conversation:
had to find another way to generate revenue. The fuel chip markets started getting strong in North Carolina so I bought a Bandit chipper and then in 2009 I got my first Morbark chipper. Morbark chippers are top of the line so we went with them, but in 2012 we bought a Peterson. We ran that for about four years, but then decided to switch back to Morbark and now we run a 2016 Morbark 40/36 micro drum chipper. Wood Bio: Your company hauled the first load of chips to Enviva’s new plant in Faison, NC toward the end of 2015. How were you able to strike up a relationship with the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets? Holmes: I work for a company called 360 Forest Products and they have quite a few logging companies, but none of them wanted to start getting into the chipping because of the high equipment costs associated with it. Holmes Logging was the first company in the area to start fuel wood chipping, but then I started to see the fuel wood chip markets getting a bit weaker. I knew Enviva was getting into micro chipping and it was time for us to make a change. Wood Bio: What was it like hauling chips to Enviva during a time when they were just getting the new plant up and running? Holmes: During the first year when the plant was trying to get all the bugs worked out it was difficult. We actually had to switch back to fuel wood chipping because they couldn’t accept enough loads from us. It was just a matter of them getting some things worked out and now they’re back on track. Several months ago they really started going strong so now we’re back into the micro chipping. Fuel chip markets are still pretty strong, but I wanted to switch to micro chipping because it’s more profitable. The landowner makes less money when you’re strictly fuel wood chipping and you get paid close to the same as a load of pine pulpwood when you’re micro chipping.
Wood Bio: You’ve been logging for 40 years, but only started producing chips a decade ago. How did you get into chipping?
Wood Bio: What was your company’s chip production like when you first starting hauling to Enviva and how many chips are you producing today?
Holmes: I started fuel wood chipping in 2007. The saw timber markets were getting weak in the area so we
Holmes: When we first started hauling to Enviva they could only handle about 10-12 loads of micro
Opposite page, Kim and Robey Holmes proudly display Holmes Logging’s 40th anniversary plaque.
October 2017 / Wood Bioenergy
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■ Q&A
chips per week. We’re now hauling roughly 50 loads a week. There are about six companies that actually haul chips to Enviva and their plan is to keep it around that number. They’ve had other plants where they’ve had too many loggers hauling to them and it caused some problems not only for Enviva, but for the loggers. Now they’re just trying to do what’s best for the logger. Wood Bio: Are there ever weeks when you’re not able to haul as many chips to Enviva? Holmes: Yes, but they are few and far between. When that does happen 360 Forest Products will put us on saw timber tracts. 360 always knows what’s going on with Enviva and the rest of the sawmills in the area and they do a great job of finding the right tracts to meet our needs. We usually haul about 60 loads of roundwood per week. Wood Bio: Mirco chippers require a lot of attention. How do you go about making sure your chipper is running in top condition? Holmes: The chipper is most definitely the most expensive piece of equipment we have as far as maintenance and repairs are concerned. We change the oil every 250 hours on it and blow out the air filters at least once a week. Every 500 hours we do a complete service on it so there’s definitely a lot of time and money involved with making sure everything is running smoothly with it. Wood Bio: Speaking of equipment, you have a lot of newer model machines in your lineup including a 2017 John Deere 853M tracked feller-buncher and a 2017 Cat 555D grapple skidder. How big of an advantage is that for your business? Holmes: When you have newer equipment you don’t have as much downtime, which is huge. It also allows you to attract better employees because all of
these newer models have great air conditioning and make things really comfortable for the operators. If you can keep your equipment up you can get better tracts of timber and do a cleaner job. When environmental people come out to the jobsites you don’t have oil leaks on the ground, which is a big thing for them. The new equipment also brings a better appearance for the people in the neighborhood. They see us coming with newer equipment and it just sends a better message. We try to change out our equipment every three years even though many people say you should do it every three and a half years. Gregory Poole Equipment Company out of Fayetteville, NC does an excellent job servicing our Cat equipment and James River Equipment in Castle Hayne, NC has also been great to work with over the years. Wood Bio: Weather in Wallace (about 40 miles outside of Wilmington) can be harsh sometimes with lots of rain and oftentimes a lot of snow in the winter months. How are you able to make sure your company doesn’t have too much downtime? Holmes: 360 really keeps a close eye on the weather. They know exactly when the bad weather is coming so they’ll strategically place us on tracts where we can work around the wetness and the snow. They look after us so we don’t have any problem staying busy. Wood Bio: Holmes Logging recently celebrated its 40 anniversary and you guys put together quite the shindig. How did that come about? Holmes: My wife, Kim, started putting it together and we knew we wanted to commemorate the milestone by inviting family, employees and colleagues of mine. We had a catered meal and some speakers including the owner of 360 Forest Products. It was a just great event overall and I was happy that we had such a great turnout for it. It was held at the fellowship hall of the church near our house in Wallace.
Holmes Logging is an importants micro chips producer for Enviva.
Wood Bio: What are your thoughts on the future of the chip markets in North Carolina? Holmes: The chip markets are really going strong here. The plant hasn’t even been here for two years yet, but it seems like things have really started to pick up for Enviva. There are definitely a lot more loggers in the area starting to get into chipping and it seems like the industry as a whole has really picked up.
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â– international pellets
Japan Industrial Wood Pellets:
Policies Will Drive Demand
By William Strauss
Global Pellet Markets
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Wood pellet markets are composed of two primary sectors: industrial wood pellets that are used as a substitute for coal in power plants, and premium/heating pellets used in pellet stoves and pellet boilers or furnaces for heating. The accompanying chart includes both sectors. Global wood pellet markets have had significant
his brief report is a high level overview of the Japanese industrial wood pellet sector. It includes a short overview of global past demand and forecast demand for industrial wood pellets and then focuses on Japan. It reviews the policies in Japan that are driving the current and expected future growth in demand for industrial wood pellets.
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growth in the past decade. Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations shows growth rates over the most recent five years of data of about 9.3% annually: from about 19.5 million metric tons in 2012 to about 28.6 million metric tons in 2016. Europe remains the world’s largest producer of wood pellets. The accompanying chart above shows historic aggregated demand in the heating and industrial sectors as well as forecast demand. Growth in both sectors is expected to be significant but expected future growth is dominated by the industrial sector. 2016 aggregate demand for industrial pellets used to replace coal in power generation is estimated to be about 14.2 million metric tons. That is the equivalent of a bulk carrier ship carrying 40,000 tonnes about every day. The majority of demand growth for industrial wood pellets after 2019 is expected to come from Japan and South Korea.
Japan Versus South Korea Both the Japanese and S. Korean markets for industrial wood pellets are driven by policies that are quite different. However, both policies result in creating a demand for industrial wood pellets as a coal replacement in power plants. How the supply for those wood pellets is secured in each country is also quite different. l Japanese buyers, supported by a long term feed in tariff (FIT), prefer long term offtake contracts with set terms for prices. The basis for the policies in Japan, the decarbonization of the power sector, require that the suppliers show that the pellet supply chain meets sustainability criteria. Japanese buyers therefore prefer to engage with counterparties from countries with strong rule of law (for comfort with the durability, consistency, and security of the supply agreement), strong forest management practices, and stable
macroeconomic conditions. l S. Korean buyers, incentivized by the need to comply with the S. Korean renewable portfolio standards (RPS) supported by renewable energy certificates (RECs), and to a lesser degree from carbon trading in the Korean Emissions Trading scheme (KETs), are currently seeking the lowest cost pathway to compliance. Some of the RPS compliance for generating a proportion of power from renewable sources has been from wind and solar generation. But some compliance has been via co-firing pellets. S. Korea, to date, has procured pellet fuel under a short term tendering strategy that has producers competing several times per year to win supply bids to the individual utility buyers. S. Korean buyers prefer short-term supply contracts from low cost producers.
Japanese Policy Japan is guiding its power generation industry with four interlinked areas of policy: (1) carbon reduction (2) the “best energy mix for 2030” (3) required efficiencies for power generation, and (4) the FIT The only policy instrument that provides a monetary incentive is the FIT. (1) Carbon Emissions Targets—Japan has already implemented a target reduction of CO2 emissions that requires all power companies to reduce CO2 per kWh by 35% from 2013 levels by 2030. This is a reduction of from 0.57kg of CO2/kWh to 0.37kg of CO2/kWh. It is currently a voluntary target but a few major utilities are already co-firing wood pellets at modest 1% to 3% ratios. There are a few pulverized coal (PC) power stations currently co-firing wood pellets in Japan, and there are some having discussions for pellet fuel supply with major producers. Those stations that are either currently co-firing or in discussions about fuel supply add up to
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■ international pellets
about 18,700 MWs. The next chart shows the pellet demand at these stations under three co-firing ratios. At the higher co-firing ratios, the plants may need modifications and/or retrofits to pulverizers, burners, pneumatic fuel conveyance systems, and some other components. It is unlikely that co-firing ratios for the large utility generators will exceed 15% as will be discussed more fully in the section on the FIT. The voluntary policy for carbon emissions mitigation may change to required reductions. Japan has committed to the international agreement for CO2 reduction. That target is for a 27% reduction by 2030. Some of that CO2 reduction will achieved with re-
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newables and some with nuclear. The government’s energy mix goals show how this might be achieved. (2) Best Energy Mix—The Japanese government’s analysis (from METI, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry) expects the nation to demand about 1,065 million MWhs in 2030. The government’s strategic plan includes a breakdown of the desired energy mix in 2030. The nation will be expected to produce power based on the breakdown shown in the table below. Within the renewables, biomass is 4.3% of the 245 million MWhs per year allocated to renewables. The breakout is below. To meet that demand in 2030, Japan will have to have generation capacity of just over 6,000 MWs from biomass. If 30% of that 6,150 MWs (1,845 MWs) are generated from pellets, Japan will consume about 7.4 million metric tons per year of pellets. That level is consistent with a 10% co-firing ratio shown in the earlier chart on the previous page. (3) Minimum Generation Efficiency Requirements— The Japanese regulators have set minimum generation efficiency requirements for all large coal power generation stations. The minimum requirement will be 41% and will have to be met by 2030. Currently only the ultra supercritical pulverized coal plants meet this requirement. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has allowed the formula for calculating efficiency to be modified to encourage the use of wood pellets as a substitute for coal to “change” the efficiency calculation. Typically, efficiency (or heat rate) is based on the energy output versus the energy input. For example, if 100 MWs of energy are put into the boiler and 35 MWhs of electricity is generated, the efficiency is 35%. The modification to the calculation is to allow any MWhs generated from wood pellets to be subtracted from the denominator. Thus the calculation for the example would now be: If the plant was producing 35MWhs and the total power is 100 MWhs but the power from pellets is 15 MWhs, the “efficiency of the plant would be 35/(100 15) = 41%. In other words, PC power plants with efficiencies below 41% can co-fire wood pellets to achieve the minimum efficiency requirement. The table below shows the estimated number of tonnes of wood pellet necessary to achieve the minimum effi-
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ciency requirement. The supercritical and subcritical plants that continue to operate will have to cofire pellets if, for no other reason, to meet this requirement. Given 17 GJ/tonne pellets, these selected power plants will have to consume about 2.13 million tonnes of pellet fuel. (4) Feed in Tariff—Of the four policy instruments in Japan, the FIT provides the direct financial support to power generators that will compensate them for the higher cost of generation with pellet fuel. The FIT scheme started in July 2012. Under the FIT, electric power transmission and distribution companies are obliged to purchase electricity generated from renewable energy sources on a fixed period contract at a fixed price. The cost for purchasing the renewable power is paid by electricity users in the form of a nationwide equal surcharge on power bills. Since 2012, purchase prices of the FIT have been reexamined by METI. The FIT price for solar PV has been lowered and some new categories have been created for wind, hydro and biomass. The FIT for pellet fueled power generation will be lowered to ¥21/kWh in October 2017 from its current ¥24/kWh (from about $0.22 to about 0.19 per kWh at 111 yen per dollar). The duration of the FIT is 20 years from the start of the project. However, the FIT is not adjusted for inflation. It is a fixed payment per MWh for 20 years. (If the Japanese utility is to avoid the risk of the fuel becoming too expensive given the fixed FIT, they will have to engage in offtake agreements that are based on a known starting $/tonne with a fixed escalation rate. The cost of pellets cannot go too high over the term of the offtake agreement such that the cost of generation causes the power station to have their bottom line go negative. There are many inputs to determine the “levelized cost of energy” and the expected revenues
from the sale of coal generated power and the portion generated from wood pellets that does receive the FIT. FutureMetrics can provide detailed analytics on identifying and minimizing the risks in an offtake agreement for supplying pellets to Japan.)
There is no upper limit restricting the size of a power plant benefiting from the FIT for new power plants. But there is a de facto limit due to permitting. If the power plant is less than about 110 MWs, then a full environmental assessment is not required. For a small plant the
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assessment takes one or two years. For proposed plants that are larger than about 110 MWs, the full assessment requires at least five years. Most of the current and planned FIT projects are smaller independent power producers (IPPs). Due to the carbon policy, the “best energy mix” policy, and the required minimum efficiency requirement, some of the major power generators will be forced to co-fire pellets. The major power generators who need to co-fire pellets at their existing power stations will likely be allowed to benefit from the FIT (for the MWhs generated by pellets) and co-fire at the rate of up to about 15 20%. However, as noted above, at a 10% co-firing ratio, it is possible to reach the “best energy mix” criteria. At a co-firing ratio of 10% by selected major utility power plants, the demand for wood pellets is expected to exceed 7 million tonnes per year.
Japanese Growth There are numerous projects planned and many are currently either co-firing wood pellets or running dedicated systems using pellets or low grade biomass or palm kernel shell (PKS). (For example: according to reports, U.S. wood pellet producer Enviva, and sponsor Enviva Holdings, has signed an initial agreement with a Japanese trading house for 650,000 t/yr of supply to a dedicated biomass fired power plant in Japan. The dollar denominated, 15 year contract is expected to commence in 2022, subject to documentation of the definitive agreement and contract particulars, and will fully cover the
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power plant’s needs. The dedicated plant is the largest announced in Japan to date. Enviva is in discussions with other large Japanese trading houses, utilities and independent power producers that are looking to build more than a combined 1.7GW of biomass fired generation capacity. The negotiations are “well on track.” Those projects would create more than 7mn t/yr of wood pellet demand, although Enviva does not expect all the capacity to be constructed. Enviva has been eyeing the growing Japanese biomass market in recent years, but, as yet, only minimal U.S. wood pellet exports have made it to Japan, which sources most of its imports from Canada’s west coast. Japan imported 150,500t of wood pellets from Canada in the first half of this year, compared with just over 100t from U.S.) Most of the currently running dedicated systems are relatively small circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers that do not have pulverized fuel systems. CFB boilers can burn a wide range of biomass fuels, including wood pellets. However, most will likely use palm kernel shell (PKS). PKS is not pulverizable and cannot be used in PC boilers (see chart below on PKS demand in Japan).
There are many smaller IPP plants using or planning to use PKS or other non pulverizable fuel in circulating fluidized bed or stoker boilers. But there are also many larger PC power stations that will be co-firing wood pellets. The table on page 22 shows what annual pellet demand could be at 1%, 5%, and 15% co-firing ratios. Actual demand though 2016 and forecast demand for 2017 is shown in the chart above. Canada continues to be the major supplier of wood pellets to Japan and is
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expected to be a major supplier into the 2020s. As noted at right, a significant proportion of current biomass demand in Japan is satisfied by the import of palm kernel shell (PKS). PKS imports into Japan are shown in the next chart. All PKS imported into Japan comes from Indonesia or Malaysia.
Conclusion The large power stations owned by the major Japanese utilities are being guided into decarbonization with the limits on CO2 per MWh, with compliance to the “best energy mix,” and with improved efficiency that allows the wood pellet generated portion of the total power output to “improve” efficiency. The 20 year duration of the FIT, starting at very generous rates that are more than double the average spot rate in Japan, will support long term and stable demand for industrial wood pellets. (In the summer months on very hot days the spot rate may exceed ¥25/kWh. The average over a year is under ¥10/kWh.) However, given that the FIT is fixed for 20 years, those long term agreements with Japanese buyers will likely require known starting prices and fixed price escalators. Given a set starting price and a fixed annual in-
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crease in price, inflation risk will be borne by the producers. Understanding that risk and setting the terms of the agreement are critical to the financial durability of the deals. Nonetheless, there is an expected large and stable market in Japan bringing significant potential for healthy sustainable growth in industrial pellet production. FutureMetrics is a leading consultant in the wood pellet sector. William Strauss is its president and founder. Visit www.futuremetrics.com.
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■ pellet mill
Heating Atlantic Canada
Shaw’s Eastern Embers By Andrew Snook
MILFORD, NS haw Resources has been keeping Atlantic Canadians warm throughout harsh winters for more than 20 years. The Shubenacadie based company has been producing wood pellets for residential heating under its Eastern Embers brand since 1995. Shaw Resources has an even longer history throughout the region. The company has been a fixture in the aggregates business supplying Atlantic Canada for more than 60 years. In fact, it was two employees on the aggregates side of the company who first brought attention to the potential for producing wood pellets for the residential and industrial markets to Shaw’s upper management. The two employees got the idea while vacationing in British Columbia where they observed wood pellet plants in operation. “We’ve always been into tapping our employees for ideas,” says Rene Landry, director of wood pellet operations for Shaw Resources, adding that building a Recent capacity expansion and additional market potential have Shaw pellet plant back in 1995 wasn’t a walk in Resources in good position. the park. “Building a plant back then was trial by error.” “We’ve done some exporting to the U.S. and a little The majority of the wood pellets produced at the to Ireland,” Landry says. “We have more capacity here. Shubenacadie plant supply the company’s residential We have about 50,000 tonnes of capacity.” heating market with more than 90% of pellets sold heading to homes across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Fiber Supply Prince Edward Island and even a few in Newfoundland. In addition to the residential pellet market, Shaw ReEnsuring there is always a plentiful amount of fiber sources uses its wood fiber to produce animal bedding available when operating a wood pellet plant is a conand industrial wood pellets. cern for all producers, but this is especially true when
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the plant is a stand-alone facility that is not being fed directly from an on-site wood processing facility. At the Shubenacadie plant, the primarily softwood spruce fiber supply of sawdust and shavings comes from local sawmills the company has had longstanding relationships with, including Elmsdale Lumber in Elmsdale, NS, Ledwidge Lumber in Enfield, NS, and J.D. Irving’s sawmill in Truro, NS. “We want to be known as having the best quality product,” Landry says, adding that local stove installers they work with will often recommend their customers Andritz pellet mill is a recent investment to increase capacity. use Eastern Embers wood pellets to keep their stoves running smoothly due to their high quality. After being packaged in 18.1 kg bags (40 lb.), the The high sap content of the spruce fiber translates bagged pellets are sent via a conveyor through a metal into a higher BTU value and low levels of residual ash. detector to catch any bags that may have picked up small metal pieces. All the bags that successfully pass through the metal detector are then sent to a Mollers Pellet Production North America automated palletizer. The palletized After fiber is loaded into the plant’s storage facility wood pellets are then grabbed via forklifts and placed by walking floor trailers, it is mixed via a Caterpiller on trucks for transport. 903K or Volvo 90E wheel loader with two parts saw“Any bags that contain metal get sent to the boiler for dust and one part shavings and is loaded into a hammerheating the building,” Williams explains, adding that mill, which breaks down the fiber mix further and sends the pellet plant installed an in-floor pellet-fuelled hyit to an overhead belt where it is loaded into the main dronic heating system back in 2003. hopper to be fed into a triple-pass rotary drum dryer. The plant also has six silos on site with 45 tons of caAfter going through the dryer, the fiber has about an pacity to handle any bulk pellet orders. 8% moisture level. It Although the plant then travels along still has many original augers to dry wood parts from 20 years ago silos where it is fed still functioning effecinto the company’s tively today, the comthree pellet mills that pany does invest in the press the fiber into plant whenever needed. wood pellets. The pelTwo years ago the lets then move along a company installed a conveyor into the new Andritz pellet mill cooler. to increase capacity. “After the cooler “I think they’re a they go up an elevator world-class supplier,” to a screener to take Landry says. “They’ve any small fiber out and been great to deal are sent to bins to be with.” packaged,” explains Eastern Embers Rob Williams, producmaintains an in-house Shaw director of wood pellet operations Rene Landry, left, and Rob tion supervisor for Quality Control/Quality Williams, Eastern Embers production supervisor Eastern Embers. Assurance program that
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tracks quality from the time the fiber is received on-site until the pellets are loaded on a truck for shipment. Every bag produced has a date code that allows the operation to track product through to the consumer’s appliance and cross reference daily QA/QC records if issues arise. Two independent external laboratories are used for product verification.
Dust Safety To help manage the dust produced by the operation, the company installed an Agrovent dust collection system that sucks up dust at various stages of the production process. The staff also performs regular manual housecleaning practices to help control the dust during every 12-hour shift. Any fines collected are sent to the Plant employs 10-21 as demand varies. fuel hopper for drying fiber and
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through a one-kilometer pipe that sends them to the company’s on-site aggregates operation where they are used as boiler fuel for its sand drying operation.
Human Resources Employee retention has been one of the secrets to the success of Shaw Resources’ wood pellet operation in Shubenacadie. There are currently 10 employees operating the plant, with that number increasing to 21 employees when the plant is running at peak production. Many of those employees have a huge amount of knowledge when it comes to running the plant, since they have worked there since its inception. “Some of the employees have been with us since Day 1,” Landry says. “You can’t replace that kind of experience.”
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With an extremely knowledgeable and loyal staff and strong ties to the surrounding communities and its fiber suppliers, Shaw Resources’ Shubenacadie plant has positioned itself to continue standing strong and fuelling Atlantic Canadians’ wood pellet needs, while growing into international markets, well into the future. Beyond the operation, Shaw Resources works closely with retailers and appliance installers to keep up with the expectations of end-users. “People have choices so we recognize the need to be engaged to maximize on opportunities,” says Lindsay Veinotte, product marketing strategist for Shaw Resources. “We also want to make sure people understand the benefits of wood pellet heat compared to other heating alternatives.” Earlier this year, the company Marketing emphasis should boost sales. launched a new website for Eastern
Embers and is building a presence on social media channels. They are planning to launch a new bag design in the upcoming heating season, coupled with a new 9.1-kg bag. “The new bag reflects why people want to burn wood pellets — warmth,” Veinotte says. Shaw Resources also operates a wood pellet plant in Belledune, New Brunswick, which opened in 2008. Initially established to supply bulk aggregates to the Halifax-Dartmouth area of Nova Scotia, Shaw Resources entered the retail market in the late 1970s with concrete premixes and landscaping products. The success of this move prompted further diversification into industries such as wood pellets. An earlier version of this article appeared in Canadian Biomass magazine, with which Wood Bioenergy has an editorial alliance.
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■ tree service
Chipper To Material Handler:
Tree Work Teamwork ESSEX, Mass. he arrival of the Albach self-propelled mobile chipper is “quickly” impacting the way North American tree service operators, municipalities and biomass companies go about their business. With travel speeds of 45 MPH, the Albach Diamant 2000 can be driven on local highways from job to job. Once in the woods, its full-time four-wheel drive allows it to navigate rough terrain. Upon arrival, the operator pushes one button and the Diamant 2000 converts from transportation mode to chipping mode automatically in 20 seconds, and with its aggressive infeed can immediately be put to work handling and processing timber. The Diamant 2000 alFlexibility allows efficient and sensitive operations in tight conditions. lows a tight control on chip sizing, from microchips all the way to 2.5 in. “The combination is just deadly,” says Dan Mayer, tree management operations. owner of Mayer Tree Service in Massachusetts. “WhatCustomizable overall to meet an arborist’s particular geever my Sennebogen 718 material handler knocks down, ographical or application needs, the crane-equipped Althe Albach can come right behind and process in a fracbach Diamant 2000 can churn out up to 500 cu. yds. of tion of the time. If it’s a big job, we let the Sennebogen chips per hour. go off a day or two in advance, and then have the Albach Once the Albach chipper is driven to the job site, its follow up behind.” computerized cabin is transformed from a highway-mode Constantly researching new equipment types, makes, transport pod into an elevated work station providing the applications and procedures, Mayer had recently noted operator with an eye-level view of timber handling, chip self-propelled mobile chippers from Europe. A trip to the production and delivery. The spacious, high-tech, air-conBavarian town of Menning in Southeastern Germany to ditioned cab is comparable to that of the world’s most learn more about the Albach product offering resulted in modern agricultural and construction equipment. Mayer having the first-ever combination of a Diamant The operator’s ergonomic swivel chair can access oper2000 and a Sennebogen 718 on North American soil. ating consoles located on both the left and right sides of The equipment team instantly became a staple in his the cab. This allows the operator to maximize the macompany’s busy municipal, residential and commercial chine’s processing capabilities regardless of the physical
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Extended angle chute rotates up to 270°.
Unit can produce up to 500 cu. yds. of chips per hour.
challenges or restrictions of the particular job site. Developed in house by Albach, the advanced in-cab software allows touchscreen machine operation and critical data access via the colored terminal. Software settings can be personalized, as can joystick configurations. The Diamant 2000’s 2.4-ton rotor consumes large trees as effortless as it processes small branches, says Mayer, who admits “it’s hard to impress me” after 30plus years in the tree service business in New England. The chipping rotor is mechanically driven and is equipped with six blades.
For the accurate placement of chips, the unit’s extendedangle chute can be swiveled up to 270˚ degrees and adjusted up and down by up to 10 ft. This allows chips to be loaded directly into trucks parked in nearly any position nearby. Machine specifications include a Volve engine, 2 speed transmission, 27.9 ft. turning radius, 33.14 ft. crane reach, 2,000 lbs. maximum lift on maximum reach, 33.9 ft. length, 8.37 ft. width and an operator viewing height of 15.6 ft. This article was submitted by Sennebogen. Visit sennebogen-na.com.
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■ product news
Bandit Dealer Adds Two Northeast States
Anderson Equipment Co., Bandit Industries’ authorized dealer for whole tree chippers and The Beast horizontal grinders, is expanding its dealer territory into New York and Pennsylvania. With this expansion, Anderson Equipment will serve customers in five states in the
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Eastern U.S.: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania. “We couldn’t be happier to have Anderson Equipment, Co. as an authorized Bandit dealer, so we are thrilled they’ve agreed to expand their territory,” says Bandit Sales Manager Jason Morey. Visit andersonequip.com.
Company Wrench Joins Bandit Network
Ohio-based Company Wrench Ltd. joins Bandit Industries’ growing network of large equipment dealers, offering sales, service and parts for Bandit whole tree chippers and The Beast horizontal grinders. Company Wrench Ltd. focuses on the manufacturing, sales, rentals,
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parts and service of scrap, demolition, and construction equipment with branches in Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. Visit companywrench.com.
cility Services, VETS Electrical, VETS Mechanical and two locations in British Columbia under the name AirTek: A VETS Group Company. “We are very proud and excited to
work with The VETS Group in preventing dust fires and explosions in our customer’s facilities in Western Canada,” comments Allen Wagoner of Flamex. “VETS is a highly rep-
West Salem Offers Vertical Feed Grinder
WSM Vertical Feed Grinders offer a simple yet highly effective design to process a wide range of feedstock at rates up to 150 tons per hour. These rugged grinders feature a heavy duty rotor with innovative disc and hammer configuration. The optional pivot housing provides easy access to main wear components with all infeed components remaining in place. If you are looking for a turnkey system, WSM’s complete Biomass Feedstock Processing Systems include bulk feeders, pre-screening and cleaning for low cost processing with reduced grinder wear and increased throughput. Visit westsalem.com.
VETS Group Named Distributor For Flamex Flamex Inc. announced a new partnership with The VETS Group for the sales and distribution of the Flamex Spark Detection and Extinguishing System in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The VETS Group was founded in 1921 by World War I veteran Fred Rayner as Vet’s Sheet Metal Ltd.. With humble beginnings as an Edmonton, AB based HVAC and sheet metal fabrication company, over the last 95 years VETS has grown to include VETS Sheet Metal, VETS Fa-
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■ product news
Pinnacle Purchases 50th Pellet Mill From Andritz
Pinnacle Renewable Energy recently purchased its 50th pellet mill from Andritz Feed & Biofuel, and Pinnacle officials visited Andritz’s Muncy, Pa. manufacturing facility on June 20 to see the new bio-fuel pellet mill—a Sprout 26LM II—being manufactured. Andritz reports its pellet mills produce more than 50% of all biofuel pellets worldwide. The site visit included a safety briefing; plant tour; photo opportunity with Pinnacle officials and many of Andritz’s production, sales and engineering team members; a meeting about aftermarket support; and lunch. Pinnacle purchased its first Andritz pellet mill in 2000, when the company was known as Pinnacle Pellet. “Reaching a milestone of 50 pelletizers only shows the mutual commitment that both parties share regarding safety and excellence,” says Scott Bax, Pinnacle senior vice president, operations. “Pinnacle looks forward to receiving the next 50 units and to continuing this great relationship.” “We are very pleased that Pinnacle has been a long-term, satisfied customer and continues to partner with Andritz for their biofuel pelleting equipment,” says Mike Curci, Andritz Feed & Biofuel global manager, biomass. “We believe the quality, durability, reliability and production capacity of our pelleting systems—along with our strong commitment to customer service and aftermarket support—sets us apart in the industry.” Ron Myhre, Pinnacle senior operations manager, also participated in the site visit. Andritz Feed & Biofuel managers involved in the event included Curci; Adrian Cutler, operations manager; Robert Bachman, production manager; Michelle Cook, sales and order coordinator; Ragen Garrison, aftermarket sales; Travis Fetzer, aftermarket coordinator; and Rodger Duttry, engineering manager. With more than 350 reference plants, Andritz is a global leader in biofuel pelleting technology and can manufacture and supply every key processing machine in the biomass, solid biofuel, and waste pelleting industries. For more information, visit Andritz.com.
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utable and growing organization that provides quality products and services within our primary markets. Their wide range of capabilities and product offerings make them the perfect partner for Flamex.” The association with VETS will allow Flamex to better serve customers and more effectively promote a higher level of process safety among industrial facilities that handle combustible dusts throughout the region. Contact VETS Group, 780-6381579.
Kice Names Steffens Technical Sales Mgr. Kice Industries appointed Joe Steffens as Technical Sales Manager, based out of Houston, Tex. Steffens is responsible for the oversight of sales throughout Texas and Louisiana, providing support for this customer base for the diverse product lines offered by Kice. Steffens is a graduate of The University of Central Florida and has an MBA from Rollins College. Steffens has more than 15 years of successful technical and sales experience, most recently with Endress+Hauser. “We are excited to welcome Joe to Kice Industries; he will be a great asset for us as we support our customers in Texas and Louisiana,” says Andy Forrester, Director of Sales, Kice Industries. “Joe has a proven track record of delivering customer-focused solutions and technical expertise to customers.”
Klüber Offers New Grease For Bearings
Klüber Lubrication, a worldwide manufacturer of specialty lubricants, introduces STABUTHERM GH 461
greases for rolling bearings in the wood pellet industry. STABUTHERM GH 461 features highly effective anti-wear properties and is resistant to oxidation, providing reliable protection against corrosion. With the ever-increasing demands of the wood pellet industry, STABUTHERM GH 461 has ideal high-temperature performance and high load carrying capabilities. Application of STABUTHERM GH 461 can reduce lubricant usage on mills and waste disposal costs due to lower consumption. Klüber Lubrication partners with many key wood pellet mill OEMs to provide highperforming products for the market. STABUTHERM GH 461 is well suited for use in central lubrication systems. The product has excellent pumpability through long lubricant lines to reduce line blockages. Visit klueber.com/us/en/
Oil-Free Lubricant From Sustainalube Swedish company Sustainalube has patented technology for a new type of environmentally friendly oil-free lubricant. Current users describe this lubricant as a high quality product that is much less time-consuming than traditional oil-based lubricants. To create the lubricant, Sustainalube combines glycerol with new non-toxic additives. Glycerol is a byproduct from biodiesel production. The lubricant has shown excellent performance in both extremely high and low and high temperatures, as low as -30 °C/-22 °F. Through a combination of specific additives in accordance with their patent, Sustainalube has been able to create a lubricant that is 100% biodegradable. This means that machines and equipment are maintained in a clean condition for a longer period of time compared to oil-based counterparts. “What we have done here is to create a win-win offer by understanding what really drives value for our customers,” according to Chris-
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■ product news
tian Olsson, Sustainalube CEO. Tests performed by Swedish forest harvesting companies have given Sustainalube great results. Sustainalube’s research team is currently working on developing new products that will be launched on the market soon. Visit sustainalube.com.
John King Chains Eyes North America John King Chains is increasing its focus in the Northern America market. Founded in 1926, the company has enjoyed a long association with the U.S. with its cast link chain production and related products. “Following Brexit there has been no better time to reinforce the ‘Special Relationship,’ a phrase coined by Winston Churchill in a speech made in 1946 referring to the unparalleled political, diplomatic, military and historical relations between the United Kingdom and the United States, but that also extends to include the cultural, economic and commercial synergy that exists so naturally between our two nations,” comments Oliver Wadsworth, group sales and marketing manager and a fifth generation family member of the company. Although the company’s origins are in production of cast link chains in irons and steels, it has progressively expanded the product range to encompass chains of other constructions including welded steel chains, engineering class chains, forged fork link chains and engineering plastic (polymer) chains. Today John King Chains reports it offers possibly the widest range of conveyor chains of any producer and “looks forward with relish to increasing our product sales to the North American timber market.” Oliver Wadsworth will be leading the effort into the U.S., along with the assistance of his brother, William Wadsworth, and a highly experienced sales and technical team that will work with key accounts and through manufacturer’s representatives. Oliver Wadsworth comments, “I am proud to have been given the opportunity to ‘lead the charge’ in this new enterprise and I will do my utmost to support our valued customers and provide best professional service in the future, We will be looking to expand our focus and concentrate on key industries like the timber industry and have direct John King Chains Ltd. representatives on the ground in each major state to make sure our ex-
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cellent service is maintained and our customers have what they need whenever necessary.” With extensive stock levels and robotic welding, John King Chains can react quickly and have chains delivered in five to six weeks before it builds momentum and places stock in the U.S. of its most popular sizes. Contact Oliver Wadsworth, ow@johnkingchains.com; visit johnkingchains.com.
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