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■ table of contents
www.woodbioenergymag.com
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FROM THE EDITORS Wood Bioenergy Conference
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WOOD YARD TECHNOLOGY Raw Material Handling Up Front
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IN THE NEWS Scientists Board Biomass Bus
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EDITORIAL INDEX Articles Inventory For 2019
14 VARN WOOD PELLETS Perfect Byproduct For Sawmiller 20 STRAUSS WEIGHS IN South Korea, Japan Markets 24 LEDRO ENERGIA Energy And Pellet Production
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Cover Photography: Georgia-based sawmill company Varn Wood Products was an early player in industrial wood pellets production through its Varn Wood Pellets business. It’s worked out well. (David Abbott photo)
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Wood Bioenergy / December 2019
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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.
Acrowood
32
425.258.3555
Air Burners
3
561.768.5963
Bandit Industries
2
800.952.0178
Biomass Engineering & Equipment
22
317.522.0864
BM&M Screening Solutions
12
800.663.0323
Bois Energie
31
+33 0 3 84 86 89 30
Bruks Siwertell
23
770.849.0100
CEM Machine
17
315.493.4258
Con-Vey Keystone
10
541.672.5506
CW Mill Equipment
35
800.743.3491
Metal Detectors
23
541.345.7454
Mid-South Engineering
34
501.321.2276
MoistTech
35
941.727.1800
Morbark
40
800.831.0042
Peterson Pacific
39
800.269.6520
Polytechnik
33
+43 2672 890 0
Publisher/Adv. Sales Manager ■ David H. Ramsey Chief Operating Officer ■ Dianne C. Sullivan
Precision-Husky
7
205.640.5181
Process Barron
13
205.663.5330
Editor-in-Chief ■ Rich Donnell Senior Editor ■ Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor ■ David Abbott Senior Associate Editor ■ Jessica Johnson Associate Editor ■ Patrick Dunning
Rawlings Manufacturing
36
866.762.9327
Round For A Reason
36
605.380.5562
TerraSource Global
22
855.291.1379
Timber Products Inspections
36
770.922.8000
Volume 11
Number 6
26 Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. 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
Publisher/Editor Emeritus ■ David (DK) Knight
Tramco
18
316.264.4604
Art Director/Production Manager ■ Cindy Segrest Ad Production Coordinator ■ Patti Campbell Circulation Director ■ Rhonda Thomas Online Content/Marketing ■ Jacqlyn Kirkland
Vermeer Manufacturing
19
641.628.3141
West Salem Machinery
34
800.722.3530
Wolf Material Handling Systems
11
763.576.9040
Advertising Sales
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
Wood Bio Conference & Expo
Major Talking Points T
he Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo, long known as the venue where the leading executives and supervisors in the industrial wood pellet and biomass power industries come to speak, will soon be upon us. Organizers recently opened registration for the event, which will be held March 10-11, 2020 at the CNN Center at Omni Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. One of the things which separates this event from the many other bioenergy events is that it features eight keynote talks over the two-day affair. Speakers are still being solicited, but already on board are Enviva CEO John Keppler and Graanul Invest CEO Raul Kirjanen—the former representing the world’s larger producer of industrial wood pellets, and the latter speaking for Europe’s largest producer of wood pellets. Keppler and Kirjanen are not “just” CEOs of their respective companies. They founded them. The stories behind the growth of Enviva and Graanul Invest are truly remarkable, but that’s not the whole story. Those companies, with Keppler and Kirjanen at the helm, have led the way for the creation of a new, carbon-neutral (if not carbon-negative), renewable energy industry in the past decade. No small accomplishment. Also confirmed to be on hand is William Strauss, founder of the bioenergy technology and markets consultant firm, FutureMetrics. Strauss is invited to speak at events worldwide, so when he picks the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo as one of his stages, that’s no small matter. Strauss will address the future of industrial wood pellets, whose market has grown from about 5 million metric tons in 2010 to more than 22 million metric tons in 2019. Strauss will discuss the expected evolution of carbon emissions reduction policies around the world
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that will support current demand and will support future demand growth. And because the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo always likes two perspectives of a similar topic, Pöyry Senior Principal Jose Gonzales will discuss the dynamics of the global pellet market and the impact to North American supply. If you’re up for a little bit of controversy, Brian Rogers, who leads the new initiative, Future Forests + Jobs, will speak about efforts to combat the misinformation about wood energy irresponsibly tossed around by certain environmental groups, who don’t even realize that what they’re promoting instead is actually harmful to the environment. As usual the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo will be supported by several dozen equipment and technology exhibitors in the Grand Ballroom North at the Omni Hotel. Atlanta is in the center of the Southeastern U.S. industrial wood pellet production industry. The upcoming Conference & Expo promises to be the center of international attention.
Wood Bioenergy / December 2019
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■ in the news
Scientists Nationwide Endorse Wood Energy The US Industrial Pellet Assn. (USIPA) has endorsed a recent letter signed by more than 100 scientists from more than 50 colleges and universities citing the benefits of wood energy. The letter, published by the National Assn. of University Forest Resource Programs (NAUFRP), calls on policymakers to consider key fundamentals related to forest biomass. Emphasizing that research on the use of forest biomass dates back to the 1980s, the scientists noted that the “carbon benefits of sustainable forest biomass are well established.” The letter also cites a report from United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which notes: “In the long term, a sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, fiber or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit.” The scientists also emphasized research showing that “demand for wood helps keep land in forest and incentivizes investments in new and more productive forests, all of which have significant carbon benefits.” Reacting to the report, Seth
Ginther, USIPA Executive Director, comments, “This is a resounding statement of academic consensus on the benefits of renewable wood energy. The value of biomass energy production in lowering carbon emissions and supporting healthy forests is well-documented through decades of peer-reviewed research. This letter underscores exactly what we are hearing from the UN IPCC: that sustainably-sourced wood biomass is an essential technology to fight climate change and limit global temperature rise to 1.5C.” NAUFRP was formed in 1981 to provide university-based natural resource education, research, science, extension and international programs promoting American forest health. Today, NAUFRP represents 80 universities and their respective scientists, educators and extension specialists. Reviewing more than 30 years of scientific research on forest biomass utilization, scientists from a diverse range of universities identified four fundamentals for science-based decision-making on biomass energy production and added these explanations: 1) The carbon benefits of sustainable forest biomass energy are well established.
“A resounding statement of academic consensus”
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The long-term benefits of forest biomass energy are well-established in science literature. As stated in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “In the long term, a sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, fiber or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit.” Most debates regarding the carbon benefits of forest biomass energy are about the timing of the benefits rather than whether they exist. 2) Measuring the carbon benefits of forest biomass energy must consider cumulative carbon emissions over the long term. The most effective carbon mitigation measures are those which reduce carbon accumulation in the atmosphere over time. Forest biomass energy yields significant net decreases in overall carbon accumulation in the atmosphere over time compared to fossil fuels. Comparisons between forest biomass emissions and fossil fuel emissions at the time of combustion and for short periods thereafter do not account for long term carbon accumulation in the atmosphere and can significantly distort or ignore comparative carbon impacts over time. 3) An accurate comparison of forest biomass energy carbon impacts with those of other energy sources requires the use of consistent time frames in the comparison. The most common time frame for measuring the impacts of greenhouse gases is 100 years, as illustrated by the widespread use of 100year global warming potentials. This time frame provides a more accurate accounting of cumulative emissions than shorter intervals. Measuring the net cumulative carbon emissions from forest biomass energy over a 100-year time frame, as is done for fossil fuels, more accurately captures and more appropriately demonstrates the cumulative carbon benefits of biomass energy compared to fossil fuels.
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in the news ■
4) Economic factors influence the carbon impacts of forest biomass energy. Research demonstrates that demand for wood helps keep land in forest and incentivizes investments in new and more productive forests, all of which have significant carbon benefits. This is particularly true when landowner investments are made in anticipation of future market demand. Likewise wood markets significantly influence both the availability of wood and the kind of wood used for biomass energy. For example, large trees better suited for higher value markets are typically not used for energy. The consideration of landowner response to the marketplace is essential to fully account for the long-term carbon impacts of using forest biomass for energy. Failing to consider the effects of markets and investment on carbon impacts can distort the characterization of carbon impacts from forest biomass energy. Research on the use of forest biomass as an energy source to mitigate GHG emissions dates back to the late 1980’s. Changes in technology, forest conditions, and markets and global economics will influence forest biomass utilization now and in the future. A commitment to continuing research on forest biomass utilization is necessary to quantify the risks and benefits associated with its use, encourage dialogue and debate, drive innovation and investment in new technologies and inform policy.
New Hampshire Biomass Is Stuck The biomass power plant industry in New Hampshire took another hit in September when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said the state can’t establish rates for wholesale sales of electric energy in interstate commerce—something only the FERC can do, and thus state legislation that would have required utilities to offer to purchase biomass power from the state’s six biomass power plants isn’t permissible.
The ruling was in response to a New England Ratepayers Assn. petition that had said such “subsidy” legislation violates national energy policy. Previous to the ruling, the biomass power plants had asked the state Supreme Court to intervene, but following the FERC ruling the group of biomass plants has reportedly dropped the challenge to the court. Several of the plants have apparently shut down or are considering it. The issue goes back to 2018 when the New Hampshire legislature passed a law that requires the state’s electricity companies to enter into power purchase agreements with independently owned biomass facilities to purchase a portion of their electricity at an above-market rate. The law was intended to provide a boost to the struggling biomass power industry in the state along with the related forest products industry, including timberland owners and logging contractors. The state governor vetoed it, but the legislature overrode him. Shortly after the law was enacted, the New England Ratepayers Assn. filed the petition with FERC. Public Service Company of New Hampshire (Eversource Energy) said it would only enter into eligible facility agreements if ordered to do so by the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (PUC), but PUC said it couldn’t act because Eversource and the biomass facilities had not executed any agreements and that it lacked the authority to order Eversource to enter into agreements. Consequently the state legislature amended its earlier legislation to address issues in the petition filed by the New England Ratepayers Assn., but again the governor vetoed it, but this time the legislature failed to override the veto. Shortly after that the biomass plants appealed to the state Supreme Court, and then the FERC finally ruled on the petition that New England Ratepayers Assn. had filed after the first legislation was passed.
Alamo Completes Purchase Of Morbark
Morbark has a new owner.
Alamo Group Inc. has completed the acquisition of Morbark, LLC, a former portfolio company of Stellex Capital Management, for $352 million subject to certain post-closing adjustments. This includes the products sold under the Morbark, Rayco, Denis Cimaf and Boxer brand names. Morbark is a leading manufacturer of equipment and aftermarket parts for the forestry, biomass, land management and recycling markets. Their products include a broad range of chippers, grinders, flails, debarkers, stump grinders, mulchers and brush cutters. Morbark products are sold through a network of independent dealers with 300 sales locations. The company, with approximately 720 employees, is based in Winn, Mich., with subsidiary operations in Wooster, Ohio and Roxton Falls, Quebec. Net sales for 2018 adjusted for the full year effect of Morbark’s acquisition of Denis Cimaf, which took place in December 2018, was $225.5 million. Ron Robinson, Alamo Group President and CEO, comments, “We are very pleased to have completed this acquisition as Morbark is a strong fit with Alamo. Their products complement ours and they have been growing steadily in a sector which should continue to perform well. As is our general
December 2019 / Wood Bioenergy
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■ in the news
practice, we intend to maintain the Morbark brands in the marketplace and are glad that Dave Herr, president of Morbark, will continue in that role as part of Alamo Group.” Herr adds, “On a day-to-day basis, it’s business as usual, only now we have new resources and capabilities to continue driving value for you and your business. As an operating company under Alamo’s industrial division, we will have the scale, breadth, and capabilities to compete more effectively in the global marketplace.” Herr says over the past three years Morbark has worked diligently to implement lean initiatives, invest in new and improved product redesigns, reduce lead times, and improve delivery performance. Alamo Group is a leader in the design, manufacture, distribution
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and service of equipment for infrastructure maintenance, agriculture and other applications. With the acquisition of Morbark, its products include truck and tractor mounted mowing and other vegetation maintenance equipment, street sweepers, snow removal equipment, forestry and tree maintenance equipment, excavators, vacuum trucks, other industrial equipment, agricultural implements and related aftermarket parts and services. The company, founded in 1969, and including the units of Morbark, has approximately 4,345 employees and operates 32 plants in North America, Europe, Australia and Brazil. The corporate offices of Alamo Group Inc. are located in Seguin, Texas. Morbark was founded in 1957 by the Morey family, which sold the company to Stellex in 2016.
Enviva Plans Pellet Mill In Alabama Enviva expects to invest $175 million to construct a wood pellet production plant in Sumter County, Ala. The proposed facility, to be located at the Port of Epes Industrial Park, is expected to create a minimum of 85 full-time jobs and generate an estimated 180 additional jobs in logging, transportation and local services in the region. Enviva, whose industrial wood pellets are used for renewable power generation, expects construction to be ready to begin on the facility in early 2020, subject to receiving the necessary permits. Enviva expects construction to take between 15 and 18 months. Enviva states the facility would principally utilize a mix of softwood and scrap from mills sourced
Wood Bioenergy / December 2019
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in the news ■
from within a 75-mile radius. The sustainably sourced pellets produced at the plant would be transported by barge via the TennesseeTombigbee Waterway to the terminal at Pascagoula, then exported to Europe and Asia. Enviva owns and operates eight plants in the Southeast that produce more than 3.5 million metric tons of wood pellets annually. The expected Sumter County facility will be constructed to initially produce 700,000 metric tons of pellets annually, though production could eventually be increased to 1.15 million tons per year. The company does not own forestland but works with suppliers that meet its sustainability criteria. The company states it takes only wood from responsibly managed working forests and it does not take wood from forests that are being converted out of forest use.
Future Forests + Jobs Will Combat Untruths Future Forests + Jobs is a new initiative to advance a fact-based conversation around renewable wood energy and hold those who spread misinformation about the industry to account.
For years activist organizations such as the Dogwood Alliance, Southern Environmental Law Center, and Environmental Integrity Project have waged a misinformation campaign against the wood biomass industry as well as the entire forest products sector, the new initiative states. These efforts mislead the public about the integrated forest products industry—including timber and renewable wood energy—and its role as a necessary solution to mitigate global climate change, which has been repeatedly affirmed by the world’s leading climate research authority, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “These activist groups ignore the science and advance policies that would result in burning more coal and losing more forests—exactly the wrong approach we need to fight global climate change today,” says Future Forests + Jobs spokesman Brian Rogers. “Our mission is to set the record straight and expose the well-funded and coordinated misinformation campaigns targeting this industry, and to stand up for the hundreds of thousands of forest products workers across America.” Future Forests + Jobs will combat misinformation through a new web-
site – FutureForestsAndJobs.com – as well as through media engagement and other grassroots activities. Future Forests + Jobs is supported by the U.S. Industrial Pellet Association, and will be led by Rogers, who served as a senior staffer to U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) for nearly a decade, and previously worked as Research Director for former Vice President Al Gore’s Repower America campaign for comprehensive climate and energy legislation.
Canadian Groups Push For Clean Fuels Canada’s national clean fuels associations forecast greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions of more than 50 million tonnes (Mt) per year by 2030 through greater production and use of renewable energy in Canada. The associations, Advanced Biofuels Canada (ABFC), Canadian Biogas Association (CBA), Canadian Gas Association (CGA), Electric Mobility Canada (EMC) and Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC), represent a significant part of the spectrum of Canada’s primary clean fuel industries. They share a belief that investments to increase the produc-
December 2019 / Wood Bioenergy
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■ in the news
tion and use of clean and renewable fuels and electric vehicles (EVs) to meet Canada’s GHG emissions targets will stimulate clean growth, create jobs, and achieve significant greenhouse gas reductions over the next decade. Collectively, the associations represent technologies that can, with the right policy measures in place, exceed the proposed federal Clean Fuel Standard’s objective of 30 Mt of annual GHG emission reductions by 2030. Estimates of potential emission reductions are based on modeling work for the joint industry-federal government steering committee looking at the competitiveness of clean fuel investment in Canada. The results demonstrate significant annual emissions reduction potential by 2030 from adopting clean and renewable liquid, gaseous, and solid fuels, and from switching to electric vehicle use. ABFC estimates that 15 Mt of reductions per year are achievable by 2030 by incorporating modest levels of biofuels and other non-fossil clean fuels into transport fuels. The CBA and CGA estimate that 14 Mt of reductions are attainable by introducing renewable gases into transportation, building heating, and industrial processes. EMC estimates that 16Mt of GHG reductions are achievable through the electrification of light, medium, and heavyduty vehicles, including buses. WPAC estimates that 5.5 Mt of reductions can be achieved through fuel switching to wood pellets to provide heat in the residential, commercial, and institution sectors, and from replacing coal with pellets for power generation. Across all sectors, there is even greater potential to achieve stronger results. The results will not come easily. To attract the capital investments necessary to support this transition, the associations have recommended that the federal government adopt a Clean Fuel Strategy by 2020. The strategy would include setting a clear path to clean and renewable fuel use by 2030: —Establish clear market signals
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for clean fuels and electric vehicles —Aligning clean and renewable fuel regulations to meet targeted clean fuel and EV use —Establish clean fuel program funding to support clean and renewable fuel production capacity and infrastructure investments, and support EV adoption —Support research and development programs to maintain Canadian leadership in clean fuel technologies and innovation
Enviva Breaks Ground In Lucedale, Miss. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at George County Industrial Park outside of Lucedale, Miss. on October 21 for the new $140 million industrial wood pellet plant to be built by Enviva, the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets. The plant will directly create 90 full-time jobs and is estimated to indirectly create 300 permanent jobs in the timber and transportation industries. Bulldozers and heavy equipment have been on site for several weeks clearing and preparing the 125 acre site for underground utilities and foundation construction. More than 300 workers are expected to be hired during the plant’s construction. Enviva’s Chairman and CEO John Keppler explained that during its first year in full production the plant is expected to produce 700,000 metric tons of wood pellets. The Lucedale plant will help fill the gap left by a pullback in the forest products industry due to the closure of paper mills. Construction is expected to take 15 to 18 months.
Saica Biomass Plant Serves Paper Mill Saica group has inaugurated its first biomass plant at its paper mill in Venizel, France. With a 41 million euros investment, the biomass plant uses recycled wood and rejections from the production process to meet the demand of the steam process.
Wood Bioenergy / December 2019
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The biomass plant generates all the required energy to operate the Saica Venizel paper mill, using 75,000 tonnes of discarded wood and 26,000 tonnes of byproducts.
Graanul Invest Starts Biomaterials Business
ect and main project designed by Sweco Projekt AS, and constructive design of the production building drafted by Maru Ehitus AS. Main contractor of the construction is Maru Ehitus AS. A capsule was set in the cornerstone of the plant by Kirjanen, Pitk
and Järva rural municipality mayor Rait Pihelgas. The time capsule included a cup with high purity lignin, pre-fractionated wood chips that are raw material for the plant, business plan of the project, foundation articles of Graanul Biotech and the newspaper of the day.
Graanul Invest has laid the cornerstone for a wood processing flagship plant, thus marking the start of its new biomaterials business line. The purpose of the flagship plant, which will be constructed on the territory of Graanul Invest, next to its Imavere (Estonia) pellet plant, is the development and production of biomaterials from low-quality wood residues. With regard to temperature, pressure and mechanical force, the innovative technology of the plant splits wood fibers into basic elements—high-purity lignin and wood sugars. This is the fourth business line of Graanul Invest Group along with pellet production, energy and forestry. At the cornerstone ceremony, a member of the management board of Graanul Invest, Raul Kirjanen, told how 15 years of experience in wood processing has provided to the group sufficient experience toward taking another step in the development of solutions with even higher added value. “This ceremony is not only the start of a factory, but can be considered the start of our new business line, which will hopefully open a completely new future in wood processing.” Research and development manager of Graanul Invest Group, Peep Pitk, comments, “For years we have searched a technology which would provide maximum efficiency coefficient in wood processing, while having as low environmental impact and ecological footprint as possible.” Estimated time of completion of the first stage of the flagship plant is the first half of 2020. Technology license of the plant comes from Sweetwater Energy, engineering by De Smet Engineers & Contractors from Belgium, special parts of the preliminary proj-
December 2019 / Wood Bioenergy
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■ pellet mill
Sawmiller Varn
Finds Byproduct In Pellets
By David Abbott HOBOKEN, Ga. he Varn family has been making its living from forest products for well over 100 years. From the 1930s through most of the ’60s, it was in the naval stores business; then it switched to making chips and lumber. The Varn Wood Products sawmill has been op-
T
Adjacent sawmill serves raw material to the 7-year-old pellet mill.
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erating for more than 50 years. Since 2013, the company added a new facet: wood pellet production, under the Varn Wood Pellets subsidiary. “We did it for the money,” George Varn, Jr. says with a laugh. His father and namesake, George Varn, Sr., a Harvard grad and Naval intelligence officer during World War II, worked in the turpentine side for the early decades of his adult life and was instrumental in starting and then running the sawmill. Now 99 years old, he is still active in the company. Going more in depth into the family’s reasoning, George, Jr. expounds, “We were selling chips to the local paper mills and wanted to reduce the disruptions when they went into shutdowns or slowdowns. It was also a chance to add value to our byproducts.” Varn was somewhat early to pellets in the state: Georgia Biomass in Waycross and Appling County Pellets in Baxley (a Fram Renewable Fuels company) were both ahead of them by about a year. “We weren’t the first but we were early in line,” George says. “People were still learning things when we built this. When we built this plant my dad said most any sawmill worth its salt would want to put one in. As it turns out, in our trade association, SLMA (Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn.), there are only two other mills making pellets.”
Wood Bioenergy / December 2019
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Really, he believes, the only common thread between sawmills and pellet mills are the dry side conveyors. “Some people have gotten in trouble assuming they knew more than they did because they have a sawmill.” General Manager John Talbert agrees, adding that because of their long experience with the sawmill business, “We all thought, how difficult could it be? We quickly found out that it was a lot more complicated than what we thought. There are a lot of critical things: chip size, moisture content through the grinder, size of the regrind, the temperature inside the die. But the crew has been very successful in learning it.” George adds, “Unlike a sawmill, the pellet plant requires that we juggle all of the variables John just mentioned at once. The challenge is keeping all the balls in the air.” The design engineer on this project was Donald Land with Process Storage and Solutions (PASS) based in Alabama. “There were other pellet mills running on pine but it was relatively new then,” George says. “One of the things we discovered was how corrosive southern yellow pine is before it is dried. At the time we designed the plant, neither PASS nor our suppliers were fully aware of the problem. We have done a lot of replacing of mild steel with stainless upstream of the dryer, and that continues seven years on.” The pellet machines they selected are from Italian company La Meccanica. “We looked at most every press available,” Talbert says, with George adding, “Of all the brands we considered, the La Meccanica presses had the toughest machine at the best price. We chose the model 400 because, although it wasn’t the newest version, it had a long history of reliability in Europe and the U.S.” Varn ran the first bucket of pellets on December 31, 2012 and had the operation running 24/7 by early 2013. David Smith, supervisor and superintendent of both the pellet mill and the planer mill, says the first year was a time of fine-tuning, adjusting, learning and modifying. “You can’t just go out and find 12-14 guys who know how to run a pellet mill,” he acknowledges. “We were all learning together for about 12 months before we really got efficient.” Smith continues, “They have learned a lot and come a long way. We have tried to come up with ideas to resolve problems, not just deal with it, so we could move past it. All those guys have been a part of that growing process. We started with four guys on a shift and are down to 10 employees total running more production with less guys than we did a year ago.” Noting that they still have eight of the original 12 operators, Talbert is equally quick to heap praise on the employees. “With the addition of cameras and some control upgrades, we went to a day shift of two people and maintained three on the night shift. Their responsibilities include not only making quality pellets but all the required paperwork, maintenance, electrical and
La Meccanica presses have proven to be resilient.
Left to right, George Varn, Sr., John Talbert, George Varn, Jr.
mechanical as well as any project work.” George points out that some of the employees have made suggestions that turned out to be critical. A couple of years ago, one end of the triple pass dryer’s inner cylinder, made of mild steel, corroded and fell down. “Our hearts sank somewhat when Baker-Rullman said it would take about four weeks to get a replacement delivered,” he recalls. “One of our hourly guys suggested having one of our local fab shops make five 10-foot sections and field weld them. Although we were concerned about being able to align the sections, between Baker-Rullman’s drawings, Daybreak Insulation’s fab work and Joey’s Welding, there is next to no loping in the drum. Needless to say, we had the first 12 feet made of stainless steel.” ➤ 16
December 2019 / Wood Bioenergy
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■ pellet mill
Most of the sawdust fuels the burner; chips and shavings go to pellets.
temperature. From there they flow to a Brock 1,000 ton storage silo to be loaded onto trucks which haul the pellets to the Brunswick port. Just above the truck loadout, fines generated in the silo are screened out. “We have a loader operator and a lead man/pellet mill operator and those guys check the moisture to keep it in the10-12% range, which seems to work well in making a high quality pellet,” Smith says. Talbert stresses, “The most important thing is the moisture content but all the operations are tied together when you analyze it.” George notes that Varn’s customer, Fram Fuels, compliments them on the quality of their pellets.
Maintenance
The pellet operation runs steady thanks to in-house maintenance.
Pellet Process Varn’s pellet side is supplied completely by residuals from the sawmill and planer mill: sawdust, chips and planer shavings. Most of the sawdust (probably 75%, Smith estimates) is used to fuel a Paul Jones vertical suspension burner. The remaining sawdust, and nearly 100% of the chips and shavings, goes into pellets, Smith says. Explaining the process, Smith says that chips come in on a conveyor belt at about 45% moisture. A Fulgham rotating screen removes over-sized pieces before a West Salem Machinery shredder, which recently replaced the previ-
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ous green hammermill, reduces material to around -3/8 in. After exiting the triple pass Baker-Rullman 13x60 ft. rotary drum dryer, the material is down to 10-13% moisture. At this point shavings are metered in before a Mill Technology dry hammermill further sizes down to 2 mm. Finally the material enters the pellet mills. Varn’s three Le Meccanica presses run about 11-1 compression ratio on the die, according to Smith. Capacity is about 4.5 tons per machine. Pellets come out of the machines at about 6-7% moisture and 150 degrees; a Bliss pellet cooler brings them down to about 15 degrees over ambient
Talbert points out another difference between pellet and sawmills: “In a sawmill you have about 2,000 hours a year running. In a pellet mill running 24/7 you are talking more like 8,000 hours. It is about four years of sawmill life in one year of pellet mill life. It is a lot of wear and tear and moving parts.” Maintenance on the pellet presses involves changing dies and rolls about every 10-12 weeks. Smith says, “We run about 6,000 tons on a die life.” The crew handles all that and all preventive maintenance tasks in-house—“If a motor burns up or bearing or gear box, they do it all themselves, with no separate maintenance crew. If we have a major project, we might bring in some outside contractors from time to time.” Talbert concurs: “When the project is too big we use a local contractor to help, but as a general rule our people do it all.” The airborne fines from the dry hammermill are separated by a Schenck baghouse; the crew changes those bags quarterly. “We are small enough to be able to use a baghouse,” Smith says. “If we got much bigger we’d have to use a thermal oxidizer, which is real expensive.”
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pellet mill ■
Environmental Since Fram sells primarily to European companies that are concerned with carbon footprint, in a normal year Varn will be audited annually. The plant also has to do a lot of reporting to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. Along with air permits being kept up to date, this includes monitoring and documenting that the burner output temperature is maintained above 1,665° F. “If it’s below that, we have to make adjustments and report how much time we are below that temperature,” Smith explains. The dryer inlet also has to be monitored to a maximum of 828° F; the temp has to stay below that in order to properly dry the chips. Another audit involves sustainability of the raw material resource. Will Varn (he and George are cousins) handles this area. “We have several different certifications,” Will says. “The sustainability of our timber management practices on our own timberland is third-party certified by the American Tree Farm System and is recognized as a certified wood source. Other certified wood sources come from customers we buy from; much of it is SFI managed land.” Varn has three main certifications on its pellet products, one of which is SFI Fiber Sourcing. “Through this we track all wood sources coming into the sawmill,” Will continues. “We know the tracts where every load originates. We have the coordinates and the legal name of the timber owners; including the timber from our gatewood suppliers. All the loggers and our contractors supplying the mill are master timber harvesting trained, a requirement of certification.” Varn also has to meet chain of custody standards set by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). “The reason we have those two is because they build into the SBP (Sustainable Biomass Partnership) certification, a newer certification
Varn pellets are sold to Fram Renewable Fuels and shipped overseas.
developed strictly for the pellet end users primarily in the European market,” Will explains. The Dutch market has a further requirement. “The SBP compliant standard allows you to have some primary wood, much like pulpwood for a pulp mill,” Will says. “Dutch markets want it all from residual material: chips, shavings
and sawdust.” In addition, the mill randomly selects one of its gatewood suppliers each month for tract inspection, to monitor their compliance to the state BMPs. Before Varn Wood Products purchases a tract, the company has to verify that there are no threatened or endangered animal species or plant communities that
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Nearly all chips from sawmill production are bound for the pellet mill.
would require special attention. Will says it’s a matter of making sure “all the boxes are checked for proper compliance—not only with certification requirements but also with all federal, state and local laws and regulations.” Keeping up with all these environmental certification requirements is a lot of work; fortunately it doesn’t fall on just one set of shoulders. Along with the others, Varn comptroller Mike Hollingsworth plays a role in providing all the mill technical data. They also bring in a third party consultant, Resolve Environmental, to help with environmental compliance at the plant. “They compile the data and really do a great job,” George says. Also,
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the Georgia Department of Natural Resources comes down randomly every two or three years and pulls records to look for any discrepancy since the last visit.
Markets As far as developing a market when they started the operation, George says they talked to all the people they knew who were buying pellets. They chose to sell their pellets to Fram Fuels. “They had the best price and the most steady, stable company,” George says. “The other factor was the short haul to the Brunswick port.” The UK is the biggest single consumer of U.S. pellets because
of the British goals for renewables, George says. As far as the potential for a domestic market, he notes, “Since Europe is committed to moving away from coal, their pellet users have incentives; U.S. power companies don’t, so they don’t have a lot of incentive, at this point, in going to biomass.” Recent upgrades in the sawmill have reduced the rate of chip production—better yield in lumber production means less byproduct for pellet production. However, Varn says the sawmill aims to lift production up over 100 million board feet annually, which may justify a fourth pellet machine. “Although we have a fondness for our history in the naval stores industry, at heart, we now are lumbermen,” George says. “Getting into the pellet business has been an attempt to increase the profitability of our sawmill.”
Wood Bioenergy / December 2019
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■ pellet demand
South Korea, Japan:
Who’s Ready To Pay? By William Strauss
T
here have been many forecasts regarding potential wood pellet demand in Japan and South Korea. For demand to materialize and support stable supply, the price that is paid for the pellets must be high enough and have sufficient tenor to support the investments into new production capacity. As FutureMetrics noted in an important white paper a few years ago, the South Korean REC (Renewable Energy Certificate) market is inherently unpredictable and thus, the ability to pay by S. Korean buyers is also unpredictable. As of August 2019, only the average price for the month is published. High and low data are currently not available. Japanese buyers, on the other hand, have a policy that produces a predictable revenue for power producers for a known length of time. FutureMetrics has been concerned about the stability of S. Korean demand for a number of years. Recent data continues to support its concerns. REC prices have collapsed. Excess supply (and/or insufficient demand) has pushed the market price for a REC to under US$52. In May of 2017 RECs were more than US$112 (at the current exchange rate) or 115% higher
than in September 2019. The fall in REC prices has resulted in a dramatic drop in imports into S. Korea. And that fall in demand combined with slack supply has resulted in a steady fall in the trade weighted average price of pellets delivered to S. Korea. In September 2019, FutureMetrics’ estimated prices for pellets delivered (not FOB) from Vietnam reached the lowest price recorded (US$91.63 at current FX) since the pellet trade took off in 2015. Vietnam has 60% to 70% of the S. Korea pellet market share, so drops in demand from S. Korea have a strong impact on Vietnam pellet producers. The low REC prices have changed the cash flows for existing co-firing plants. But the major change is due to the new REC weightings. The combination of low REC prices and the generation of only ½ REC per MWh for full conversions and new build power stations, and zero RECs/MWh for any new co-firing has impacted the current and future S. Korean market for wood pellets both in terms of volume demanded and the prices that S. Korean buyers are willing to pay. For a REC price of 60,000 (won) and for new full firing of wood pellets projects (0.5 REC/MWh), the breakeven cost of the pellets delivered to the power sta-
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pellet demand â–
tion is about $135 per tonne. That cost includes the pellet producer’s gate price, mill-to-port and port storage and loading costs, shipping costs, and port-to-power plant costs. The current trade weighted import price (not including S. Korean port charges and internal logistics to the power station), is below that. This is mostly on the backs of Vietnam producers who are experiencing record low prices. If REC prices fall to 45,000 the breakeven cost of pellets delivered to the power station falls to about $123/tonne. As the S. Korea RPS requirements ramp up to 10% in 2023 (from 6% in 2019 and 7% in 2020), demand by the major utilities for renewable solid fuel may increase. This could rebalance the supply and demand for RECs and firm up REC prices for a period of time. But uncertainty regarding REC prices and how S. Korea may again change the rules will likely prevent most S. Korean generators from engaging in long-term offtake agreements for substantial quantities of pellets. This is not the case with Japan. The Japanese feed-intariff (FiT) provides a stable foundation for biomass demand. FiT approved projects receive a fixed revenue per kWh for 20 years from the start of generation. A forthcoming report by FutureMetrics will contain details regarding expected future demand from the independent power producers (IPPs) and potentially from the major utilities. For the already FiT approved IPPs, demand could exceed 4.5 million tonnes per year by 2023-24 (an average of about 375,000 tonnes per month. Japanese demand has recently averaged about 125,000 tonnes per month. The ability to pay by Japanese buyers is supported by the known revenue from the FiT. Most of the IPP projects currently operating or in the construction pipeline will receive ¼24/kWh (yen). That is about US$0.23/kWh or US$229/MWH at the current exchange rates. The FiT rate is fixed for 20 years. Therefore inflation risk has to be considered by both the buyer and the producer. But at $229/MWh, FutureMetrics estimates that there is a large buffer between the revenues from power sales and the cost of generation. Assuming a gate price at the pellet factory in the year 2020 of $145/tonne and transport costs that result in the cost per tonnes delivered to the power station to be about $200, and assuming a 2.0% per year pellet price escalator, the IPP would be expected to have positive cash flow every year between 2020 and 2040 (the 20year duration of the FiT). Under those assumptions, the IPP has positive net cash flow in the mid-$50 per MWh range in 2020. As the delivered pellet prices increase due to the annual escalator, given that the top line revenue is fixed, the margins shrink to nearly zero in 2040. Japanese policy offers certainty. IPPs can engage in long-term contracts. It would appear that a delivered to the power plant price of $200 per tonne in 2020 with a 2.0% per year escalation in the price of pellets offers enough buffer for the IPP to at least engage in a 10-year
contract with no risk of losing money. The ability to pay a high enough price to support a gate price that yields positive cash flows for the pellet producer, and the ability to engage in a 10-plus year agreement to buy pellets, provides the foundation for the development of pellet factories dedicated to supplying the Japanese buyer. The annual price adjustment provides a shield to the producer from external macro and microeconomic market forces that will likely cause the input costs for pellet production to rise over the term of the agreement. That inflation risk has to be considered in a long-term agreement. Over the past 10 years, producers have experienced an average annual increase in costs of about 2.1%. What inflation will be over the next 10 plus years is not known. But it is likely that input costs to pellet producers will increase. For example, a significant portion of the cost of delivered wood fiber to the pellet factory is from the cost of the diesel fuel used in harvest and transport. As diesel fuel prices increase, wood costs for the pellet producer will increase. Fortunately, the Japanese FiT provides a high enough top line revenue per MWh to allow the IPPs to engage in long-term offtake agreements that contain terms that work for both the producer and the buyer. Unfortunately, under current policy, the South Korean RPS does not. William Strauss is president of FutureMetrics. Several charts that support this article are available at futuremetrics.info or by e-mailng: williamstrauss@futuremetrics.com.
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■ pellet mill
Ledro Energia:
Cogen And Pellet I
n the beautiful area of Ledro Lake in Trentino Alto Adige, Italy, near the more famous Garda Lake, an innovative project has been created, installed and started up from the wood waste of a major sawmill situated in the valley of the lake. The project has been developed in two stages. The first saw the implementation of an ORC (organic rankine cycle) cogeneration power plant with a capacity of 300 kW using wet wood chips supplied by the neighboring sawmill. The second stage is the usage of hot water coming from the ORC power plant. The ensuing developments include: —a district heating line that warms public and private utilities in the nearby town of Tiarno di Sopra; —a 1,500 kW/T wood chip drying plant together with a 3-4 ton/h pellet plant of A1 class pellets, sourced from the high quality spruce wood chips and sawdust supplied by the nearby sawmill Both plants are installed in the same building, within close proximity to the sawmill. The project has been led by a semi-public company that specializes in energy production and distribution in South Trentino in the north of Italy (Alto Garda Servizi SpA) and possesses
Nova Pellet N-Plus pellet mills
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Automatic packaging line
Nova Pellet crew
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Pellets in big bags and small bags
the skills to implement district heating technology. The utility company decided to create a new company called Ledro Energia srl for this project and the management of the ORC and pellet plant. All the machinery installed and started up in both plants is made from Italian technology. The Italian suppliers had to participate in the public tender and won with the best priced procedure, which also conformed to the very strict technical specification, an integral part of the tender. Following the startup of the ORC technology and the creation of the underground pipeline for district heating, the drying and pelleting plant has become the final step to close the cycle. With the pellet plant the whole project becomes economically and ecologically sustainable. Nova Pellet (part of Arco International, based in Pontevico, Brescia in the north of Italy) is a leading Italian builder of pellet mills and plants. They won the tender, and successfully planned and installed the 1.5 mwt dryer and the 3-4 ton/h pellet plant.
Complicated Challenge In terms of technology, Nova Pellet had to overcome a range of new and complicated tasks to meet the technical specifications required by the customer. The most difficult and innovative concept was the connection between the ORC plant with its waste hot water, and the drying plant. The drying system has been projected and installed to work fully automatically 24/7 using the variable hot water power (maximum 1.5 MWt) at the maximum consumption possible. The fixed parameters of input and output temperature are also met by the dryer to avoid any waste of hot water, saving energy and fuel in the ORC plant. The installation of humidity sensors and complicated software that controls hundreds of parameters simultaneously has successfully regulated the capacity of the belt dryer installed and the output humidity necessary to make pellets. The perfection of the dryer working mode was the most important process of the whole project, because a wrong working mode would have created production problems both for the ORC and the pellet plant. Nova Pellet guaranteed a solution that is stable and works automatically with the belt dryer under maximum control. The drying plant has been completed with high vol-
Wet spruce sawdust bunker
ume concrete bunkers with a hydraulic mobile floor extractor that permits automatic working, even on weekends when there is no supervision. A screener removes residual oversize chips and a conveying line completes the transportation of material between the main machines with a sophisticated fire safety system. Finally, a dust filter for the output air of the drying system achieves the very low emission rates that are required by the Trentino Alto Adige region. The plant continues with a refining stage and a pellet plant capacity of 3-4 tons per hour. From the dry material bunker, a series of conveyors feed the hammermill (Nova Pellet mod. N-RP04 kW 132) and its metal detector. The prepared sawdust is stored in a pneumatic silo filter Mc 30 with double extractor to feed the two pellet mills. The EN-PLUS A1 spruce wood pellet is created by the high efficiency vertical pellet mills from Nova Pellet, model N-PLUS kW 160. The pellet mills are controlled by fully automatic software together with the innovative Energy Saving Drive system, a new software application that permits the low power consumption per kg of pellet produced. The pellets continue along the cooling and screening line and into the bunkers that store them for packaging. The packaging can be in big bags of one ton each, or in small bags of 15kg each with the fully automatic line complete with bagging machine and palletizing robot. A powerful suction pneumatic line collects the residual dust and brings it back to the cycle, while a complete fire safety system protects the filters and silo. The drying and pellet plant are also controlled by supervisor software installed in the main control office where directors and operators are updated instantly on the working process of the plants. This project demonstrates the feasibility of creating symbiosis and synergy between different types of bioenergy and biomass plants. Only sharing and exchanging media like water/air/power between different bioenergy technology lets them become more sustainable in an ecological and economical perspective. Italian technology can work together to establish a benchmark solution that many other European or international companies can follow and implement. Article written and submitted by by Luca Pozzali, sales manager at Nova Pellet. Visit: www.novapellet.it
December 2019 / Wood Bioenergy
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■ wood yards ACROWOOD
BIOMASS ENGINEERING & EQUIPMENT Make Biomass Engineering & Equipment your supplier for premium wood yard engineering and equipment. With decades of experience in forest product industries, we understand the challenges you face and will provide the most efficient systems available. BE&E provides complete, EPC-level service for bulk receiving, infeed, chipping, debarking, transfer, and storage/reclaim systems. In-house equipment we supply includes bulk receiving bins, horizontal silos with automated reclaim, on-mass roller debarkers, log decks, log troughs, metal detectors, belt conveyors, drum chippers, premium drag conveyors, and scalping screens.
Acrowood slant disc chipper
Acrowood has long been known as a chipper manufacturer. From 42 in. diameter disc rechippers to 175 in. diameter whole log chippers, Acrowood and our predecessors Black Clawson and Sumner Iron Works have supplied chippers and forest products equipment for more than 100 years. Since the 1960’s, our slant disc chippers have seen wide spread acceptance and use in waste wood chipping applications. Recently, there has been increasing utilization of smaller diameter stems. The housing market downturn has reduced availability of sawmill residuals. Both factors contribute to an increasing interest in using small, low quality roundwood to produce fuel pellets. High fuel oil prices and the increasing demand for pellets from overseas have spurred significant growth in the pellet industry in North America. Acrowood has used our experience in chipper manufacturing and focused on the production of small chips for the pellet industry. Producing smaller chips using a disc chipper reduces the horsepower required for the primary breakdown of the logs. They dry easily and require less milling to be converted into a size suitable for pellet production. To learn more about the range of chips that can be produced, Acrowood set up a production model 5216 slant disc chipper in our Development Center and ran trials producing ¼ in. (6 mm) long chips. The chipper used was a standard horizontal feed, overhead discharge chipper with six knives. The slant disc chipper produced uniformly small chips; consistently thin and maintained roughly the same thickness to length ratio that is typically found in larger pulp chips produced by a disc chipper. The chip samples were reviewed by a dryer manufacturer who indicated that they would work well in their dryer. The very few overs present in the sample were still thin and would pose no problem for drying. A rotary screen with single deck could also be used to remove the largest overs. The Acrowood Slant Disc Chipper efficiently reduces wastewood from sawmills, producing high quality pulp chips from sawmill residues. The chipper is self-feeding and requires no powered feedworks; typically fed using a vibrating pan conveyor.
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BE&E single deck, single trough
Bulk receiving: BE&E systems come with standard bases that we configure to receive and meter a variety of materials. The modular design allows us to reduce costs versus fully custom solutions. Bulk infeed and transfer: Our premium drag conveyors—SMART Conveyors—are designed to provide unparalleled performance transferring bulk infeed or waste material with low operational cost. Our unique design significantly reduces friction and wear for long component life and increased efficiency. These enclosed, dust-controlling conveyors are available for material rates from a few tons to hundreds of tons per hour. Storage and reclaim: BE&E’s horizontal silos, SMART Containers, provide bulk storage with a pushpull reclaim system. Built from modified shipping containers, SMART Containers provide a robust solution for biomass storage and automated outfeed. These modular units are available mobile or stationary and can be stacked up to three units high for increased capacity. Debarking: Roller debarkers from BE&E provide an on-mass debarking solution that is more efficient. A roller debarker from BE&E is capable of debarking softwood or hardwood and excels at debarking wood that is typically challenging, such as frozen wood, crooked wood, and wood species with stringy bark. Our debarker is capable of debarking logs with diameters from 3 to 32 in. and lengths from 40 in. to 20 ft. Log infeed: BE&E log decks and troughs are made to withstand tough conditions with unexpected efficiency. Our design significantly reduces the size and cost of components and requires only a few horsepower to operate.
Wood Bioenergy / December 2019
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wood yards ■
CEM MACHINE It has long been said, “It takes money to make money.” The energy associated with manufacturing pellets is no different. Pellet producers have to put energy “in” to get a product that provides their customers with even more energy “out.” Pellet producers achieving the greatest “net energy” difference between these two are typically the strongest and most competitive.
Comparison of commercially available chip sizes and an example of shredded chips.
The work to process the 6 mm (1/4 in.) long microchips to shreds for drying is minimal in contrast to the significant amount of work to process large conventional chips to shreds. So while making microchips from logs requires slightly more energy than making conventional chips from logs, microchips are subsequently reduced to a drier feedstock with comparatively little effort. The result is that the total required chipping “plus” milling energy for the preparation of drier feedstock is substantially less with microchips. Over a decade ago, CEM commissioned the first disc-type microchip chipper in a pellet manufacturing facility powered by a drive less than half the size of all other major suppliers. Customers that have chosen CEM continue to benefit from the long-term advantages of the CEM MicroChip Processor. So whether your process needs high-quality, efficiently produced microchips or conventional wood chips, for superior design, long life, high reliability, and simple maintenance choose CEM’s MicroChip processors and chippers.
CW Mill HogZilla grinder with backstop
Like many municipalities, Murfreesboro is under state requirement to reduce the volume of solid waste that goes into the landfill. Grinding wood waste helps the city divert wood debris that would typically go to the landfill. Murfreesboro collected and processed 37,000 tons of yard waste into mulch during 2018. The ground material is distributed free with about 20% going to local homeowners and the other 80% is utilized by paper mills that use it for boiler fuel. The needs of Murfreesboro were fairly straightforward: They needed the capability to be able to grind material and take care of the city’s residents in case of a severe storm event that would result in damaged trees. Murfreesboro wanted a large heavy duty tub grinder capable of dealing with larger material such as stumps and root balls. The torque converter was preferred over those brands that utilize a clutch, and the movable backstop shield (TORS) was an added safety feature that Murfreesboro was looking for, and is the largest in the industry. The new HogZilla has high and low speed modes, depending on the grinding application. You can get up and under this grinder, to better allow cleaning around the radiator, check the engine oil, and the mechanics love it. The grinder came standard with a control panel that provides several diagnostic features, and the machine has already proved to be very maintenance friendly. CW has been manufacturing top quality electric and diesel powered grinders for almost 45 years. HogZilla tub and horizontal grinders have been continuously improved over the years, and CW now offers more than 20 HogZilla grinder models for buyers to customize ranging from mid-sized to “massive” including self-propelled track driven and self-loading units.
MDI As a proven industry leader, Metal Detectors, Inc. continues to provide products with superb reliability and unmatched performance. An MDI metal detector
CW MILL The city of Murfreesboro, Tennessee recently took delivery of their second CW Mill HogZilla tub grinder. Their first machine (now 14 years old) was a HogZilla WTC-1354L. Both machines are equipped with the optional Thrown Object Restraint System (TORS). The new larger HogZilla model TC-1564P is powered by a Caterpillar Tier 4 C32 1,000 HP engine.
MDI MP5000-X transverse scanner
December 2019 / Wood Bioenergy
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■ wood yards
system will be the best investment you can make to protect your conveyor line from costly downtime and equipment damage. At MDI we listen to our customers’ needs; from installation costs to environmental issues, we are always innovating to find better solutions. MDI is proud to introduce a new addition to our product line, the MP5000-X Transverse Scanner. This ultra-long flat coil has the detection length of our surround type transverse scanners, but with the practical application of being an under conveyor installation. It’s perfect for protecting planers, scanning MDF, carpet, flooring, and for industries manufacturing sheet products. The new MP5000-X transverse scanner is our solution to situations where a full surround transverse coil is simply not feasible for your installation. With the ability to install under a conveyor the MP5000-X transverse scanner will significantly reduce installation expenses and conveyor downtime. The MP5000-X can detect a ¼ in. steel ball at a depth of 4 in. across an entire 20 ft. scanning width. Industrial staples, wire, and other tramp metal pieces are easily detected, keeping your valuable equipment protected. Because the MP5000-X is part of MDI’s MP-4 technology family, it features the same advanced filtering as all our digital products. The MP5000-X operates at maximum sensitivity even amidst the presence of various kinds of interference such as variable frequency drives, unshielded equipment and other unseen environmental factors. Just as with our surround type metal detector coils, MDI can customize the length of the MP5000-X to fit the needs of your conveyor line. You deserve no less than the best protection for your conveyor. Contact MDI now for a quote on a new metal detection system.
MOISTTECH Controlling the amount of moisture in wood products is a critical concern of the forest industry. An excess of moisture can have large impacts on final product quality and production. With MoistTech’s NIR moisture sensor, wood product manufacturers can adjust moisture levels on real-time information lowering raw material and fuel costs, providing higher yields and more uniform products. Near-Infrared moisMoistTech near-infrared moisture measurement is a ture control non-contact measure-
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ment that offers clear advantages over traditional methods, most important being ease-of-use, elimination of hazardous chemicals, and increased efficiency of product testing. With NIR analysis, all manual steps of collecting, drying and accurately weighing samples are eliminated. By measuring moisture continually through the production of wood pellets, proactive avoidance of moisture issues is accomplished. Our goal at MoistTech is to help those who manufacture wood pellets to deliver only the highest quality product through our moisture sensor technology. Insensitive to material variations such as particle size and material height/color, the sensors provide continuous, reliable readings with no maintenance, a one-time calibration with a non-contact, non-drift optical design allowing for immediate process adjustments based on real time measurements. Moisture management tools such as MoistTech’s IR3000 Online Sensor allow for moisture content to be continually monitored and adjustments made on the fly. MoistTech’s non-contact online moisture sensor provides instant measurement, thereby improving performance, reliability and consistency.
PROCESS BARRON ProcessBarron’s Traveling Screw Reclaim (TSR) system is a state-of-the -art, fully automated system that is built for reliability and longevity. This is a first in – first out reclaiming system, ProcessBarron traveling screw reclaim simply meaning an overhead conveyor (typically a traveling/reversing belt conveyor) forms the pile while all reclaiming is performed under the pile by the TSR. This method cuts down on degradation and compaction of the material at the bottom of the pile by continually moving the material downward through the system. All storage is what we call “active storage,” meaning all material in the storage system will at some point be reclaimed by the traveling screw, eliminating the need for assistance from a front end loader or dozer. The entire system is fully enclosed in an A-frame style building to protect the equipment and the stored material from the elements. The TSR is operated by a unique control system, which is designed to maintain constant pressure between the reclaim screw and the pile, which ensures a consistent feed, but also eliminates over-torqueing of the traveling unit on its rails. The control system continuously monitors the feedback from the reclaimer, via a series of switches and strain gauges, and adjusts accordingly to ultimately protect the mechanical components and maintain a consistent flow of reclaimed material.
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wood yards ■
Again, all of this is completely automated. This is the highest quality and most effective traveling screw reclaim system. This equipment is in operation all over the world, handling a variety of materials. Some of these systems are going on 20 to 30 years in operation. The reclaimer is extremely robust and is designed and built to last. We have 30 years of experience with screw design and fabrication, and specialize in building some of the most heavy duty screws in the industry, utilizing ceramics and high wear resistant metals.
Features include: —Tolerant of contaminants, rocks, metal without catastrophic maintenance costs if metal enters the grinding chamber —Highest crushing impact rotor supplying massive kinetic energy to power through the largest feed surges —Runs at one-third lower RPMs resulting in overall savings of electricity and maintenance costs —Bottom line productivity, reliability, with the lowest maintenance costs per ton of material processed.
RAWLINGS MANUFACTURING
TERRASOURCE GLOBAL
Rawlings horizontal stationary electric wood grinder— The Green Monster
With over 40 years of experience in the forest and sawmill related industries, Rawlings delivers wood grinding equipment with a reputation for durability, performance and reliability. Since 1976 Rawlings Manufacturing has been manufacturing and installing custom wood grinding systems. Rawlings offers a complete lineup of wood grinders in a full range of sizes and models. Each customer’s operation is unique with its own challenges. Our team designs each system specific to the customer’s operation and specification. Add a wide variety of available options such as work platform decks, choice of belt, chain, vibrating infeed and outfeed conveyors, metal, or magnet protection, product screening and separation, and you’ve got the flexibility to customize the perfect wood grinding system. Rawlings Horizontal Hogs are ideal for processing logs, railroad ties, construction and demolition debris, urban wood waste. The Rawlings HZX horizontal grinders features dual electric drive motors and a fully proportional feed system for efficient processing of diverse feed stocks. Sizing screens ensure a consistent sized finished fuel product. Machine capacity ranges from 40-100 tons per hour, depending on feed stock and finished product size. The heavy duty Rawlings wood hog uses both shear and impact to reduce wood waste and bark materials. The Rawlings Super Hi-Inertia Hog provides the crushing and shearing power needed to handle really tough jobs like green waste, cypress, redwood, cedar, black spruce, poplar and a wide range of other stringy and fibrous materials.
With more than 10,000 machines currently in use in 90+ countries, TerraSource Global remains the partner of choice for forest products and bioenergy operations around the world. Our Jeffrey Rader equip- Jeffrey Rader tubefeeder ment brand is trusted to provide customers with high-performance sizing, feeding, screening, reclaiming and pneumatic equipment. Backed by our “Rapid Response” service, broad engineering expertise, and precision OEM parts, TerraSource is uniquely positioned to deliver real, full-service solutions of unmatched value, performance and quality. Durability, reliability, cost-effectiveness and safety are hallmarks of our industry-leading Jeffrey Rader machines. Our customers trust us to provide an innovative array of equipment options across most stages of woody biomass processing, including: —Chip-Sizers: Our chip-sizers are the first true noknife rechipper, dramatically reducing oversized chips, while ensuring minimal fines and low maintenance costs. By eliminating the knives, customers experience less downtime and a much safer operation. —Wood and Bark Hogs: Our hogs come in a variety of sizes and are engineered to increase productivity and facilitate easier maintenance. Easy access vertical and horizontal models are available. —TubeFeeder: These unique reclaimers offer lower energy costs, better processing efficiency and optimal material blending capabilities than traditional reclaimers. Reduced wear parts, high accuracy on low out-feed rates, uniform and adjustable reclaim rates, and first-in, firstout flow conditions make the TubeFeeder a true innovation leader in under-pile reclaiming. —Pneumatic Conveying Systems: The ideal solution for hard-to-handle materials, our durable, customizable pneumatic solutions enable biomass facilities to move chips, bark, sawdust and RDF more efficiently to a
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■ wood yards
boiler or material pile. A variety of configurations ensure high-throughput and long wear-life. TerraSource Global customers also benefit from our unique Demonstration & Testing Center, which enables them to partner with our engineering team to quickly and thoroughly evaluate material processing and handling options with full-size equipment.
TRAMCO
TRAMCO model G en-masse conveyor
Founded in 1967, TRAMCO manufactures premier bulk material handling equipment. For more than 50 years, TRAMCO has held a reputation for designing and producing reliable heavy-duty equipment that can withstand severe processing applications at competitive industry prices in both the United States and the United Kingdom. TRAMCO has developed a complete line of products including the Model RB, Model G, Bulk-Flo, Bucket Elevator, and Jetbelt and has expanded their focus into the biomass sector. TRAMCO conveyors meet the criteria for delivering product for various industries such as chemical, coal, food and grain, wood and biomass, mining, plastic, pulp, rubber and paper, or solid waste and recycling.
WEST SALEM MACHINERY Reduce fiber costs, simplify fiber preparation, and reduce operating costs with WSM’s Biomass Super Shredder. This massive machine delivers by processing a wide range of incoming green feedstock (in-woods chips, pulp chips, West Salem Machinery biomass shredder microchips, sawdust, shavings, and hogged wood) for improved drying and sizing for pellet manufacturing. The WSM Biomass Super Shredder is specifically designed to deliver high capacity and high speed milling of green fiber at rates from 10 to 75 tph. Available in rotor diameters of 42 in., 48 in., and 60 in. and rotor lengths from 36 in. to 88 in. long, these field-proven machines typically operate with 150-1000 HP. Features include
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modular and adjustable tooling with either rigid or swing hammers with replaceable inserts; large screen area with modular sizing screens to allow adjustment to product sizing; and heavy duty housing with interior wear liners and pivoting case access for long life and ease of maintenance. When combined with a WSM pre-screen, processing rates can reach up to 100+ tph. System integration into your wood handling system is no problem. WSM offers complete infeed and outfeed options to help you supplement your fiber supply with lower cost fiber from the If you’re looking for a turnkey system, check out WSM’s complete processing systems. Fully integrated systems can include bulk feeders; pre-screening and cleaning for low cost processing, reduced grinder wear and increased throughput; grinding; post-screening; conveying; access platforms and structures. Optional project management and startup assistance complete the package.
WOLF MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS
Wolf Material Handling Systems stacker-reclaimer
Wolf Material Handling Systems is the premier designer and supplier of fuel yard equipment for the biomass power, pulp and paper, power generation, resource recovery, mining, chemical, manufacturing and other industries that require material handling. We are a provider of complete in-house engineering and design, manufacturing, assembly and installation for systems using conveyor systems, truck dumpers and receiving hoppers. Wolf can provide complete systems starting at the conceptual phase through commissioning. Wolf understands challenges required to handle biomass and takes complete design and supply responsibility of the system from fuel receiving, sizing, storage, reclaim and boiler feed. Wolf Material Handling Systems offers versatile underpile reclaimer platforms that automatically reclaim and evenly meter all wood fuel products. These robust and innovative designs include low profile offerings that can be incorporated into almost all new or retrofit applications. Engineered with ease of maintenance in mind these systems are engineered to provide easy access to wear parts and include a slow speed chain design with VFD drives to further reduce wear. Other standard offerings include hardened chains and heavy-duty frame construction that allow “drive-over” capability and provide years of service.
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■ product news Polytechnik Addresses Emissions, Sustainability
Outside of production building in Uelitz, Germany
Austrian company POLYTECHNIK, a global manufacturer of biomass energy plants with output ranges of 300 kW to 30,000 kW, drives innovation for the achievement of emission targets with its newly developed “POLY H.E.L.D. and GREEN CARBON.” POLY H.E.L.D. (High Efficiency Low Dust), presented for the first time at the Ligna fair in Hannover, Germany in May, met with great interest in the sector. The combustion system with extreme air staging allows for a low-emission and efficient combustion of various fuels. Thanks to its primary measures, the
dust emissions are below the statutory limits without any additional flue gas purification. Additionally, high-ash biofuels with low ash melting points can be combusted or gasified. As a unique development, POLY H.E.L.D. achieves a reduction of NOx emissions by 20-30% compared to conventional combustion technologies without secondary measures. Besides the low emissions, the innovative combustion technology with extreme air staging offers favorable efficiencies of more than 90%. Due to its special design and controls, it’s even possible to use
Raw material in predrying
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product news ■
negative energy. One possible form of energy production in combination with the Green Carbon process are ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) plants for heat, cooling, energy and industrial process energy. The whole
process can be monitored, controlled and maintained by Polytechnik via remote maintenance (RemoteControl), thanks to its sophisticated PLC. Article submitted by Polytechnik. Visit polytechnic.at.
Hydraulic grate combustion plant
agricultural byproducts and general biomass apart from wood for a lowemission energy production. GREEN CARBON is a sustainable technology for reducing greenhouse gases. Biochar, or vegetable carbon, stores energy from photosynthesis, minerals from biomass, water from the soil, microorganisms, organic pollutants and CO2 for thousands of years. The movement of carbon in its different forms between the biosphere, atmosphere, the oceans and the earth’s crust is called the carbon cycle. POLYTECHNIK’s patented hightech pyrolysis plant produces energy from forestry and wood waste with a negative carbon balance. The Green Carbon technology is able to “transfer” approximately 50% of the plant’s carbon into an inactive “carbon battery.” The remaining 50% of the carbon can be used for heat and energy production. Carbon-neutral charcoal is the most popular and natural fuel for grilling food worldwide. Charcoal products are also in demand in the health and cosmetics sector. Biochar/vegetable carbon increases the soil fertility and accelerates plant growth; improves the soil’s capacity for water retention; reduces the production of methane when added to the feed of livestock; binds nitrogen and phosphorus in the manure as well as ammoniac; reduces the loss of agricultural nutrients and chemicals in wastewater treatment plants. Polytechnik’s automatically controlled retort system is the only one of its kind in the world and produces high-quality and certified biochar/vegetable carbon while simultaneously supplying renewable, CO2-
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■ product news
Tigercat Adds Biochar Machine To Lineup
Tigercat-ROI mobile biochar producer
Tigercat Industries Inc. has purchased Ragnar Original Innovations (ROI) of New Hampshire. The company, founded by Anders Ragnarsson, manufactures material processing machinery used in the construction, forestry and recycling industries. The immediate addition to the Tigercat lineup will be the Car-
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bonizer product line. Already a commercially available product, this innovative carbon negative technology can convert processed and unprocessed wood debris into a product called Biochar. Still relatively new to the marketplace, this technology has attracted widespread interest from both the private and public sectors seeking practical methods to reduce atmospheric carbon emissions. The Carbonizer’s single step process sequesters carbon and significantly reduces debris volume while creating a product useful in agriculture. Ragnarsson assumes the role of VP Material Processing Products. He and his team will continue to operate from their Chester, NH location until a new facility in Freemont, NH currently under construction is completed.
CBI Debuts Grinder At Factory Forum
CBI’s new 6400CT horizontal grinder
Continental Biomass Industries (CBI) premiered the 6400CT horizontal grinder and chipper at the 2019 Factory Forum in Newton, NH. The 6400CT processed steel contaminated railroad ties along with a mix of construction and demolition debris to headline the range of environmental equipment at the show.
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“The 6400CT’s cassette-style rotor is a great example of CBI’s customer-driven product development,” says George Wilcox, director of Sales and Marketing at CBI & Ecotec – Americas. The 6400CT is an extreme-duty machine engineered for resilience and high production when grinding contaminated demolition debris, railroad ties, whole trees, pallets, storm debris, shingles, logs, mulch, slash and stumps. The new “cassette style” clam shell design allows endusers to completely swap out rotors faster. Operators can go from grinding to chipping in half the time as before and accept jobs with various material demands. Four interchangeable rotors give this horizontal grinder the versatility needed to stay on top of changing markets. Customers and members of CBI’s
Global Distribution Network were invited to attend the Factory Workshop Circuit prior to the Demo Day. Guests received personalized instruction on basic machine anatomy, tip and screen changes, controls, hydraulics, and rotor bearing changes. The Factory Forum concluded with CBI’s Annual Golden Grizzlies Awards Dinner. Frontline Machinery was named CBI’s 2019 Dealer of the Year and Columbus Equipment Company was named the Terex Ecotec North American Dealer of the Year.
Rotochopper Hosts Ninth Demo Day Rotochopper hosted customers and prospects from around the world at its 9th Annual Demo Day. The excitement and energy of the Rotochopper team and more than 200
guests was not hampered by the inclement weather in St. Martin, Minn. on Demo Day. The event was organized around the theme “Partnership Through Innovation.” The day began with tours of the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, providing attendees with the opportunity to see the process behind the manufacturing of Rotochopper grinders, from cutting to final inspection and testing. Shawn Matthuis, Owner of 815 Mulch It in Mokena, Ill., comments, “I just love how much effort is put in across the
More than 200 guests attended Rotochopper Demo Day
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â– product news
board from everyone at Rotochopper. It is a great event and I absolutely love coming.� President and CEO Tosh Brinkerhoff welcomed attendees and announced a new partnership between
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Rotochopper and Lindner Recycling to sell and service low speed, high torque shredders. The demonstrations kicked off with the entrance of the B-66 L-Series track and dolly grinder, showing
the versatility and ease of the Rotochopper Gen II Track & Dolly system. Once tracked to the demo location the B-66 L-Series grinder worked through green waste, logs, cutoffs and brush. The FP-66 B-Series grinder, enhanced with new featured and design updates, showed off its place as the grinder for those that need a full-feature grinder for high volume, mid horsepower applications. The afternoon was filled with additional demos, showcasing a variety of use cases and applications of Rotochopper equipment. The 75DK shredder from Lindner and the MC-266 horizontal grinder took the stage mid-afternoon, providing attendees with a view of turning stumps and mixed C&D into coarse fiber with great efficiency. The day ended with a head-to-head grind off between the B-66L and FP-66.
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product news ■
Morbark Enhances 50/48X Chipper
The 50/48X Morbark chipper features a similar design layout as Morbark’s other industry-leading industrial drum chippers with a sloped infeed, reverse-pivot top feed wheel, bottom feedwheel, externally adjustable anvil and Advantage 3 drum assembly that can come as 10knives for fuel chip or 20-knives for microchip applications. Making it easier for customers to
perform routine daily maintenance guided many of the new improvements. This focus resulted in the development of: —A hydraulic hinged door and hood locking system to provide quick access to the drum during knife change intervals —Large work platforms on both sides for easier and safer drum inspections —A consolidated area for oil and hydraulic filters, easily accessible from the ground or maintenance platform —An independent drum drive tensioning system for ease of adjustment —An increased area between the engine and chipper base for easy access during general engine inspection and belly band removal
The powerful top feedwheel was enlarged more than 15% to 40 in. (101.6 cm), and the enhanced hydraulic system now includes a direct drive Poclain motor for the top and bottom feedwheel that eliminates previous chain and sprocket drives and provides more torque. The 50/48X can be equipped with a Caterpillar C27, 1,050 HP (783 kW) engine or Caterpillar C32, 1200 HP (895 kW) engine, both Tier 4 Final. “The Morbark 50/48 has long been the industry standard for highproduction mobile fuel and microchip applications, and we strongly feel these improvements will minimize downtime, increase production and provide overall customer success,” Morbark states.
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2019
Editorial Index
FEBRUARY
Pinnacle Lavington Steady Performer. Page 17.
From The Editors No Matter The Elements We Go The Distance. Page 6.
Morbark’s Legendary Larry Burkholder. Page 24. New EPA Rule: Biomass Burned. Page 28.
Northern Jewel Pinnacle Opens Its Latest. Page 18.
Dry End Production. Page 32.
2018 In Review Pellets Trade Soared. Page 26.
OCTOBER
Forestry Biomass Energy Carrier. Page 30.
From The Editors Number 6 On Tap Wood Bio Conference. Page 6.
2019 Wood Bio Guide. Page 34.
In The News Enviva Completes Public Comment Process. Page 8.
APRIL
Forester Branches Out. Page 16.
From The Editors Can Wood Bioenergy Save Arizona? Page 6.
Leading The Charge Drax Power. Page 20. Arizona Foresters Need More Biomass Utilization. Page 28.
Update Biomass Power: EPA Leaving Out Producers. Page 8. Mr. Tree Delivers With Major Recovery Project. Page 18. Six Months Out: Michael’s Impact Increases. Page 24.
Fire Prevention. Page 32.
DECEMBER Chippers & Grinders. Page 20. Raw Materials. Page 24.
Dryer Island. Page 28.
OLC Delivers New Products. Largest outdoor exhibit space ever in 2019. Page 28.
JUNE
AUGUST
From The Editors Solutions In Place But Shallow Commitment. Page 6.
From The Editors EPA Says Go Coal Go! Page 6.
The Making Of Graanul Invest Raul Kirjanen. Page 14.
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In The News Pinnacle, Tolko Teaming Up Again. Page 8.
From The Editors Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo Major Talking Points. Page 6. Sawmiller Varn Finds Byproduct In Pellets. Page 14. South Korea, Japan: Who’s Ready To Pay? Page 20. Ledro Energia: Cogen And Pellet. Page 24. Wood Yards Page 26.
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