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■ table of contents

www.woodbioenergymag.com

18 6

FROM THE EDITORS Rising To The Occasion

THE DRYER ISLAND Technologies, Machines

IN THE NEWS Woodville Pellets New Name

A STRATEGY FOR BIDEN Fighting Climate Change

14 FRAM FUELS To The Next Level 18 Q&A WITH JENS WOLF Enviva’s European Man

Wood Bioenergy / April 2021

Cover Photography: After a somewhat stilted beginning, the Fram Fuels flagship mill in Hazlehurst, Ga. is really turning it up. (Jessica Johnson photo)

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Volume 13

Number 2

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■ from the editors

The Good Old

College Try O

ne can only try to imagine the challenges and complexities in tearing out a significant section of a new industrial wood pellet mill and replacing it with different equipment and technology, even of the more conventional kind. Fram Renewable Fuels has made such a conversion at its Hazlehurst Wood Pellets facility in Hazlehurst, Ga. It appears to have done so quite successfully, even increasing production capacity in the meanwhile. Thanks to Fram opening its doors to us, we were able to visit the plant in late 2016 and again this March, a span of more than four years, so we were able to gain some insight into this monumental transition, but it pales in comparison to living and breathing it on a daily basis. We recall the high and sincere hopes that Fram President Harold Arnold had for this innovative technology back in 2016 as he led us through the new plant, which featured technology new to the wood pellet industry, a modular approach with three independent lines each with a close-coupled pre-dryer and main dryer configuration, which in addition to obviously drying the raw material was meant to utilize the heat value of the VOCs, while not requiring a conventional wet ESP and RTO. The modular setup would also have the advantage—actually very simple when you think about it—of flexibility in downtime, whether forced or scheduled maintenance, in that the whole plant wouldn’t have to go down. But to paraphrase Robert Burns, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Today Arnold says everyone involved was extremely talented and gave their all in trying to make the plant run as envisioned. In other words, no hard feelings, but time to move on. And there was never any doubt that the Hazlehurst operation would move on. “The plant is needed as part of an overall plan for pro-

cessing forest products in Hazlehurst,” Arnold explains. “Our partners own other forest product businesses here who benefit from having a local buyer of their residual products and of their lower quality timber. There was never any question about continuing with work on the plant until it functioned as originally planned.” The plant shut down in late January 2019 and restarted in December 2020, and with 20% more production capacity. Our article on page 14 goes into more particulars on the Hazlehurst plant as it runs today. Harold Arnold, who is one of our favorite persons in this industry, and his team at Fram Renewable Fuels and Hazlehurst, including his son, Harold, deserve tremendous praise for not being afraid to venture into the unknown, overcoming a setback and emerging on the other side better than ever. Continuing with the proverbs, with a nod to Shakespeare, “All’s well that ends well.”

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■ in the news Drax Group Pushes Through 2020 UK electricity producer Drax Group reports it has reduced its carbon emissions by more than 85% since 2012, while becoming the UK’s largest renewable energy generator and has an ambition to become a carbon negative company by 2030. Those statements were made as part of Drax’s annual report for 2020, a year in which it persevered through the dangers and constraints of COVID-19. Drax announced an end to commercial coal generation effective in March 2021 while continuing to develop options for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), which Drax believes can become a world leading, UKled and exportable solution for large-scale carbon negative power generation. Subject to the right negative emissions framework from the UK Government, Drax expects to be in a position to make further investment in the development of this option in 2021. Drax, whose recently announced purchase of major Canadian-based industrial wood pellet producer Pinnacle is moving through required approvals, says Drax’s three pellet plants in the U.S. produced 1.5 million tonnes in 2020, an increase of 7%, which reflects a strong operational performance and good fiber availability compared to 2019 when heavy rainfall restricted commercial forestry activity. Pellet quality, as measured by the level of fines in each cargo, improved in 2020. Lower levels of fines result in biomass that is easier and safer to handle throughout the supply chain and as such there are safety, operational and cost benefits in reducing the level of fines. Drax identified supply chain improvements, efficiencies and investments, which it believes will reduce the cost of biomass by $35/tonne

(£13/MWh) on its existing portfolio by 2022 compared to 2018. In 2020 this program alongside increased output and other incremental operational improvements resulted in an average production cost of $153/ tonne, a 5% saving year-on-year. It expects to deliver further savings by expanding its three existing pellet production sites in the Southeast U.S. by 0.4Mt. At the end of 2020 it completed the first phase of these with the remaining capacity of 0.3Mt expected to come on stream by 2022. Realizing these programs will expand total capacity to 1.9Mt at the three Drax facilities, providing economies of scale and allowing greater utilization of low-cost residues. In February 2020 Drax announced plans to further expand its existing infrastructure with the development of three new 40,000 tonne satellite plants. These sites will use lower cost sawmill residues and leverage existing infrastructure in the U.S. Southeast to produce biomass at around 20% below the current cost of production. The acquisition of Pinnacle accelerates the Group’s strategic objectives by adding 2.9Mt of biomass production capacity in 2022, and includes long-term third-party supply contracts to counterparties in Asia and Europe. Drax says the end of commercial coal operations in March 2021, and final closure of the generating units in September 2022, is expected to result in annual cost savings of £30-35 million once complete. Drax believes this will help to support the financial model for long-term biomass generation at Drax Power Station when the current renewable subsidy schemes end in March 2027. The UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) has set out what is required for the country to achieve its legally binding objective of being net zero by 2050. This includes an important role for BECCS to remove carbon from the atmosphere, creating negative emissions.

BECCS is the only large-scale solution for negative emissions with renewable electricity and system support capabilities. Through combining BECCS with its existing biomass generation units at Drax Power Station, Drax believes it could remove millions of tonnes of carbon each year in 2027. In doing so Drax aims to become a carbon negative company by 2030. The technology to deliver postcombustion BECCS exists and is proven at scale, according to Drax, which adds that in September 2020 Drax commenced a trial of one such technology provided by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. In addition, Drax is developing innovative technology options, including CCapture, a partnership with Leeds University, IP Group and BP, which has developed an organic solvent which could be used for BECCS. The Group’s biomass life cycle carbon emissions in 2020 were 109kgCO2e/MWh of electricity (2019: 124 kgCO2e/MWh), almost half the UK Government’s 200kgCO2e/MWh of electricity limit for biomass.

Drax Sets Sights On Carbon Capture Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) is an essential negative emissions technology needed for the UK to meet its legally binding net zero by 2050 target and demonstrate global climate leadership, according to UK power generator Drax Group. Work to build BECCS could get under way at Drax as soon as 2024, creating tens of thousands of jobs and supporting a postcovid economic recovery. By 2027 Drax says its first BECCS unit could be operational, delivering the UK’s largest carbon capture project and permanently removing millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. Drax is set to kickstart the planning process for its proposals to

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in the news ■

build ground-breaking negative emissions technology. The energy company has already transformed its power station near Selby in North Yorkshire to become the largest decarbonization project in Europe having converted it to use sustainable biomass instead of coal. In order to deploy BECCS Drax must secure a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the government –—a process which takes around two years to complete, and which will get under way in March. If successful in its DCO application, and subject to the right investment framework from government, work to build Drax’s first two BECCS units could start in 2024, ready to start capturing and storing up to 9 million tonnes of CO2 a year. The first phase of the DCO application process includes an informal public consultation this spring. Earlier this year Drax sold its four gas power stations and announced it will not be progressing with plans to develop high efficiency gas power at the Drax site in North Yorkshire.

Enviva has commenced a series of projects at its wood pellet production plants in Sampson, NC; Hamlet, NC; and Cottondale, Fla. subject to receiving the necessary permits. Enviva expects to invest $50 million in these projects to debottleneck manufacturing pro-

cesses, eliminate certain costs, and increase production capacity, while reducing GHG emissions. Enviva expects to complete this work by the end of 2022. Enviva also noted the following continued developments: —Construction of a wood pellet

Enviva Keeps Momentum Going Enviva reports the integration of the wood pellet production plant it previously purchased in Greenwood, SC is progressing as expected. Enviva has received the necessary permits to expand the Greenwood plant production capacity to 600,000 metric tons per year. Construction is ongoing and the expansion is on track for completion by the end of 2021. Enviva states that performance at the previously purchased Waycross, Ga. plant has consistently met or exceeded its expectations prior to the acquisition. Enviva continues to commission certain assets and ramp production from existing expansion projects at its wood pellet production plants in Northampton, NC and Southampton, Va. Enviva expects each plant to reach production capacity of 750,000 MTPY by the end of 2021.

April 2021 / Wood Bioenergy

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■ in the news

production plant in Lucedale, Miss. and a deep-water marine terminal in Pascagoula, Miss. —Development and construction of a wood pellet production plant in Epes, Ala., where Envia has completed the purchase of the project site and commenced preconstruction activities. —Evaluation of additional sites for wood pellet production plants across the Southeastern U.S., which would be exported through its existing terminals and the Pascagoula terminal. Enviva points to several developments as potentially positively impacting its business: ● In one of the new administration’s first actions, President Joe Biden signed an executive order recommitting the U.S. to the Paris Agreement, the international accord designed to avert catastrophic global warming. This action caps a

landmark 12-month period during which the global community, including many of the regulators, policymakers, academics, and businesses in the jurisdictions where Enviva’s existing and prospective customers are located, made unprecedented commitments and significant progress to phase out coal, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and achieve “net-zero” by 2050 in order to limit the impact of climate change. ● In December 2020, the European Union took another decisive step towards legislating the 2050 “net-zero” target into the European Climate Law, when EU leaders from all 27 member states, including heavily coal-dependent countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic, agreed to raise the EU’s 2030 GHG emissions reduction target from 40% to 55% as compared to 1990 levels. EU leaders

also reached agreement on an economic recovery package that included more than 110 billion euros of grants dedicated to climate and environmental purposes. The European Council, Parliament, and Commission have now entered into the “trilogue” in order to formally adopt this law. ● The United Kingdom, which has been at the forefront of the renewable energy transition, recently raised its GHG emissions reduction commitment under the Paris Agreement to at least 68% by 2030, up from the previous target of 53% as compared to 1990 levels. Furthermore, through a series of important energy policy publications, including the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the Energy White Paper “Powering Our Net Zero Future,” and the Committee on Climate Change’s Sixth Carbon

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in the news ■

Budget, the UK government underlined its continued commitment to bioenergy as a source of heat and power and outlined its intention to support Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) as a key negative carbon emissions solution and explore bioenergy’s role in hydrogen production. ● In Japan, following Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s “netzero” pledge in October 2020, the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry recently unveiled a “Green Growth Strategy Towards 2050 Carbon Neutrality.” The strategy sets the target for renewable energy sources to make up 50% to 60% of the nation’s power supply by 2050 and proposes tax incentives and other support to achieve this goal, including a 2 trillion yen ($19 billion) “Green Innovation Fund.”

In addition to the approximately 3.5 million MTPY of long-term off-take contracts with Japanese counterparties Enviva executed several agreements with Japanese counterparties, including: —A new contract with a major Japanese trading house regarding 20-year, take-or-pay off-take supply for a new biomass power plant. The contract is subject to certain conditions. Sales related to this contract are expected to commence in 2024 with annual deliveries of 240,000 MTPY of wood pellets. —An amendment to increase the volume from 400,000 MTPY to 420,000 MTPY under an existing 20-year, take-or-pay off-take contract with a major Japanese trading house to supply a new biomass power plant. Deliveries under this contract are expected to commence in 2024. —A memorandum of under-

standing with a major trading house in Japan outlining the terms under which Enviva would supply up to 1 million MPTY to an emerging segment of the Japanese renewable energy market, combined heat and power plants that could be converted from fossil fuels to co-fired or dedicated biomass plants. These facilities are most often co-located with major manufacturing complexes in Japan. The decarbonization of the industrial sector is increasingly important for countries to meet net-zero targets. As of February 1, 2021, Enviva’s current production capacity is matched with a portfolio of firm, take-or-pay off-take contracts that has a total weighted-average remaining term of 12.8 years. Enviva reports it owns and operates nine plants with a combined production capacity of 5.3 million

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■ in the news

MTPY in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi, and exports wood pellets through its marine terminals at the Port of Chesapeake, Va. and the Port of Wilmington, NC and from third-party marine terminals in Savannah, Ga.; Mobile, Ala., and Panama City, Fla.

Enviva Focuses On Net-Zero Consistent with its mission to displace coal, grow more trees, and fight climate change, Enviva announced its commitment to become “net-zero” in GHG emissions from its operations by 2030. Although the product Enviva manufactures helps to reduce the lifecycle GHG emissions of its customers, Enviva states it must also do its part within its operations to mitigate the impacts of climate change. In order to deliver “netzero” emissions by 2030, Enviva has committed to the following: —Reduce, eliminate or offset all of its direct emissions. Immediately begin to minimize the emissions from fossil fuels used directly in its operations. As its efforts to minimize the use of fossil fuels, adopt lower-carbon processes, and improve the efficiency of operations will take time and continue to mature, in the interim Enviva will offset 100% of its residual emissions through investments in projects that result in real, additional and third-partyverified net-carbon reductions. Enviva will focus on forest offsets created in the U.S. Southeast as part of its relationships with Finite Carbon and others, building on experience working directly with private landowners. Enviva plans to work with key stakeholders and others who are investing in such high-quality offsets, prioritizing those created from forest management, afforestation, and reforestation projects. —Reduce the emissions arising from electricity purchases in its operations, pledging to source 100%

renewable energy for its operations by no later than 2030, with a target of at least 50% by 2025. Today, all of the fuel utilized in Enviva drying operations is already provided by 100% renewable resources, but it still uses electricity from the grid. Enviva manufacturing operations are located in the U.S. Southeast, where electricity generation relies heavily on coal and natural gas and where market structures make renewable energy supply more difficult than in many other parts of the U.S. Enviva recognizes that efforts are under way to transition the grid in its operating regions to loweremissions sources and Enviva intends to play a positive role in accelerating these trends. “We will work with renewable energy suppliers to generate zero-carbon renewable energy for our operations. We will seek to both maximize the use of on-site renewable energy generation at our facilities, as well as to develop new off-site renewable energy resources physically located in our operating regions where possible.” Enviva will seek to drive innovative improvements in its supply chain. To address emissions generated as part of its upstream and downstream supply chain, Enviva commits to proactively engage with its partners and other key stakeholders to adopt clean energy solutions. Given the durability and consistency of its operations, particularly with respect to transportation logistics, Enviva believes its business provides a unique opportunity to test innovative approaches for supply-chain decarbonization. Enviva commits to work with its stakeholders to improve the environmental emissions intensity of trucking, rail and shipping logistics, and commits further to take steps to accelerate and advocate for the development of new solutions and to work with its stakeholders to bring these solutions to market. Enviva will transparently track and report on its progress. It also

commits to disclosing climate-relevant data and risks through CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) by the end of 2022.

New Name Is Woodville Pellets The former bankrupt German Pellets industrial wood pellet facility in Woodville, Texas that was purchased by Estonia-based Graanul Invest Group in June 2019 now operates as Woodville Pellets. Graanul Invest Group is the second largest pellet producer in the world and the largest in Europe. The group operates in the field of bioenergy and renewable energy production, forestry and biomaterials development. Woodville Pellets LLC also has a pellet storage and shipping terminal in Port Arthur, Texas. The pellet plant has a production capacity of 496,000 tons per year. The operations are undergoing new project work. Graanul Invest Group has 12 modern wood pellet mills and company s annual pellet production capacity is 2.98 million tons The group owns six combined heat and power plants that are biomass-based units. Graanul Invest also includes three forestry companies and over 50,000 hectares of forestland in the Baltics. The group plants more than a million trees annually.

Drax Adds Pellet Production Capacity Drax Group, the major United Kingdom-based electricity producer, which has converted much of its generation from coal-fired to wood pellet fuel, has entered into an agreement to purchase major Canadian-based industrial wood pellet producer Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc. The all-cash transaction is valued at $657 million (U.S.) (C$831 million), including the assumption of net debt. Duncan Davies, Pinnacle CEO, comments, “The combination of

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in the news ■

Pinnacle and Drax will create a global leader in sustainable biomass with the vision, technical expertise and financial strength to help meet the growing demand for renewable energy products around the world.” Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax, remarks, “I am excited about this deal which will reinforce Drax’s position as the world’s leading sustainable biomass generation and supply business, delivering to our strategy to increase self-supply, reduce our biomass production cost and create a long-term future for sustainable biomass.” The transaction is subject to closing conditions, including governmental and regulatory approvals as well as the approval of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The transaction is expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2021. Pinnacle is the second largest

producer of industrial wood pellets in the world. The company operates nine production facilities in Western Canada and one in Aliceville, Ala., with one additional facility nearing startup in Demopolis, Ala. The company also owns a port terminal in Prince Rupert, BC. Pinnacle has entered into long-term, take-or-pay contracts with utilities in the U.K., Europe and Asia that represent an average of 99% of its production capacity through 2026. Drax notes the transaction more than doubles its biomass production capacity, significantly reduces its cost of biomass production and adds a major biomass supply business underpinned by long-term contracts with high-quality Asian and European counterparties. Specifically it adds 2.9 million tonnes of biomass production capacity. Pinnacle’s existing joint

venture minority partnerships carry over to Drax in the transaction. Pinnacle reportedly currently produces biomass at a lower cost than Drax. This reflects the use of high levels of low-cost sawmill residues. British Columbia has a large and well-established commercial forestry industry, which has in recent years seen increased harvest levels, in part associated with management of a pine beetle infestation, producing good levels of residue material availability for the production of biomass. This infestation has now run its course and alongside other influences on the forest landscape, including wildfire, is resulting in a reduction in the annual harvest and sawmill closures. The industry is adjusting to this with some production curtailment as well as developing approaches to fiber recovery and use that is expected to result in some in- ➤ 35

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Fram Fuels Keeps On

Keeping On By Jessica Johnson

HAZLEHURST, Ga. here are benefits to going with a prototype— being on the cutting edge means helping to shape the technology as it is being developed. It also means having to know when the prototype just is not working, and it is time to abort. Fram Renewable Fuels wanted a way to construct a new pellet mill in a modular fashion. Fram also wanted to find a way to utilize the heat value of the VOCs produced by wood fiber drying that were typically controlled by incineration in the available drying systems. So, Fram contracted with a reputable, highly capable equipment manufacturer to produce such a

system. After several years of intense and dedicated work on the project, the facility decided the expected results could not be economically achieved. It was the right move, Harold E. Arnold, who handles sales and marketing for Fram, says. “Not being able to be consistent and hit the goals we wanted to was the reason why we ultimately pulled back.” Harold E. Arnold After delving into the experi-

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pellet producer ■ At left, looking at the TSI drum dryer from the outfeed end with flat back elbow on the discharge duct. To the left in background is the reciprocating grate furnace (wet bark burner) that provides heat energy for the dryer, and to the left of that (in foreground) is the main ID (induced draft) fan at ground level with big vertical duct from the dryer cyclones coming down into it. The silo on top of the dryer is the wet feed bin for the dryer. Below are the metering bins for dry hammermills.

mental process and trying to make it right, Fram was ready for a change that would bring the mill the consistency it craved. After gathering information, including visiting other industry sites around the U.S. South, Fram signed the order with TSI for a complete redo of the dryer island, including the furnace, dryer, WESP and RTO. These numerous trips with TSI were extremely helpful for Fram’s staff. “There’s competition, but it’s all mainly friendly competition because everybody knows everybody, there’s only a handful of producers,” Arnold says of these visits. “Everyone was open to telling us what they liked and what they didn’t like about the system; the engineers got to really discuss things.”

Fram prefers to run with sawmill residue, but does take in a significant amount of roundwood.

Hazlehurst runs with Kahl flat die presses, 15 in total.

He says the driving force behind needing to replace the prototype system was the reliability of the system overall, and specifically with the pre-dryer/main dryer system installed in each of the three lines feeding the pelletizers. Fram had problems with how the system was capturing VOCs and running them back into the burner in the pre-dryer. Emissions control was a chief selling point going in, along with the modular approach to pellet production. “There comes a point where you have to kind of wrap it up,” Arnold says. “The main thing we wanted to do was have the mill be reliable like our other operations,” Arnold adds. “We

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■ pellet producer

The wood yard can hold up to 80,000 tons of residue.

like to be very consistent in everything. That’s the only way to be in the wood industry. If you’re not consistent there are always a lot more problems down the road— starting with your truckers. If you can’t unload everything consistently they will find a new home. TSI had that track record that was hard to beat.” The mill tried to keep as much of the original machinery as possible, including the radial “Superstacker,” bag houses, conveyors and long term conditioners. Citing similar industry experience and reliability as TSI, Bliss was selected in the replacement of the dry hammermill island. The plant shut down in January 2019 to complete the install of the new dryer island, as well as the addition of three more Kahl flat die presses and the new Bliss dry hammermill island. In December 2020, Hazlehurst was once again pressing pellets. The pandemic made startup a little tricker for Fram, as any construction project of this scale depends on numerous subcontractors. The site leaned on an outside cleaning and sanitation crew to keep the grounds safe for all involved. Overall Fram had little interruption to the installation schedule—though there were a number of pieces of equipment that were delayed due to other manufacturing plants being temporarily closed or logistical problems where trucks were just not available to deliver the materials needed. Fram decided in part to continue to use the modular design. The facility has three pellet pressing lines fed by the single dryer island and dry hammermill. Each line originally had four Kahl flat die presses, but now uses five. A dry material storage silo feeds three long term conditioners before pelletizing. This means Fram is able to have the modular design they liked, giving flexibility to operate lines two or three if line one goes down for maintenance for example, while still have the reliability of TSI’s technologies. Arnold explains, “It’s very little downtime with not

Hazlehurst targets 5.5% moisture.

having everything in one row. We’ve always liked that, from previous experience with other mills we’ve built. If you have all the material running in a straight through process, if something small goes down it can take more down than you really need to.” As to adding the additional Kahl presses, Arnold says the flat die 600 HP machines get excellent throughput (around 6 tons per hour) and quality is spot on.

Mill Flow The facility tries to purchase as much sawmill residue as possible, though the wood yard does have chipping capabilities to allow for roundwood deliveries—capacity peaks at 60,000 tons of roundwood and 80,000 tons of residuals. The radial stacker and green end chipping and hogging stations lead to the TSI dryer. The facility uses a fully automated reclaim system, which stays consistent on the pile’s moisture. Arnold says this helps a lot with pellet quality: “It’s a recipe that’s easy to follow but never turns out the same. So many factors, it’s a little bit of magic.” From the dryer to the dry hammermill, material is conveyed to the press houses. TSI’s heat energy system is an 80 m2 grate style, handling fuel moisture of a minimum of 35%. It includes primary and secondary combustion chambers, two wet ash conveyors, and a 15 minute metering bin capacity. The drum dryer is 22 ft. by 110 ft. supported by a chips-fed metering bin capacity of 30 minutes. The system includes two cyclones and a 1200 RPM induced fan. The dryer island also includes a single TSI wet ESP with four fields, and a TSI RTO with four combustion chambers and an exhaust stack height of 50 ft. The facility has 2,000 tons of storage capacity in the dry storage silo if needed, another measure designed to keep pellet presses running if there’s a hiccup at the dryer. The lion’s share of Fram’s Hazlehurst production, of which the facility tops 500,000 tons, is for indus-

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trial use and therefore pressed in either 6 mm up to 8 mm sizes. This production is moved to the port of Brunswick and shipped to electricity generation markets overseas. The rest of production, about 100,000 tons per year, is for the home heating market and is pressed to 6 mm. Pellet moisture content is under 6%, usually hovering around 5.5%. With the old dryer system, Arnold reports there was some inconsistencies in moisture content, which meant running material back through the drying system again. But, with TSI, those issues have dissipated. Arnold says, “At the moment, everyone is happy and really liking the heat value. Durability has been as high as you can get. Fines are extremely low and moisture has been low as well.” The increased output at Hazlehurst complements Fram’s pellet production at its Appling County Pellet, Archer Forest Products and Telfair Forest Products mills, giving the four sites a combined capacity of approximately 1 million metric tons. Jason Yearty is the Plant Manager at Hazlehurst and Harold L. Arnold remains the President of Fram Renewable Fuels. Rusty Dubberly serves as Fram’s Operations Manager, in charge of all the plants.

Trucks are loaded in two minutes and a rail car 10.

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Europe Focuses

On Biomass EDITOR’S NOTE: Jens Wolf serves as Vice President and General Manager of Europe for Enviva, joining Enviva in January 2020. He is responsible for regulatory engagement and market development in the region, and for managing Enviva’s European team in York, Berlin and London. Wolf brings more than 20 years of experience in the power industry with more than a decade of focus on biomass-derived power and fuel sourcing. He joined Enviva from Drax Group where he was responsible for trading, fuel sourcing, logistics and new fuels development, ultimately serving as commercial director for almost four years. Previously, he served as head of Asset Management and Development, director, with Ørsted A/S (formerly DONG Energy) for five years. At Ørsted, he managed the development of four coal-to-biomass conversion projects and the associated redesign of the fuel supply chain. He began his career in consulting at ICF International and McKinsey & Co. Wolf holds a M.Sc. in Economics from Copenhagen University and speaks Danish and Spanish fluently, among other languages. Wolf agreed to answer several questions posed by the editors of Wood Bioenergy. WB: Speculate on 10 years from now, where Europe might be with regard to wood biomass heating and electricity as part of its infrastructure? Wolf: The future of biomass is very promising with substantial growth opportunities for the industry and a broader energy sector. In the short term, woody biomass is a viable alternative in industrial and combined heat and power (CHP) applications. Wood pellets offer a reliable, dispatchable, carbon-neutral replacement to coal- and gas-fired boilers and furnaces in heavy industries such as steel, cement and other applications where high temperatures are needed. Further down the road, when surplus solar and wind could potentially be used to create hydrogen at scale, there will be an exciting opportunity to produce aviation and other fuels with carbon capture of biomass that could result in even fewer net greenhouse gas emissions. WB: Looking back 10 years as the new generation of wood energy came forward to the present, how would you describe the influx of biomass power in Europe? Wolf: Over the last decade there has been a large increase in the demand for wood bioenergy. In fact, the use of bioenergy has more than doubled since 2000 as a result of its enduse as heat, transportation and electricity. As more and more countries take aggressive action toward mitigating climate change, the demand for sustainably sourced biomass is expected to increase. For example, last year we saw the United Kingdom completing a record-breaking 67-day period without burning coal. That’s the longest the UK has been without coal since the dawn of the industrial revolution and it could not have been possible without biomass. With the implementation of innovative negative emissions technologies on the horizon, such as BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage), opportunities for biomass as an essential generating resource will become standard. 18

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WB: What are the biggest challenges facing wood energy and power in Europe moving forward? Wolf: The biggest challenge the woody biomass industry has and will continue to face is educating our broader set of stakeholders and policy makers about the significant role biomass plays in the transition to a clean energy future. As the largest renewable energy source in the EU, there will not be a carbon neutral or a carbon negative world by mid-century, without the use of sustainably sourced woody biomass.

Wolf: Co-firing is not the focus, but conversion is. Biomass conversions of existing coal-fired power plants displaces coal and ensures dispatchable capacity on the system to provide energy when there is not enough wind and solar energy available for heat and power. The use of wood energy makes economic sense, particularly in the case of CHP (Combined Heat and Power) plants, which generate both electricity and heat, and where the only alternative is continuing on coal or building new gas plants. The use of wood energy is also needed for select system-critical power plants to continue operating, using existing infrastructure, but typically operating less hours and in more of a backup function. A system critical plant is typically one that needs to run to either reduce the risk of a system blackout or to provide a reactive power infeed that enables the power from other plants to be transported to where the demand is.

WB: How much additional industrial wood pellet market is there in Europe and where is it? Wolf: The need to decarbonize is acute and I think we will see additional industrial pellet use in a couple of areas. Firstly, we will see countries with large coal dependency like Germany and Poland follow in the footsteps of the most ambitious and in GHG (greenhouse gas) terms most successful coun“As the largest renewable energy source in the EU, tries like the United Kingdom and Denmark in converting district heating plants from coal there will not be a carbon neutral or a carbon negative to biomass. The second area where we will world by mid-century, without the use of sustainably see an increased use is in industrial heat and process applications like steel, cement, cesourced woody biomass.” ramics and others, where carbon prices will soon make coal uneconomical yet there is no other practiWB: How important to the European people is the cal and available solution to provide high heat with low concept of reduced or negative carbon emissions or carcarbon profile. Further down the line I believe we will see bon capture at this point in time? a move into chemicals and other industries where we Wolf: Very important. Relatively speaking, Europe is on need to replace fossil fuel as feedstock. a path to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050, but it cannot be done without negative emissions, WB: Where does Germany currently stand on the deand biomass enables that solution. We are already seeing velopment of biomass energy heating and electricity? the 27 member states in the process of implementing meaWolf: This past summer Germany passed the “Coal Exit sures to cut carbon emissions by 55% from 1990 levels in Law” requiring a transition to alternative fuels by 2027 and the next decade and I believe biomass is only going to an end to coal burning by 2038. With coal currently the singrow in importance. gle largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany, they have been receptive to the use of sustainably sourced WB: Describe your responsibilities for Enviva in biomass for power and heat generation, as biomass can furEurope? ther support the transition from traditional to new energy Wolf: As the Vice President and General Manager of and complements the intermittency of wind and solar. Europe for Enviva—the world’s largest producer of susFurthermore, due to the ongoing forest crisis in Germany tainable wood pellets—I work with customers, regulators, brought on by drought, winter storms and bark beetle policymakers and external stakeholders to reduce the use of plagues, the biomass industry creates an alternative market fossil fuels and expand the use of sustainable wood biofor unused, low-value, waste wood that would otherwise be mass across Europe. I am currently based in the United left in the forest and prevent the regeneration of the forests. Kingdom, but have more than 20 years of experience working across the value chain within the power, heat and bioWB: Does Europe still possess a large traditional base mass industries across Europe and beyond. of coal industry support? My role has a good mix of advocacy, operational and Wolf: The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates commercial responsibility, but timewise I spend most of that coal-fired electricity generation experienced its largest my time helping potential customers, governments and decrease in 2020, providing only around 15% of total generalawmakers on how they can use sustainably sourced wood tion, while renewables are thought to have provided 42%. pellets to transition from coal whilst keeping sure there is Today, bioenergy is the largest renewable energy source 24-7 availability of heat and power. in the EU and is vital to achieving a carbon-negative econ(DISCLAIMER: This article contains “forward-looking stateomy by mid-century with the application of BECCS. ments,” including the author’s present expectations regarding fuWB: How much potential is there in co-firing with coal in Europe?

ture regulatory developments and the evolution of the renewable energy industry and bioenergy’s role within it. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties.)

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted these editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements placed elsewhere in this issue. All statements and claims are attributable to the companies.

AIR BURNERS

High efficiency wood biomass drying

The PGFireBox from Air Burners

As unwanted biomass is a sustainable energy source and its conversion carbon neutral, Air Burners has perfected affordable waste-to-energy technologies based on its standard products and air emissions control features. Energy released by wood waste combustion is harnessed and converted into green electricity, which is used onsite or sold to the utility. It can also be stored in readily available portable energy storage banks. Optionally, the same machine provides heat energy for product drying and heating of buildings. This is Air Burners well-established PGFireBox line with models from 100KW to 1MW+. The PGFireBox is very simple to operate and is portable. It can “follow the waste” as the travel zone becomes unsustainable or the waste source is temporary. PGFireBox is a whole-log burner, simply meaning that no pre-processing of feedstock is needed. The chipping, grinding or pelletizing and related trucking of wood waste to make it suitable for most competing biomass plants is expensive and causes considerable pollution from the burning of hydrocarbon fuels by large diesels. None of that is required with the Air Burners machines. Air Burners is pursuing several target industries for its PGFireBox, such as municipalities struggling with landfill diversion of woody biomass, sawmills that require power and heat for lumber drying, forest management operations tasked with wildfire mitigation and forest restoration, rural power companies looking for simple sustainable distributed power options, and military installations looking for reliable power backup options independent of petroleum-based fuel.

BAKER-RULLMAN Baker-Rullman’s innovative triple-pass drum dryer design offers leading performance and efficiency in the smallest possible package size. A properly sized and tuned drum dryer system suited to your input volume is the key to planning an efficient system. Three full length cylinders provide the maximum effective length and residence time in a very compact

package. The drum drive uses specifically designed engineering class bushed roller chains and sprockets. Trunnion rollers are machined from a forged billet of 1060 steel with a minimum roller face hardness of 165 BHN. The internal tapered roller bearings, which have a “B-1” life of 15 years, allow the roller to rotate around our stationary roller shaft supported by our hold-down pillow blocks. This design has proven to be more reliable than the commonly used small diameter roller with an integral cast shaft. The drum tire is hot forged from a single billet of AISI 1030 steel, then finish machined. There is no weld seam on it, and the steel grain structure is oriented for greater wear resistance and strength. To achieve efficiencies better than 1,500 BTUs per pound of water evaporated, the design incorporates longer residence times, robust temperature control and superior drum insulation. Precise electronic controls eliminate heat surges and fuel waste. Consistent evaporation in Baker-Rullman’s triple pass dryer design protects wood biomass from under or over drying. Heavier, wetter product moves slower than fine particles, giving uniform drying to all particles. That’s why these rotary dryers have long been known for protecting the integrity of all types of material.

BRUKS SIWERTELL Bruks Siwertell offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of conveyors on the market—from traditional belt and idler configurations and unique horizontal and vertical screw conveyors, to state-of-the-art, extremely efficient air-supported systems, including the Tubulator and the Belt Conveyor. The Belt Conveyor is the future in belt conveying, combining the use of air-cushion technology with Bruks’ standard belt conveyors. Customers can benefit from a high-capacity conveying system that offers minimal equipment wear and very low operating costs because of reduced friction in the conveying line. The totally enclosed design protects the environment from dust emissions and reduces material losses. With roughly 620 installations worldwide, the Tubulator is also an air-supported belt conveyor, built as a

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closed system of steel tubes. Inside the tube, a rubber belt runs at high speed on top of an air cushion created by a series of in-line fans. Both air-supported systems capitalize on the benefits of lowfriction conveying, delivering reduced operating and maintenance costs, with zero dust emissions and Bruks Siwertell conveyors for efficient material flows minimal material losses. In addition, Bruks Siwertell’s range of drag-chain conveyors offer a robust, effective method of conveying some of the industry’s hardest-to-handle products, such as stringy materials like unsorted bark. They are an optimum solution for the totally-enclosed transport of materials in applications with limited space. Industry-leading innovations ensure that Bruks Siwertell’s range of conveyors consistently deliver smooth, safe, continuous material flows for minimal operating and maintenance costs. Systems can be configured to meet every requirement and can carry virtually any dry bulk material from low to very high capacities.

CAPTIS AIRE

at a commercial oriented strandboard (OSB) facility. Proprietary FBC technology is provided under license agreement to Captis Aire from the technology owner. FBC carbon concentrator systems have been installed to treat exhaust volumes from 200 cfm to >100,000 cfm. Modular FBC systems can treat larger air volumes using a combination of multiple adsorber units. FBC units are most advantageous for treating dilute gas streams with concentrations in the 50-200 ppm range. A case study at a commercial OSB mill successfully demonstrated >90% reduction efficiency of VOCs in two separate tests by two independent certified air emissions stack testing companies. The attrition resistant sorbent, synthetic Bead Activated Carbon (BAC) is used worldwide. It can be regenerated continuously in unit. Or, BAC can be reactivated by California Carbon with a guarantee that it will be reactivated to 95% of virgin activity per ASTM D3467. Compared to fixed bed adsorbent systems, the FBC provides superior mass transfer of emissions to sorbent through counter-flow fluidized adsorbent. Compared to an RTO or rotor, the FBC system reduces the number of moving parts. The FBC can be either used with a condenser to recover organics or an oxidizer to efficiently oxidize the concentrated gas stream. The FBC is considerably lighter and smaller than competing RTOs providing roof mounting options. Compared to an RTO, the FBC reduces energy usage by up to 80% and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 60%. Captis Aire has leveraged the benefits of partnering closely with Environmental C&C’s team who bring with them nearly 100 years combined experience.

EVERGREEN ENGINEERING

Captis Aire delivers FBC technology.

Captis Aire has launched a new venture to transfer the Fluidized Bed Concentrator (FBC) technology to the wood processing industry. Since 2015, we have partnered with Environmental C&C to demonstrate the FBC’s ability to provide a capital and energy efficient industrial emissions control solution that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and optionally recovers valuable byproducts, such as terpenes, from wood drying. This effort included two successful pilot unit demonstrations

EE provides total engineering and design packages.

Evergreen Engineering is a full-service consulting engineering company, experienced in coordination of structural, electrical and mechanical engineering for

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tube dryers, single-pass rotary dryers, triple-pass rotary dryers and belt dryers. Projects include RCO/RTOs, WESPs, and multi-clones for VOC and particulate emission control. We have provided designs for dryer islands that are compliant with NFPA standards regarding explosion prevention and explosion venting. At a wood pellet plant in Brownsville, Ore., Evergreen provided civil, structural, mechanical, piping and electrical design, and control programming for a project that doubled the production capacity to 175,000 tons/year of the existing pellet plant. In addition to providing all the engineering for the project, Evergreen provided overall project management and startup assistance. The project included new material handling, sizing and screening, three new pellet mills, pellet cooling and a packaging line. A second dryer with a WESP and dust burner was also added. Evergreen’s design covered equipment and WESP foundation; equipment supports and platforms; facility general arrangements; P&IDs and PFDs; design of fabricated equipment; and equipment selection including dust burner, material handling and sizing equipment, drying equipment, pellet production equipment, dust collection and conveying equipment, as well as design of natural gas piping system; new service transformer and switchgear; design of MCCs, VFDs and Softstarts; design of power, grounding, lighting and controls; PLC and HMI programming; and project management, including project budgeting and scheduling and contractor coordination.

HURST BOILER

manufactures seven different types of biomass stoker/gasifiers, which have used 2,000+ different types of biomass fuels. Hurst is recognized for the highest code standards, innovative engineering and design, Energy Star rating, and renewable, sustainable solutions for green building design and operational efficiency. Hurst STAG systems are a culmination of experience and knowledge of material handling, solid fuel combustion, and controls integration that offers a quality solution for most air heating applications. We are providing our customers the ability to economically and efficiently satisfy their air heating requirements by utilizing readily available waste as a fuel source in lieu of the expensive conventional sources. The Hurst STAG unit can be utilized from 5 MMBTU/HR to 250 MMBTU/HR with operating temperature ranges from 200°F to 2000°F. The Biomasster STAG control system developed for the direct fired burner is a computer based, data driven “SMART” monitoring and control system designed for the optimal clean combustion and operation of the direct fired burner system. It offers real-time modulation and reduces dirty flue-gas residue and hot ash carry-over issues. Hurst equipment features a totally automated system; superior refractory material; automatic ash removal system (in wet and dry systems); ash sifting hoppers; a unique wall/grate interlocking discourages internal fuel leakage; reciprocating grate design— complete burn with automatic dust-free wet ash removal system. The modular packaged design means low cost project installation.

NESTEC

Air emission control for industrial wood pellet plants Hurst offers modular package designs.

Hurst offers industrial grade wood fired burners with “clean-burn” stoker design, and modular packages available from 5 MMBTU/HR to 250 MMBTU/HR with operating temperatures from 200°F to 2000°F. These proven solid fuel burner systems are a leading choice in lumber dry kilns, boiler applications, oil heaters, rotary dryers, brick kilns and more. Hurst

As modern economies transition from non-renewable energy sources and raw materials to those that can be naturally replenished, one of the most promising developments in this new paradigm has been the discovery of advanced new uses for wood and wood-based products. In the biomass sector, wood pellets have become especially well regarded in power plant electrical generation for their high durability and energy density.

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Managing air emission control obligations for wood pellet facilities in the U.S. and other stringent regulatory environments requires understanding the complete plant operation, including not just the dryer island, but location of all emission VOC-HAP sources; wood source composition (ratio of softwood to hardwood) and associated potential emissions; proven air emission control features that have been effective at wood pellet facilities; and capital and operating cost analysis that identifies the best and most economical smart solution for the application. A properly designed air emission control system can prevent lost production time, lower energy consumption, and reduce overall wood pellet production cost. Specialized RTOs and RCOs have been developed specifically for wood pellet applications by NESTEC. Particulate matter (PM), alpha and beta pinene condensable and RTO-RCO non-uniform airflow can plug the regenerative heat exchange media, substantially reducing air emission control, increase operating costs, and limit the dryer pellet production capacity. The first complete wood pellet air emission control system, in addition to the dryer exhaust, was installed in 2013 by NESTEC. It included RCO units that are still meeting air emission requirements today, with virtually no auxiliary fuel consumption. NESTEC offers several proprietary, innovative, energy-saving features that can be incorporated initially or in the future.

POLYTECHNIK

heat production has to be based on low cost residues found within the production site; for several reasons: autonomy (fuel cost control), avoidance of waste removal costs, and circular economy principles to ensure maximum wood usage and zero waste. Such residues include mostly raw bark, chips with bark, and to a lesser degree sawdust and shavings because they tend to have a higher value. So combustion is key but that knowhow comes at a price. The market is saturated with vendors that supply combustion solutions for dry and clean biomass; however, these are complete opposites to what a true raw residue stream with bark and hog fuel is. Polytechnik special combustion furnaces are tailor made for the worst kind of residues (M60, A10, P100) and operating conditions up to -60 °C, garanteeing output at all hours. Polytechnik has a few more improvements to offer: A new furnace that increases residence times for high efficiency and low emissions; poly held compact staged combustion furnace, which does not need any filter system downstream while having dust emission below 30 mg/Nm3 and efficiencies of 92%. Gasification reactor for wet fuels, which can be combined with gas engines to produce electricity. When choosing boiler technology answer the following questions: 1. What are my fuel costs? 2. Is it more feasible to burn dry residues or sell them on the market? 3. Which is more feasible, wet or dry fuel? 4. Will I get the energy and quality of energy I require? 5. What are the guarantees and warranty? It pays to be flexible.

STELA

Polytechnik installation in Croatia

Thermal modification of wood improves wood characteristics, increases durability and is often esthetical. Therefore those materials have a higher market value. Thermal modification is a large energy consumer. Depending on the setup, thermal consumtion goes up to 75% of the energy demand. Consequently, the energy center is becoming a focal point of the industry. Process heat quality and reliable delivery directly impact the quality of the drying. This means that the boiler is a key component of the dryer island. We believe such

Stela low-temperature belt dryer, RecuDry

As a market leader in low-temperature belt dryers, Stela Laxhuber from Lower Bavaria continues to set new technology standards in the industry. Stela Laxhuber has improved its tried-and-tested technology and brought them to the market. The pellet industry has been waiting a long time for more energy-efficient production facilities, not just in the field of drying. The technicians at Stela Laxhuber took up the topic at an early stage and found a solution

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that enables energy savings of up to 55%. The Stela RecuDry system divides conventional technology into two drying areas. The Recu module saturates the drying air optimally by circulation and reheating. A partial stream of the saturated air is fed to the condensation module. The contained—mostly latent—energy warms the fresh air in the condensation module. By using an air-to-air heat exchanger, a large part of the energy used is thus recovered and guarantees a highly efficient drying. The Stela Recu-Dry system makes it possible to retrofit existing plants quickly, is space-saving and costeffective, while also making a significant contribution to the reduction of emissions in the drying plant. The steadily increasing number of realized projects in Europe shows the potential of the new technology and continues to make the industry take notice.

TRIPLE GREEN PRODUCTS

Triple Green Products’ BioDryAir drying

With the rising costs associated with using fossil fuels as a source of energy and the efforts being made to reduce carbon emissions, Triple Green Products wants the world to know that there is a better way.

Triple Green Products’ BioDryAir system has been quietly supplying drying solutions to various industries for more than 10 years.

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The BioDryAir system not only reduces operational drying costs by up to 80% over fossil fuels, it is also carbon neutral. TGP offers systems up to 33,000,000 BTU on a single unit or can be supplied in multiples to achieve a much greater capacity. The BioDryAir supplies a very hot and much drier heat than either propane or natural gas making our system a much more effective solution. BioDryAir operates seamlessly within current infrastructures— ease of adoption involves hooking it up to a rotary drum or a ducting system in place of the typical natural gas or propane burner.

TSI

Large format TSI dryers in a wood pellet plant

The TSI dryer island consists of single pass rotary drum recycle dryers combined with a heat energy system and pollution control equipment. TSI is a world leader in dryer technology being one of the originators of single pass dryer technology for industrial pellet production. The pollution control systems for the dryers are designed by TSI engineers to meet regulatory requirements and can vary from high efficiency cyclones on smaller systems up to a combination of wet ESPs for particulate control and RTOs for destruction of volatile organics. Front-end heat energy systems can be either reciprocating grate furnaces (built in conjunction with Sigma Thermal) for wet bark fuel or fines burners for fuel derived from fine wood dust. These three technologies form a process island with each technology entirely dependent on the correct functioning of the other two for a successful overall operation. TSI is the only North American company with a successful track record of large format dryers (up to 24 ft. diameter), and perhaps the only company worldwide that carries all three technologies as an in-house product. Not only does TSI offer a fully integrated package, they can also offer an installation, startup and training package—meaning the client has single point responsibility for the success of the entire island. TSI experts are ready to assess any project and guide clients through the specification and design stages all the way through to ramp-up to full production.

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Fighting Climate Change:

Strategy For Biden By William Strauss

rior to the Trump administration, the U.S. had promulgated the Clean Power Plan (CPP). Essentially, CPP would have required states to achieve lower carbon emission goals in the power generation sector by 2030. This would have contributed to the U.S. commitments in the Paris Agreement. In aggregate, the U.S. would have reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by electricity generation by about 32% from 2005 levels by 2030. FutureMetrics research and analysis, discussed in several white papers from around the year 2015, showed that a part of a strategy for reaching those goals should be support for co-firing sustainably produced wood pellets with coal in existing power plants. This is not a novel idea. The U.S. is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sustainably produced wood pellets that are used in power plants in many nations as part of their GHG reduction strategies. Global trade in pellets that are replacing coal for power generation will be about 24 million tonnes in 2020. That is more than a panamax shipload (about 65,000 tonnes) every day. Under the CPP, the U.S. would have begun to use the pellet fuel produced in the U.S. for meeting U.S. targets for GHG reduction. The Clean Power Plan, along with cooperation in fighting climate change with most of the world, was scrapped by the Trump administration. The incoming Biden administration is expected to reverse many of Trump’s policies. The new administration is expected to reenergize the U.S. commitment to fighting climate change

and reducing carbon emissions. Under Biden, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) leadership will work to protect the environment. This new attention to climate change will put a focus onto how energy is produced and used for transportation, heating and power generation. As was made clear in several papers in 2015, a policy that integrates some of the existing coal fueled power stations as part of the decarbonization strategy produces a strong net positive for sustaining and creating jobs (some of those jobs are in the coal mining sector) while effectively and economically lowering net CO2 emissions toward target levels. Notwithstanding the environmental benefits of such a policy, because of the economic efficiency and the job supporting characteristics of the strategy, even those U.S. policymakers who have supported Trump’s soft environmental policies should support the strategy outlined in this paper. The author has made numerous presentations that transmit the urgency for creating and acting on effective environmental policy. While most of the rest of the

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world, both developed and developing nations, recognize the importance of meaningful action, recent U.S. leadership has looked the other way. But, in fact, all policymakers should be motived by the increasing costs of the consequences of a rapidly warming planet. Business-asusual will result in increasing magnitude and frequency of extreme events. The chart on page 26 should be a call to action for everyone regardless of political affiliation. It is produced by the actuaries that advise insurance companies about how to price risk. The trajectory in the chart is not conducive to the cost of doing business. It is obvious to most that strategies and policies for slowing and eventually reversing the ecological impacts and the costly consequences of climate change are needed now more than ever. To get from where we are today to future goals for lower carbon dioxide ( CO2) emissions and control over anthropogenic global warming will require a portfolio of complementary solutions. As is the case in many countries already, the Biden administration should embrace a portfolio of solutions that optimize the tactics for an effective path to GHG reduction goals for the future. A pragmatic policy for lowering the CO2 intensity of the power generation sector with a transition to renewable energy needs to be tempered with the need to maintain reliability and stability in the delivery of electricity. Moving to more renewable generation is more complicated than simply building lots of wind turbines and solar farms. But that is often the offered solution; with a reference to solving the intermittency and variability of wind and solar with battery or hydrogen storage. The future for power generation relying heavily on electricity generated from wind turbines and solar farms is a worthy goal that should define the destination. But, as is shown in the next section of this paper, deploying more wind turbines and solar farms will require massive energy storage at a scale that is orders of magnitude from where we are today. The analysis in the next section of this paper is based on battery storage. Hydrogen and/or ammonia are also candidates for storing energy, but as yet they are not deployed. H2 and NH3 for energy storage have their own sets of challenges to become economical. But assuming they can be cost competitive with batteries and reliable, the same issues with capacity arise that are discussed in detail here with respect to battery storage. Grid level energy storage sufficient to support the re-

liable supply of electricity in a decarbonized power sector without on-demand so-called “thermal” generation is probably a decade (or more!) away. That is not to say that a goal of a power grid mostly based on the energy in the wind and sun is not a worthy one. It is. But the transition to that goal will take a long time and will require continued improvements in storage technology and density. In the meantime, one strategy for maintaining grid reliability during this long transition from where we are today to a 100% carbon free generation portfolio is to do what is already being done in many nations: Use sustainably produced solid fuel produced from renewing biomass to replace coal in utility power boilers. Trees and other potential sources of biomass are nature’s natural solar battery. Of course, as is discussed in detail in several past papers, when it comes to the management of the sources for the biomass there are clear-cut sustainability boundaries that cannot be crossed. The foundational and absolutely necessary conditions are that the net stock of carbon held in the landscape cannot be depleted by the harvesting rate exceeding the growth rate, by deforestation, or by improper land use change. As noted above, using sustainable upgraded solid fuel made from biomass is not a novel idea. The strategy is proven as effective and economical, and the strategy is deployable now with no need to invest in new generation infrastructure or hope for continued improvements in energy storage efficiency and density. The wood pellets that fill panamax vessels every day are ready to be used in large utility-scale pulverized coal boilers. The supply chain carbon footprint for pellets made in the U.S. and used in the U.S. will be much lower than for those that have to be shipped across the oceans.

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Later in this paper is a look at the U.S. coal fueled power plants and how existing units could be put to work lowering the carbon intensity of electricity generation. In 2015 FutureMetrics advocated this strategy as a component in the pathway to compliance to the Clean Power Plan. But first, why energy storage, while critical to the future of power generation, has a long way to go. For the power generation sector, the expected pathway to decarbonization is via the use of wind power and solar power supported by grid-scale energy storage. The storage is needed to buffer the variability and intermittency of those sources. But the on ramp from here to there is long. Grid-scale battery storage sufficient to meet the reliability standards of our power grids is probably a decade or more away. The chart on page 27 shows the power mix for England (UK) for one week in August 2020. The arrow shows a period in which both wind and solar generation were very low. The difference between total demand and the supply from the low-carbon baseload generation (nuclear and wood pellets) plus what wind and solar added to the stack was about 19,400 megawatts. That gap was satisfied with natural gas. Natural gas (methane, CH4), a carbon emitting fossil fuel, was necessary to keep supply matching demand. If natural gas was eliminated, battery storage would not only have to supply some 19,400 megawatt-hours for many hours but it would have to depend on being charged up by wind and solar generation during other hours. There is no time in the chart or anywhere in the UK’s history where there was more power from wind and solar than there was total demand. In other words, eliminating natural gas is not possible unless a lot more wind and solar generating capacity is installed, and very large battery or other energy storage systems are deployed. How large? Massive. The potential for prolonged windless days and the certainty of long winter nights adds to the capacity con-

tingency needed for grid reliability. That is, the energy storage solutions must have excess capacity to meet reliability requirements when there is little or no generation from wind and solar. The generation sources need to not only power the grid (after non-carbon emitting baseload nuclear and pellets in the UK), they also need to have the capacity to recharge the energy storage while simultaneously powering the grid. The amount of new infrastructure that will be needed to accomplish this is massive. The UK is used as an example because it is a nation that has incorporated the use of pellets as a substitute for coal into its decarbonization strategy. The UK renewable generation mix is supported by the steady reliability of power generated by two large generating stations that use wood pellets rather than coal. A significant proportion of the UK’s total power demand, and of its reduction in CO2 emissions in the power sector, is based on using wood pellets. So even though deploying lots of wind and solar generation is easy to envision, it is the necessary energy storage component that presents a major challenge if the grid is to become decoupled from fossil fuels. The concept of having a large stock of stored power in batteries or in massive tanks holding compressed hydrogen that can supply power when wind and solar cannot seems straightforward. But there is a vast gap between where we are today and a system that can provide reliable power based on energy storage. In North America, the regional transmission organization (RTO) with the largest battery storage capacity is PJM. The chart below shows this. The PJM region covers all or parts of 13 states in the U.S. northeast. Even though PJM leads in the deployment of battery storage, the PJM region still has an exceptionally long way to go if its goal is to replace fossil fuels with wind and solar complemented with energy storage. Fossil fuels add well over 50,000 megawatts to PJM’s supply (see next chart). Wind and solar combined average output in the period in the chart was 2,836 MWs, far insufficient to recharge the massive and as yet unbuilt power storage capacity while simultaneously powering the grid. The gap is massive. This is good news for developers of wind and solar generation and for the suppliers of storage solutions. Over the next decade or more, investment in these technologies will have to be substantial. It is megawatt-hours

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(MWh’s) that define how long the storage solutions can provide power. When the batteries are called upon to provide power, they deplete and have a limited amount of time that they can supply power. In the U.S. in 2018 there was 868 MWs of instantaneous grid level battery storage that held about 1,236 MWh’s of energy capacity. PJM’s battery storage in 2018 was about 282 megawatts. Assuming that the batteries have to carry most of the load other than the other nonfossil fuel generation (nuclear and, if daytime, solar and, if the wind is blowing, wind) which is about 52,000 MWs at peak and about 32,000 off peak, and assuming MWh’s = 1.4 x MWs, then 282 MWs of battery will last between 23 and 44 seconds depending on if the demand is during peak or off-peak. If the wind is not blowing and it is night, it would be a even less. If all of the 868 MWs of U.S. grid dedicated battery storage that was in place in 2018 were supplying the PJM area they would last between 1.4 and 2.3 minutes (peak or off-peak). The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts that the U.S. will have 1,623 MWs of gridscale battery storage by 2023. If all of that battery capacity were dedicated to PJM and required to keep the lights on if there were no fossil fuel generated power, it would last about 2.6 or 4.3 minutes at current peak and off-peak demand. This is assuming that nuclear continues to generate at around 30,000 MWs and wind and solar are generating at the average output that they produce now. And then the batteries would require recharging. That would be impossible from renewable sources. Once the batteries are depleted, if there were no fossil fuel generation, the lights would go out in large areas. There is a long way to go to be 100% dependent on wind and solar (and nuclear). Note that PJM’s total biomass generation (primarily waste-to-energy) was less than 1.0%. Coal was about 11.8% during the period in the chart above and natural gas was about 44.3%. The coal fired generating units in the PJM RTO and in the rest of the U.S. (and the world) offer a ready to use potential to supplement baseload power with low carbon generation that is there when it is needed. The experience in the UK, illustrated in the earlier mix chart and in other jurisdictions that use pellets in what were once 100% coal burning power plants, proves that a strategy for substituting sustainably pro-

duced wood pellets for coal is technically feasible. With relatively minor modifications, there is no derating or loss of reliability in existing coal fueled boilers that substitute pellets for coal. To make the substitution of pellets for coal economically feasible requires that the external costs of CO2 emissions be internalized into how energy is priced. Policy that recognizes the costs of carbon pollution and prices carbon emissions is necessary. Most economists, including the author of this paper, agree that putting a cost on carbon emissions is the most efficient and potentially most equitable way to incentivize a transition away from fossil fuels. Carbon trading schemes such “cap and trade” can also be effective. A trading scheme sets a limit on the quantities of CO2 that can be emitted, and the regulator issues permits that allow a specific quantity of emissions. The price of carbon is set by trading carbon credits in the markets. That price will vary with supply and demand. Cap and trade is more or less the opposite of a carbon tax scheme where the cost of GHG pollution is set by policy and it is up to businesses to work out the profit maximizing solutions. Both can be effective, but a carbon tax is a more precise instrument that clearly places a known cost of carbon pollution on the polluter while generating easily defined revenues. In discussions about policy, suggestions of any tax is a “third rail.” However, as in all cases with any tax policy, the revenues from the taxes are used to fund government spending. So what matters is how the funds are spent, and whom within society benefits and who pays. Taxes are a necessary and fundamental component for supporting and maintaining social well-being if the spending programs they support are defined with aggregate socio-economic welfare as the primary objective. A well-crafted carbon pollution cost policy phased in over several years will result in a net positive to social

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and environmental welfare over time. But care has to be taken to protect some segments of society from shortterm economic impacts. The impacts of any policy that will change energy costs will be spread over much of society. There will be negative social welfare impacts from the higher cost of using fossil fuels that will have increasing marginal costs as we move into lower percentile aggregate income segments. Lower income households tend to spend a higher proportion of disposal income on energy (transportation, electricity, heating fuels). Furthermore, increases in the cost of production and transportation will likely increase the cost of some final goods. Thus, without an equitable strategy for how the carbon tax revenues are spent, a carbon tax would be regressive in the short term. In a study from 2015, it was calculated that a $40 tax per short ton of CO2 equivalent emitted would add about $0.36 cents to the price of a gallon of gasoline (about $0.095 per liter). A $40/ton tax, based on the same 2015 paper, would be expected to add about $0.02/kWh to the average price of electricity. Changes in the power grid’s generation source mix since the study in 2015 will likely lower that impact in 2021 (more natural gas, more renewables, and less coal). But there will still be an impact on power costs that, for lower income households, would be a real burden. Using the substantial revenues from a carbon tax for rebating lower income households based on a measure of per capita income could reverse the regressiveness. Lowering income taxes for lower income households could also be part of an equitable policy. Some of the revenue could be dedicated to R&D in

critical technologies for effectively fighting climate change; for example, support for the growth of energy storage, support to lower the cost of on and offshore wind and solar, the development of energy crops to expand the supply of sustainable biomass, and biomass carbon capture and sequestration (BCCS). If well-crafted, and not distorted by special interests, a carbon tax will not harm economically vulnerable households, will accelerate decarbonization, and will be a net job creator. The fundamental purpose of the carbon pricing policy would not change: Polluters would still pay, and the use of fossil fuels would be gradually reduced. How energy is produced and used for manufacturing, transportation and heating will evolve. The efficiency of energy use will improve. The amount of energy a household needs for a decent standard of living will decrease. The renewable energy sector will grow, and the fossil fuel sector will decline. If anthropogenic CO2 emissions are to be curbed, a carbon tax is the most practical, effective and equitable option for guiding meaningful action with results that are soon enough to matter. Carbon taxes or carbon trading schemes are already in place in many countries that are taking climate change seriously. The chart above shows the most recent data (the U.S. is notably missing). It is a tall order to ask for U.S. policymakers, under any administration, to implement a carbon tax. A look to the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Japan or a number of other countries can provide guidance on other policy mechanisms that allow utilities to blend pellets with coal or switch to 100% pellets.

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In the U.S., co-firing pellets with coal at a ratio that contributes to the carbon reduction mandates is the most likely scenario for compliance. The cost per MWh for generation by co-firing pellets depends on the co-firing ratio (and of course the cost of the pellet fuel). This paper has shown that a simplistic view of wind, solar and energy storage as an easy pathway to decarbonization does not capture the real challenges of supplying sufficient and reliable renewable power. A proven, low cost, and ready to deploy solution is to substitute sustainably sourced biomass solid fuel for coal. Globally in 2020 about 43,730,000 MWh’s of baseload electricity will be produced by wood pellets. The comparison with battery capacity of about 2,272 MWh’s in the U.S. in the year 2023 is meaningless. Every tonne of coal that is replaced by wood pellets lowers net CO2 emissions by about 85% in most locations and each tonne of pellet fuel contains about 4.8 MWh’s of renewable energy. When the U.S. creates policy that will support this well-proven strategy, there are a number of coal stations in the U.S. that could benefit from co-firing or, in selected locations, conversion to 100% renewable carbohydrate-based fuel instead of hydrocarbon-based fuels mined from the earth. This existing fleet could continue to supply on-demand power to balance the grid as wind and solar generation increases. The carbon intensity of the power would be proportionally lowered as the ratio of pellets to coal is increased. That on-demand reduced carbon intensity generation can contribute to goals for lower CO2 per MWh of electricity while transitioning to that day out in the future when solar, wind, and grid-level battery storage are sufficient. It also provides a known market for coal and a predictable gradual glidepath as coal is phased out. At the end of the glidepath a limited number of coal stations using 100% pellet fuel will be ready to supply on-demand 100% renewable power as needed. Again, this is not a novel idea. Both the Drax and Lynemouth stations in the UK run on 100% pellets today with a total capacity to generate about 3,000 MWs. The above chart shows the age distribution of all 529 of the U.S. coal power generating units (some power plants have more than one coal fired unit). There are 41 units that are less than 15 years old. There are at least three decades of life left in these newer high efficiency units representing about 22,000 MWs of capacity. If some of these units are used rather than closed in

favor of lower cost (but carbon emitting) natural gas, they can contribute to a lowering of carbon emissions in the power sector and avoid the real costs to ratepayers of stranded assets. The cost of the modifications necessary to replace some of the coal with pellets are 0% to 25% the cost of building a new combined cycle natural gas plant depending on the ratio of pellets to coal from 5% up to 100%. As to these newer units, some are in areas with an abundance of otherwise non-merchantable byproducts from forestry operations. The major U.S. pellet producers/exporters take advantage of the abundance of sustainable renewing feedstock in the Southeast U.S. region. But those producers have to export the pellets via ship, so the production facilities are relatively near the coast and deep-water ports. Some of those areas of higher density suitable and sustainable pellet production feedstock are too far from ports and/or have no rail or barge options for economically moving the pellet fuel to an export terminal. In other words, there are areas around existing relatively new coal power stations in parts of the U.S. that are capable of producing perpetually renewing biomass based solid fuel for power generation but are currently underutilized. One of those areas, West Virginia, would welcome the many jobs associated with forestry operations and a new fuel production industry as coal mining in the region declines. If the concentration of available sustainable wood is close enough to the power station and is high enough, there is no need to make pellets first. Pellets are a way to maximize the energy density in a cubic meter of volume to minimize the cost to transport the energy they contain to the power plant. If transport distances are short enough within the wood supply region to the power plant and there is sufficient sustainable supply within that supply radius, a processing plant can be located directly next to the power station. Waste heat

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from the power station can be used for drying the wood and then it only has to be milled to the small particle size that the pulverized fuel system needs for combustion. Pulverized fuel systems are typical in almost 100% of the large-scale utility power boilers in coal generating units. Under that scenario, without an investment in full sized pellet factory needed, without the operating costs associated with densifying milled dried wood into pellets, and without transport costs for moving pellets to a power plant, the cost of that sustainable fuel will be significantly lower than pellet fuel from farther away. If the UK can make the substitution of coal with pellet fuel work economically with pellets from the U.S. and Western Canada, the U.S. should have an easier and less costly experience with upgraded biomass based fuel from literally just down the road. Plus, the supply chain carbon footprint of the pellets will be significantly lower yielding reductions in CO2 emissions versus coal of more than 90%. There is no question that currently the cost per unit of energy (gigajoule per tonne or BTU per pound) for coal is less than it is for wood pellets. But in those jurisdictions that are using pellets for power production (primarily Western Europe, the UK, Japan and South Korea) there is policy in place that compensates the generator for the higher cost of pellet fuel and/or allows them to avoid costs associated with CO2 pollution. A combination of policy instruments is used in those countries to compensate the utilities. Feed-in-tariffs (FiT), contracts for difference (CfD), and carbon pricing are common. The above image shows that if a 500 MW coal station is modified to co-fire pellets, based on the other assumptions in the dashboard including a co-firing ratio sufficient to lower the units CO2 emissions by 50%, the increase in

the levelized cost of generation versus 100% coal is about $28/MWh or less than three cents per kWh. The increase in the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) versus using 100% coal has to be fully offset by whatever policy instrument is in place. If it were a carbon tax, as the dashboard shows in the far left bottom corner, the generator would be paying about $50 per tonne of CO2 equivalent emitted; the use of pellets at a ratio of 57% pellets and 43% coal would make the generator’s avoided carbon tax cost to equal the incremental increase in LCOE and thus the generator will prefer to co-fire. If the delivered cost of the pellet fuel is lower than shown in the dashboard due to the proximity of the pellet production facility and there is no need for ocean shipping, then the break-even point will be reached with a lower increase in LCOE and thus a lower carbon tax would be needed. In this example, if a carbon tax is used, the tax revenue based on the 655,000 tonnes per year of coal still being used will pay for programs described in the earlier section of this paper discussing equitable policy. The change in administration in the U.S. is expected to bring real leadership on climate issues. That leadership will define policy goals. The consequences of climate change are causing even the actuaries, who base their forecasts on real data and rigorous probabilistic analysis, to raise a big red flag. It is difficult to imagine that most policymakers can continue to deny the link between CO2 emissions and global warming. What this white paper has offered is at least one small part of the solution that has winners on all sides. If U.S. policy supports a co-firing strategy, there is no shortage of winners: ● The environmental benefits are immediate and quantifiable. To lower carbon emissions by 10% requires a ratio of pellets to coal of about 11.24% pellets and 88.76% coal. This takes almost no investment in modifications to the power station. For the lignite burning plants in Texas it can happen overnight. ● The power generation assets that are fueled with pulverized coal gain a significant new value as the only pathway that allows low cost renewable co-firing. At a co-firing rate that results in a 10% CO2 reduction, the increase in the cost of generation is

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estimated to be less than one penny per kilowatt-hour. ● The coal producers have a secure long-term market for their product with a certainty for demand over the next decade or longer. Co-firing is not possible with natural gas turbines. ● The pellet producers have a new and gradually increasing market also with known demand. Many underutilized industrial working forests, such as those in West Virginia, are not in optimal locations for the existing pellet export market. Those locations, and new locations released from wood chip demand by the declining pulp and paper industry, can be responsibly developed to produce renewable refined solid fuel that is 100% compatible with existing pulverized coal plant fuel systems. U.S. pellet manufacturers have already invested more than $1.7 billion in facilities in states like Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Georgia and the Carolinas for the export markets. Many thousands of jobs are associated with this existing capacity. New capacity for a U.S. market would replicate that history. ● And U.S. workers benefit from a carbon mitigation solution that not only maintains jobs but increases the demand for labor. Natural gas plants require very little labor in the fuel supply chain rela-

tive to coal and pellets. Wind and solar power plants require no labor for the fuel supply. Business-as-usual in the case of CO2 emissions will result in unimaginable negative changes to the world. To change that trajectory in time to prevent catastrophic outcomes, effective and meaningful policy has to make change happen in the near term. A world powered by wind turbines and solar farms is possible. But not without massive investments in generation capacity and major investment and advances in battery technology. It will likely happen but most likely not in the next decade or more. Sustainably using the natural solar energy collectors (growing trees and other plants) that convert that energy into carbohydrates and other organic molecules that can be used for many purposes, including energy production, is a solution that is already deployed in some places. The incoming Biden administration is expected to engage in sensible carbon reduction strategic planning. They should take a serious look at the ideas in this paper as they work up their version of the Clean Power Plan. William Strauss is President of FutureMetrics, LLC, 207357-8708; email: williamstrauss@futuremetrics.com. Contact him for references, sources and additional information associated with this paper.

in the news ■ 13 ➤ crease in fiber costs, according to Pinnacle and Drax. Seven of Pinnacle’s sites are in British Columbia (1.6 million tonne capacity) and two are in Alberta (0.6 million tonne capacity). All of these sites have rail lines to ports at either Prince Rupert or Vancouver, both accessing the Pacific Ocean, providing routes to Asian and European markets. Pinnacle also operates a U.S. hub at Aliceville, Ala. (0.3 million tonne capacity) and is developing a second site in Demopolis, Ala. (0.4 million tonne capacity), which Pinnacle will commission in 2021. Pinnacle’s U.S. sites are close to Drax’s existing operations in the Southeastern U.S. and will utilize river barges to access the Port of Mobile and barge-to-ship loading, reducing fixed port storage costs.

Humboldt Gains Biochar Certificate Utilizing a major cogeneration residual, Humboldt Sawmill in

Scotia, Calif. has obtained a European Biochar Certificate, reportedly the first U.S. based company to do so. Through the production of biochar, a byproduct of its Scotia cogeneration plant, Humboldt Sawmill is providing a sustainable product that can be added to soils by farmers and other landowners to aid in water retention, nutrient conservation, beneficial microbial composition, and overall quantity of stable organic matter. To bring its biochar to market, the company has partnered with Pacific Biochar Benefit Corporation (PBBC), which provides raw and processed biochar products to agricultural and other users. PBBC purchases Humboldt Sawmill’s certified biochar, mixing it into compost and selling it to farmers. The European Biochar Certificate provides one of the two necessary links to marketable Climate Credits via carbonfuture, the organization leading monetization opportunities for carbon

sequestration through biochar. The second link to Climate Credits is certification from the user of the biochar that such use ensures stable sequestration of the carbon over a long period of time. One such use case is application of biochar directly to soil by a farmer. Humboldt Sawmill is one of the Mendocino Family of Companies. These include Allweather Wood, Humboldt Redwood Company, Humboldt Sawmill Company, Mendocino Forest Products and Mendocino Redwood Company. Mendocino Companies owns 440,000 acres of Forest Stewardship Council certified timberland and is the largest producer of redwood lumber in the world. Humboldt Sawmill produces large timbers and custom cuts in redwood and Douglas fir for “program” business. Additionally, Mendocino Companies owns and operates a 25 MW plant at Scotia and the largest wood pellet plant in California.

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Iggesund-Olofsfors Offers Slasher Bar The Blue Line slasher bar series from Iggesund Forest (Olofsfors) continues to change the forest industry. Now it includes the company’s most powerful ¾ in. bar to the lineup—the Blue Line Vyking slasher bar. Specially designed for ground saws, the Vyking slasher bar has proven to be a reliable and productive saw bar in all conditions. It encompasses proprietary advanced metal alloy and specific tempering technique. Vyking slasher bar can handle any tree species, length, diameter and operation. State-of-the-art endurance rails with 60° rail angle minimizes the chain wear on the bar. No more unscheduled stops to grind off ruffed up edges.

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Bruks Will Install Truck-Receiving Bruks Siwertell reports it secured a truck-receiving system order from industrial wood pellet producer Enviva for the plant at Greenwood, SC. The order includes a back-on truck dumper, with receiving hopper and collecting belt conveyor, and modifications to an existing screen tower to accommodate the new truck-receiving system. At the site, logs are loaded, debarked and processed using a Bruks drum chipper. Working alongside this, the plant also receives already chipped wood, which ensures a continuous flow of inbound material. This is currently handled by a single Bruks back-on truck dumper. The new truck-receiving system will work alongside

the existing unit and each has the capacity to unload wood chips at 130 metric tons per hour. Trucks tip their load as close to the ground as possible. Gently handling the wood reduces dust emissions by minimizing the impact of material flowing out the truck and landing in the hopper. Bruks’ systems also deliver quick cycle times, which enhances efficiency and keeps truck traffic to a minimum.

Equipment Linc Hosts Demo On February 20, Equipment Linc, Inc. hosted a live demo/ open house in Grove Hill, Ala. The dealer opened its second location near the demo site in Grove Hill in March, and this event served to introduce Equipment Linc to cus-

tomers in the region. Owner Tommy Moore started the company in 2018 with its headquarters in Maplesville. On hand to support Equipment Linc were representatives from many of the brands the dealer carries, a list that includes Barko, CSI, Delfab, Rotobec, Big John Trailers and Eco-Tracks. Ponsse demonstrated a Buffalo forwarder and Ergo harvester. Also, Laneville Mulching and Grading provided a Barko carrier fitted with a Denis Cimaf mulching attachment for the event.

Schwaiger Adds Sennebogen Unit Schwaiger Holzindustrie, located in the heart of Lower Bavaria, Germany and a major lumber, logs and wood pellet producer, has added a Sennebogen

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The 835 M-HDS E-Series with trailer

835 M E-Series material handler and trailer to its fleet. The 835 M-HDS E-Series was

designed specifically for log yard applications using a mobile undercarriage with a protective shield and large single tires. It is powered with a 315 HP (231 kW) diesel engine and all-wheel drive for increased tractive effort. This power allows 160,000 lbs. of logs to be transported by a hydraulically braked trailer. In addition to transporting logs up to 16 ft. (5 m) in length, the 835 has a reach of 52 ft. (16 m).

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Les ACIER Offers Mobile Debarking

AJP rotary debarker for mobile and fixed applications

Les ACIER J.P. Inc. (AJP) provides dependable and robust rotary debarkers, mobile or fixed units, electric or diesel powered. It can debark all species from hardwood to softwood. Debarking results can reach up to 0.01% bark remaining per ton, even when debarking species like cedar or eucalyptus, characterized by their filamentous bark which causes a lot of problems in certain equipment. With more than 40 years of experience in design, engineering, transport and debarking of logs, Les ACIER can offer all the transfer equipment: transfers, log conveyors, bark conveyor, chip and waffle conveyors, step feeders, chain sorters. Visit acierjp.com

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Articles inside

A STRATEGY FOR BIDEN

THE DRYER ISLAND

Q&A WITH JENS WOLF

IN THE NEWS

FRAM FUELS

FROM THE EDITORS