Biomass Market

To meet the demands to replace our current dependence on fossil fuels such as oil and gas, there is an increased demand on biomass market. Biomass, traditionally is a very under utilized energy source. As liquid and gaseous fossil fuels entered to energy market, the market share biomass had with wood heating for example quickly shrank, due to the low maintenance and low costs of the fossil fuel alternatives. Therefore the last fifty years has seen very limited growth for the biomass fuels market, however within the last ten years this has started to change.

Biomass Sources and Alternative Energy

There are a wide selection of biomass resources which can be used as a source of energy. Wood is obviously most peoples thought of biomass source, however there is a much wider range of resources which can be used. To make the best use of available land, and reduce the amount of energy it takes to grow the biomass crop, research in been carried out into energy crops. Energy crops simply refer to a biomass resource which can produce greater yields of material than standard crops. To give an example, you could compare a pine tree and short rotation coppice willow. Pine is an excellent fuel source, however does not grow particularly quickly, and therefore is not suitable as an energy crop as it would take too much land to meet energy needs. Short rotation coppice on the other hand grows much more quickly than pine. It burns almost as well, and per dry ton contains almost the same calorific value. Short rotation coppice willow can be harvested every 3 years, and produce impressive yields. therefore this can be described as a potential energy crop. Another energy crop which has a very high potential is that of hemp. Hemp has been used for thousands of years to produce rope, paper, fuel and many other uses. However, due to its association to marijuana, it is grown under heavy restrictions and still banned in many US states. However, hemp is not a drug and is arguably our most valuable resource. While the yields of short rotation coppice willow are impressive, hemp can produce much more with less time and energy. Hemp can be grown from seed and produce very high yields, and more than willow at the end of the 3 month growing season. In their raw from however, these biomass materials are not ideal as a fuel source. To produce a fuel for the biomass market however, the biomass needs to be upgraded, for example into fuel pellets.

Biomass Furnace and Pellet Fuel Burner

Once in pellet form, willow and hemp fuel pellets can be used in automated pellet combustion systems to heat homes and businesses. Pellet heating has been a growing market in Europe for the last decade, and the US market is now also developing further.

Biomass Systems To Produce Pellets

The Wood Pellet Production Guide © PelHeat Ltd - Biomass Market