They don’t just burn trees. They burn the chips from logging trees. For example, you harvest trees on your property. They cut the logs to length. The logs got to sawmills, pallet makers, get exported overseas. Basically, whoever will pay you the most money.
The libs and smaller branches of the trees go through a chipper and blow into a chip van. These chips are then burned at a biomass plant to make steam, turn a turbine, make electricity. I have never heard about plants that burn tires too.
Another biomass application is at the sawmill. The sawmill, cuts the logs into lumber with the by product of saw dust and small chips. This is known as hog fuel. Many sawmills have what is known as a coogeneration plant on the premises. This plant burns the chips, boils water and produces steam. The steam is used to heat their dry kilns to dry/season the lumber. This same steam can be also be used to turn a turbine and create electricity. Hence the term co gen(two purposes).
Over the last ten years both states and the federal government have given TAX INCENTIVES to build these co gen plants at your sawmill. They are expensive to build(MANY MILLIONS). I believe Seneca Sawmills in Eugene, OR’s was in the range of $7-10 million dollars. With out the tax incentive(rebate), they would not have able to spend such a large capital expenditure.
Regards,
The Lumber Broker
Are the trees used in biomass plants replaced in equal (or greater) amounts by managed new growth, i.e., is biomass a “sustainable” energy source?
Oh, don't I wish.
Thanks for the info
I certainly learned a lot about this, from you and the video
Kudos