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Italian Power Firm Selects Envergent RTP
Envergent Technologies LLC, a Honeywell company, announced that Italian power company Industria e Innovazione has selected the Envergent RTP rapid thermal processing technology for the development of a facility to convert biomass into pyrolysis oil for renewable power generation.
The facility will convert a mix of pine forest residues and clean demolition wood into pyrolysis oil, a liquid biofuel. The facility will be designed to process around 150 bone-dry metric tons per day of biomass to pyrolysis oil.
Envergent will provide engineering for the plant, which is projected for startup in 2012.
The RTP process works by rapidly heating biomass such as wood chips or straw at ambient pressure to generate high yields of pourable, liquid pyrolysis oil. Envergent Technologies is also focused on development and commercialization of technology to further refine pyrolysis oil into renewable transportation fuels like green gasoline, green diesel and green jet fuel, and plans to have the technology available for license by 2012.
Torrefaction Plant Uses Drying Trailer
Randy Hill, President and CEO of Advanced Trailer, announced that his company has provided an Advanced Drying Trailer along with a dryer to Integro Earth Fuels for use at their pilot torrefaction plant in Grambling, SC.
This makes the third biomass drying project for Advanced Trailer this year, the first two being research grants to the University of Idaho and Iowa State University. Advanced Trailer’s patent-pending technology removes moisture from woody biomass. Call 800-860-1360.
Bandit Produces Bio-Sawdust
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Bandit Industries, Inc. has developed technology that allows a 1⁄4 in. minus sawdust-type material, known as bio-sawdust, to be produced from debarked roundwood in a single pass. Benefits of this new system include greater fuel efficiency, higher production levels in pellet mills, and the potential for expansion into biofuel and bioelectricity production, according to the company.
Because the process used to produce bio-sawdust is a cutting action, far less energy is consumed in producing the fine material. When using a diesel-powered Beast, up to three tons of material can be produced per gallon of diesel fuel consumed.
Additionally, the wood fibers are cut, not fractured. Pellet operations report that this type of material packs much more efficiently into the pellet dies, yielding greater production. Pellet operations in British Columbia receiving material from the Beast are reporting a 10% to 12% increase in production at the pellet mills when running material from the Beast.
The cutterbody is shaped like a sawtooth on a chain saw, which enables the chipping system to make a precise, regulated cut. The material entering the Beast is also controlled by the infeed system, which forwards material to the cutting system at the exact speed required to produce the desired chip length. When producing bio-sawdust, the chipping operation generally yields better than 95% acceptable material in one pass.
Premier Tech Shows Newest Technologies
At a live demonstration in November, Premier Tech Systems showed its AC-210 automatic, compact palletizer and its HVS-400 FFS horizontal baler.
This presentation attracted more than 35 wood producers to Drummondville (Verville), Quebec.
The new HVS-400 is a horizontal form-fill-seal baler designed to package compressible bulk products such as natural fibers like wood shavings, cellulose, or materials with similar characteristics. It offers savings in packaging materials due to the use of flat film instead of pre-made bags (no plastic waste to handle).
The AC-210 palletizer combines the advantages of a robotic palletizer with traditional palletizing technology. It features an automatic gripper that guarantees exact positioning of each unit onto the pallet.
Precision Husky Offers Drum Chipper
Precision Husky Corp. announces the startup of the Model 4042 drum chipper powered by Cummins 600 HP or CAT C15. Scott Smith, President, states that the machine does not have a bunch of “bells and whistles” and is very economical to operate.
The machine produces more than 75 tons per hour, and is totally dedicated to biomass.
Vermeer Introduces Fuel Chip Attachment
Vermeer Corp. introduces an attachment for its horizontal grinders that will help customers produce biomass feedstock for this growing market.
The Vermeer Fuel Chip Attachment (FCA) offers customers more versatility, allowing the use of one machine to process wood waste into mulch one day and biomass the next simply by changing out the cutting mechanism in a few hours. The fuel chip attachment helps customers enter the biomass market without tying up capital resources in a separate machine.
Designed for use with Vermeer HG6000 or HG6000TX horizontal grinders equipped with the Series II Duplex Drum, the fuel chip attachment changes the action of the cutting drum from ripping and shredding to a chipping action, offering the ability to produce a more uniformly sized end product.
The fuel chip attachment can be installed on an existing HG6000 or HG6000TX in approximately four hours. The attachment is installed on the drum by removing the bolt on cutting mechanism from the drum hammers. Then a series of 10 rings are mounted to the outside of the Series II Duplex Drum and secured to the existing drum hammers. The rings help provide depth control during the chipping process. Attached to each ring are two 5-by-3.5 in. (12.7 x 8.9 cm) double-sided knives that can be flipped and sharpened for extended life.
Morbark Enters Energy Venture
Morbark, Inc., announced an agreement with Heat Transfer International (HTI) of Kentwood, Mich., which includes a manufacturing agreement for Morbark and an equity investment in HTI.
HTI provides turnkey waste-to-energy systems that create renewable energy through SALT gasification of biomass.
“Not only will we manufacture the finest wood reduction equipment, but we’ll be producing the systems which convert wood and other organics into usable electricity and steam,” says Lon Morey, President and CEO of Morbark.
“We feel very fortunate to have found a manufacturing partner that understands our business and shares our visions,” states David Prouty, HTI President. “Morbark gives us the manufacturing systems and capacity to manage many projects at the same time allowing us to keep up with the growth we expect.”
Peterson Offers New Drum Chipper Model
Peterson introduces a drum chipper model suited for high volume biomass producers. The 4300 model is powered by a C18 Caterpillar engine available in three power ratings, 630 HP, 700 HP and 765 HP. The chipper utilizes a 36 in. (914 mm) diameter by 40 in. (102 mm) wide drum. It will be available with optional material sizing bars and a chip accelerator to minimize oversize twigs and branches in the chips. Other key features include a sloped feed deck for ease of feeding the chipper, and an adaptive feed control to maintain chip quality and engine RPM.
Pellet Fuel Demo Held In Virginia
In November Rotochopper, Cutting Systems, Forest Pro and James River Equipment collectively demonstrated that making quality pellet fuel in the woods is feasible. The demo was staged in a young loblolly pine stand near the Forest Pro dealership in Scottville, Va. Employees and equipment of Tapscott Brothers Logging felled, bunched and skidded stems to the landing, where a Barko 595 ML loader and CSI FDT 6000 flail/pull-through delimber took over. After delimbing, the loader operator turned the stems and sent the trees back through the flail, butt end first, to remove bark. Then the clean stems were fed through a Rotochopper MC 266 grinder fitted with a 3⁄4 in. screen. The fine material produced, once dried, was suitable for making fuel pellets.
Rotochopper machines feature a unique grinding method that does not use knives or hammers for processing. A rotating drum is fitted with rows of sawhead cutter type teeth that grind the fiber, which is sent through removable screens. These can be changed in under 10 minutes and range in size from 4 in. for mulch material to 3⁄4 in. for pellet feedstock.
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