Biomass Pellets, And Other Forms Of Energy Pellets

August 7, 2009 by Go Green Tips · Leave a Comment 

Biomass pellets have been around for over 40 years, however at the time they were by no means taken sincerely as a power source. At that time oil and gas were cheap and plentiful. Comparing wood pellets to these energy sources was not favourable, as it would entail a completely new market of stoves and boilers, and some user upkeep was required. To the generation that used coal stoves and boilers only, wood pellets could be seen as a competition. However as gas heating came into the picture, it was ultra low upkeep and could heat the entire property from a small package in the kitchen. Apart from a visit from the gas engineer infrequently, the owners would not even be aware of the system. Recently though the picture on gas has become less than appealing. Demand for gas and supplies have over recent years become a significant issue. It basically comes down to that who has the gas, and the price they will release it for. Recently disagreements have occurred over this issue, and the supply of gas was halted. So the price of gas if very insecure, and in the long term due to limited resources the price will only go up. There are therefore a group of reasons why to move away from gas as a residence heating fuel. And as you are more than aware there is also the question of climate change and global warming. Gas is by-product of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, and therefore is itself a fossil fuel. Fossil fuels when burnt place supplementary carbon dioxide into air, this additional CO2 adds to the greenhouse outcome. There is therefore a global consensus to move away from fossil fuels, due to the unsafe effects of increasing carbon dioxide levels. Here is where a fuel from 40 years ago in the form of biomass pellets was looked at in a different manor. Wood pellets today are attracting attention from some very large companies, as a way to enter the green fuel market.

Learn more about Wood Pellet

To obtain power from the wood pellets, they are evidently combusted, so why is burning wood greener than burning fossil fuels? Well, to put it basically biomass is part of the current carbon cycle, so burning wood does not place extra carbon into the air. However burning efficiency is still very important, with poor incineration of wood, poisonous gases and particulates are produced which are forms of air greenhouse gasses.

Read more about Pellet Fuel Facts

This is where using wood pellets is far enhanced than simply burning wood logs. Due to the high compactness of the pellets a much higher burning temperature is achieved. A higher burning temperature means less ash is produced, more heat is generated and smoke and particulates is kept to an absolute minimum.

More information on Pellet Mill Guide

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