Small Scale Wood Pellet Machine Produces Carbon Neutral Fuel Source For Factories And Offices
This short essay shows how biomass materials (plants) can be burnt to produce power and heat without the global warming which scientists fear will result from fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas). Grant aid may help communities and businesses make a change to biomass in countries such as the UK. This in turn may help new industries develop in those communities. We see an example in Somerset, UK. A wood pellet machine is imported from Sweden. A small scale industry develops.
Using energy from biomass materials results in a closed carbon cycle. In theory there should be no net increase in atmospheric CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels. This is of course critical to national and international attempts to contain the threat of global warming.
To understand this one should first understand the carbon cycle. The carbon used to construct biomass is absorbed by plants from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere while the plants are growing. This absorbs energy from the sun.
When the plants die the carbon is released back into the earth’s atmosphere. If the plants rot and decay CH4 (methane) and CO2 (carbon dioxide) are released. If the plants are burnt as fuel just CO2 is released.
This process is called the carbon cycle. It is completely natural and has existed since the dawn of life on earth.
When scientists worry about global warming they look at the different processes when oil and gas are burnt. Oil, gas and coal are called fossil fuels. They are also derived from plants and animals, and they also emit CO2 to the atmosphere when burnt. The difference is that the carbon in the fossil fuel was absorbed tens of millions of years ago and has been locked in the fuel since that time.
If we now burn those fossil fuels in our cars and power stations we are releasing lots of carbon into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. This is carbon which has been locked up for a very long time. The plant life on earth now cannot absorb that carbon quickly enough. The carbon dioxide levels in the earth’s atmosphere grow and the earth becomes warmer (CO2 is a greenhouse gas).
National governments which are concerned about the global warming often wish to move their economy to carbon neutral forms of energy. They favor the closed carbon cycle from burning biomass (plant material) rather than fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal.
In countries like the UK there may be government assistance to promote biomass energy. Programs such as the Bio-Energy Capital Grant Scheme. This supports biomass energy introduction for applications such as combined heat and power (CHP). Commerce, industry and community ventures may all be eligible. Community ventures include diverse spheres such as local authority, hospital, housing and schools.
This process can lead to new business opportunities in unexpected places. In the UK there are a number of centers of both large and small scale production of biomass fuels. A small scale venture in Somerset is an example of this process. A wood pellet machine imported from Sweden produces over 300 kg of pellets per hour. The low start up cost of this small scale machine allows viable production in an area not really noted for timber industries.
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