If you’re considering using wood pellets to heat your home, you’ve probably heard that they are a renewable resource. Wood pellets are a great choice for heating purposes because they produce heat while reducing CO2 emissions. But what exactly is wood pellet fuel? Here’s what you need to know about this fuel type. After reading this article, you’ll be well-equipped to make an informed decision about your home heating needs from the source.
Wood pellets are a biofuel
If you’re unfamiliar with biomass and biofuels, you’re probably wondering if wood pellets are a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Wood pellets are made from compressed organic matter, also known as biomass. In the past, wood pellets were considered a cheaper alternative to wood flour and were initially thought to be incompatible with current energy systems. Pellets are produced at high pressure and temperature (110 to 130 degrees Celsius), and the natural binders within the biomass allow for a more malleable product.
The most promising species for producing wood pellets include Acacia wrightii and Ebenopsis ebano. These species have high energy density and are suitable for both industrial and commercial heating applications. Due to their low moisture adsorption, these pellets tend to disintegrate. However, the high percentages of resistance index (R) indicate that these pellets meet the proximate analysis parameters of combustion.
They are a renewable resource
There are many benefits of wood pellets. They are renewable and sustainable. Most forests are cleared by clear-cutting. The process is good for biodiversity, and most foresters support this practice. The wood pellet industry sees this as a way to harvest dead wood, while simultaneously generating renewable energy from it. Here are three of the benefits of wood pellets. Here is a closer look at each of them.
First, wood pellets are made from bottomland hardwood forests in the southern United States. These forests consist of oaks, cypress, sweetgum, and poplar trees. Unfortunately, more than 60% of the bottomland hardwood forests have been logged, but the remaining 30% provide habitat for Gothic forests and 14 species listed as threatened or endangered by the Audubon Society. Furthermore, burning wood pellets contributes to the overall emissions of CO2, making it a poor alternative to coal.
They produce heat
For those who live in an area where the climate is cold and the winters are long, wood pellet heating is a viable option. The use of wood pellets for heating is increasingly popular, particularly in North America. Besides being cost-effective, wood pellets are renewable and readily available. And as long as there is no shortage of these, the market will continue to grow. And if you want to start using wood pellets for heat, there are several factors you should know.
The first step is to calculate the cost of propane. To figure out the cost per gallon, multiply the amount of propane that you use every year by $1.75. From there, you can compare that cost with the estimated cost of heating with wood pellets. However, it is important to note that propane is primarily used for space heating and not for cooking or water heaters. The average propane price over the last year was $1.75 per gallon.
They reduce CO2 emissions
Wood pellets reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80%, but the industry has been slow to catch on to the green energy trend. As the largest producer of biomass power, Britain’s Drax plant is emitting over 8 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. Despite this fact, the British government continues to count carbon dioxide emissions as “zero.” While the United States ignores carbon dioxide completely, countries like Estonia count it as a net contributor to land use. And while the amount of CO2 emissions is difficult to quantify in Russia, import records show a 121% increase in 2019 from the year before.
While biomass energy is a good source of energy, it is not a clean energy. Wood pellets, for example, are not renewable, and burning them releases CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. According to Enviva, burning wood pellets does not reduce emissions by more than 80 percent. However, Drax Power, one of the largest producers of biomass energy, actually emits more carbon than it does when burning coal. This hardly seems like a green energy source, but it’s worth a try.
They are a fuel source for outdoor cookers
If you enjoy using outdoor cooking devices, you should consider the use of wood pellets as your fuel. Wood pellets are made from wood sawdust, which is considered a biomass. These pellets are compacted by high temperatures, melting the lignin and forming eraser-sized pellets. These pellets are also easy to store in bags, which means you can pack them easily without sacrificing any space for camping equipment.
Unlike charcoal, wood pellets produce minimal ash and impart a smoky flavor to the food. There are different pellets for different types of food, which allows you to create the perfect flavor for your meal. The amount of pellets you use depends on how much food you plan to cook. For normal use, you should use about a half-pound of pellets per hour on smoke mode and two-1/2 pounds of pellets per hour on high.
