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About wood pellets benefits
Low cost, low moisture content and ease of use and transport are just a
few of the great benefits of using biomass fuels.
Pellet fuel is easy to transport and feed into burning systems, making
it the most ideal bio fuel available for small-scale use. But how are
wood pellets different from regular firewood?
Wood pellets are uniform, unlike raw firewood. Wood pellets are made by
drying and pressing wood shavings and sawdust. Thus, wood pellets have a
much lower moisture content than raw wood. Moisture in unprocessed
materials used for fuel are a drawback as the increased mass leads to
inefficiency in transport and higher costs. Also, moisture in wood used
for fuel can cause deterioration of the wood through rotting and
degeneration while being handled and stored.
Varying amounts of moisture in raw biomass results in lower efficiency
because of uneven combustion and higher emissions. Biomass that has been
made into pellets offer higher energy density because pellets are made
of biomass that has been dehydrated and then compressed. Drying and
compressing biomass also leads to better combustion in pellets. Wood
pellets are also more convenient to store and transport than raw wood.
The savings achieved when storing and transporting energy dense wood
pellets offset the cost of processing raw biomass into pellets.
Pellets also offer ease of use and convenience unparalleled by raw
biomass fuels. Unlike unprocessed biomass, pellets come ready to be fed
directly into burners. No splitting or other preparation is needed.
However, this convenience is reflected in the cost; pellets do cost more
than raw fuels. In considering the advantages and disadvantages of
pellet fuels, it is also important to note that some of the drawbacks of
using pellets instead of oil are the added need of larger storage
facilities, removal of ashes as well as increased supervision and
control of pellet quality.
An important advantage of wood pellet fuel over fossil fuels is the
impact of wood pellet fuel upon the environment. Wood pellet fuel is a
renewable resource, unlike fossil fuels. Furthermore, wood pellet fuel
use does not contribute to the greenhouse effect. Five cubic meters of
oil releases 13.8 tons of carbon dioxide into the environment. Clearly,
replacing oil usage with bio fuels would significantly decrease carbon
dioxide emissions. It may be useful to impose a tax upon carbon dioxide
emission to help encourage the use of alternative fuels such as wood
pellets that do not emit carbon dioxide. However, the impact upon the
environment should electricity use be replaced by wood pellets is
unknown as this would depend upon the manner in which electricity is
being produced.
The cheaper price of wood pellet fuel compared to electricity or
petroleum oil as well as its more stable price range is another
advantage of wood pellet fuel over fossil fuels. While oil and
electricity prices continue to climb, wood pellet prices are expected to
remain steady. Supplies of wood pellets are available both domestically
and overseas; there are many options for importing wood pellets and
other bio fuels.
However, an added benefit of producing pellets at home rather than
abroad would be the creation of many new employment opportunities here
in this country.
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If you need wood chairs for your dining room then you have come to the right
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end table
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Resources:
pellet stoves guide |
pellet stoves sites |
pellet stoves recommend
pellet stoves sources |
