[Gasification] ASABE Report On International Meeting Regarding Solid Biofuels

Thu Jun 2 09:35:39 CDT 2016

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 1, 2016

CONTACT

Dolores Landeck

269-932-7039

 <mailto:landeck at asabe.org> landeck at asabe.org

STEADY PROGRESS IN DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS TO SUPPORT SOLID
BIOFUELS INDUSTRY 

ST JOSEPH, MICHIGAN - Development of international standards for solid
biofuels advanced at a recent meeting of the ISO committee responsible for
that work. 

The meeting of ISO/TC238, Solid Biofuels, was held in Kuala Lumpur.
Attending on behalf of the United States were Scott Cedarquist, standards
director at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
(ASABE) and Chris Wiberg, lab director of Timber Products Inspection/Biomass
Energy Lab.  Their attendance was sponsored by the Pellet Fuels Institute
and by the US Industrial Pellet Association. ASABE coordinates US input on
developing standards and responses to balloted proposals.

Among the projects discussed were several focused on safety, in the
residential handling and storage of wood pellets, in large-scale handling,
in industrial applications, and in fighting fires in pellet storage
facilities. When approved and published, these standards may be used within
Europe, North America, and elsewhere. 

Interest in thermally treated biofuels, such as torrefied, steam-treated, or
carbonized, is increasing. A standard on thermal treatment was proposed but
ultimately tabled because research and technology is developing rapidly. The
group recommended the alternative publication of a technical specification,
which provides flexibility while technology develops and understanding of
materials deepens. 

Additional new standards are under development for determination of ash
melting temperature, absorptivity and grindability of thermally treated
biofuels, and calibration of optical analyzers for determination of particle
size distribution. It is anticipated that more than 50 standards eventually
will be published by ISO/TC238 for solid biofuels. 

A new ISO committee, ISO/TC300, was created to develop standards for solid
recovered biofuels. Initial work will focus on quality and test
specifications for biofuels made from lower-grade materials, such as
demolition wood and municipal waste.  There are no current plans for the US
to actively participate in this new area of standardization, but liaisons
established between the two committees will facilitate dissemination of
information that may prove relevant to US trade and industry.

Initial TC238 standards development began in 2008 and was based on standards
published by the European Union's Central European Committee for
Normalization (CEN) and on standards from around the world. To date, 23
standards have been published by TC238 and an additional 20 projects are in
various stages of development.  Seven of the published standards are
classification documents for biomass and graded biofuels, including woody
pellets and briquettes, non-woody pellets and briquettes, firewood and
chips. In addition, there are 16 standards for testing physical properties
and 7 for testing chemical properties of solid biofuels. Other ISO standards
are being developed for sampling and sample preparation, including a
standard for small-scale sampling. These international standards will ensure
a level-playing field among stakeholders, and will help eliminate unfair
competition in the market place.   

The US and Canadian delegations have cooperated closely in the interest of
the producers and users of solid biofuels in North America. Participation in
the development of ISO standards is important to protect North American
interests, and to secure fair trade with Europe and other markets around the
world. 

There are currently 38 countries actively following this work. When the
technical committee was formed, the attendees came from Europe and North
America, but participation is widening. In the Kuala Lumpur meeting 14
nations participated, including China for the first time. Anyone interested
in helping develop these international solid biofuel standards is encouraged
to contact Scott Cedarquist, at  <mailto:cedarq at asabe.org> cedarq at asabe.org.

ASABE is recognized worldwide as a standards developing organization for
food, agricultural, and biological systems, with more than 250 standards
currently in publication. Conformance to ASABE standards is voluntary,
except where required by state, provincial, or other governmental
requirements, and the documents are developed by consensus in accordance
with procedures approved by the American National Standards Institute. For
information on this or any other ASABE standard, contact Scott Cedarquist at
269-932-7031,  <mailto:cedarq at asabe.org> cedarq at asabe.org. A current listing
of all ASABE standards projects can be found on the ASABE web site at
<http://www.asabe.org/projects> www.asabe.org/projects.

ASABE is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated
to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and
biological systems. Further information on the Society can be obtained by
contacting ASABE at (269) 429-0300, emailing hq at asabe.org or visiting
<http://www.asabe.org/> www.asabe.org/. Additional details on international
participation and progress can be found at:
<http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_technical_committee.html?commid=554401>
http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_technical_committee.html?commid=554401

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