[Stoves] Whitfield Home & Garden Biochar Pellet Stove PDF

[Alex English]

Crispin,
I'm not current on grain prices but there are often low grade, semi 
spoiled, contaminated, bin ends and the such that get looked at for 
these purposes. At least I know a greenhouse that burns grains 
opportunistically. It is, in a sense, a difficulty for the ag pellet 
business having to complete with unpredictable prices and availability 
of 'waste' or residue fuels setting the market floor price, but its 
hardly a market at this point.

As far as partial burn economics, on paper it could work.  If we need 
50% more fuel  for the same heat, at $50/tonne we now spend $75 for that 
heat but we have say .2 Tonne of Char.
If it can do the work of $50(untrustworthy number alert) of potting 
soil/media then your ahead. It gets a bit tricky here because we would 
need to switch from mass  to the functional volume measurement.   The 
devil/angel is in the logistics and specifics. How much extra capital 
investment is required? Ag residue fuel chars may be to high in salts. 
Do you have the scale and skill to efficiently produce and 
handle/size/sort char and mix all your potting soil? Can you sell the 
surplus? Can you get multiple/extra  years of use? Does it still have 
value after use?
Not to mention the cutting edge cache :)

Prospecting,

Alex



On 14/09/2012 3:17 AM, Crispin P-P wrote:
> Dear Alex
>
> I like the idea of finding a use for fuel that doesn't burn well at 
> all and pyrolysing it to get a good quality burn.
>
> I was discussing pellets v.s. corn with Arend Ten Hove from the Bay of 
> Quinte area yesterday and it seems corn is or was cheaper than wood. 
> Something like $110 per ton delivered. Is that still true?
>
> Given your need for potting / growth material would you be able to 
> justify not burning carbon you paid to have delivered?
>
> Can you see any break-even prospect?
>
> Thanks
> Crispin
>
>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.bioenergylists.org/pipermail/stoves_lists.bioenergylists.org/attachments/20120914/ed005828/attachment.html>