The Benefits of Pellet Fuel
Pellet manufacturers take by-products (wood waste) and refine them into pencil sized pellets that are uniform in size, shape, moisture, density and energy content.
Why not simply burn raw biomass? First, the moisture content of pellets is substantially lower (5% to 8% water, compared to 30% to 60% for raw biomass). Less moisture means higher energy values and easier handling.
Second, the density of pellet fuel is substantially higher than raw biomass. More fuel can be transported in a given truck space, and more energy can be stored at your site.
Third, pellets are more easily and predictably handled. Their uniform shape and size allows for a smaller and simpler feed system that reduces costs. Pellets pose little of the explosion risks or environmental pollution from spills as nonrenewable fossil fuels do.
The remarkable consistency and burn efficiency of pellet fuel produces a fraction of the particulate emissions of raw biomass. Most Pellet burners feature the lowest particulate matter emissions of all solid fuel burners.
When you heat with biomass, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Trees absorb this carbon dioxide in equal amounts as they grow, so burning pellets does not increase the amount of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.
Arsenic, carbon monoxide, sulphur and the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide are just a few of the air and water pollutants resulting from the use of all nonrenewable fossil fuels as a heat and an energy source. Even if the supply of nonrenewable fossil fuel was unlimited, the economic and associated environmental costs of transporting and burning ever-increasing amounts of nonrenewable fossil fuels are simply unsustainable. In fact, since pellets can burn more efficiently (system efficiency averages at 80%) than other fuels, emissions from pellet burners meet even the most stringent Local Council requirements.
Any remaining ash in the burn chamber, when removed, is of little consequence. Once the ash is emptied periodically, it can actually double as a fertilizer. Finally, pellet storage poses no soil or water contamination risks. A spill can be cleaned with a shovel... not a hazardous waste crew.
"The great old fashioned warmth of a wood fire, but no more chopping & stacking of wood!"