Biomass

The biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues from agriculture (including vegetal and animal substances), forestry and related industries, as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste. Biomass may be used to produce bioenergy.

Bioenergy

Image credit: Dept of Natural Resources Canada

Also known as biomass energy, any form of renewable energy that is derived from plant materials produced by photosynthesis.

Biomass fuels can come from wood, agricultural crops, and other organic residues such as municipal solid waste and landfills.

Bioenergy is regarded as "green" energy for several reasons. As long as we properly manage our biomass resources, such as our forests, biomass fuels are infinitely renewable. They have already proven to be economically stable sources of energy over time. Bioenergy is neutral in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. The burning of biomass fuels merely releases the carbon dioxide that the plants absorbed over their life spans. In contrast, the combustion of fossil fuels releases large quantities of long-stored carbon dioxide, which contribute directly to global warming. Moreover, bioenergy reduces climate change when it displaces fossil fuels.

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Pellet Fuel

Pellet fuel is a renewable, clean-burning and cost stable home heating alternative currently being used in the United States. It is a biomass product made of renewable substances - generally recycled wood waste. Pellet fuel is a way to divert millions of tons of waste from landfills and turn it into energy. Wood pellet fuel burns cleaner than cordwood, emitting less than 15% of the particulates that a regular wood-fired furnace or stove would emit. It is carbon neutral thus emitting carbon that would not otherwise be released. By burning wood pellets you are not contributing to global warming through emissions of CO2 or other greenhouse gases. Wood pellets have a high energy content which is comparable to high quality coal.

Impact on Environment

Emissions - Although carbon and methane gases are released in the air, the growth of new biomass crops capture nearly the equivalent amount of the emissions thereby making biomass carbon-neutral. For example, if one ton of wood pellets are used in place of electricity you will save 3323 lbs. of CO2 emissions; 549 lbs. in place of natural gas; or 943 lbs in place of oil. Other emissions from wood pellets are low compared to coal and oil and considerably lower in sulfur dioxide emissions.

The average household would use 2.67 tons of pellets per heating season, saving 8872 lbs. of carbon emissions if you heat with electricity; 2518 lbs. if you heat with oil; 1893 lbs. if you heat with LPG; and 1466 lbs. if you heat with natural gas.

If every household converted to wood pellet fuel (or equivalent renewable source) for heating, the total carbon emissions of the United States would drop by more than 8%.
GLOBAL WARMING? You "can" do your part. Data taken from Dr. Jerry Whitfield's talk "Reduction in Greenhouse Gases Using Biomass Pellets for Residential Space Heating", 6/3/98

Raw Feed Material - Our pellets are made from trees and logs that are part of the sustainable forest initiative. The majority of the material comes from plantation tree farms, so when a tree is harvested another is planted to take its place. In addition working with the Forestry Department trees are taken from the forest to thin the forest thus making it healthier for the earth.