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The United States has fallen behind much of the world in the use of biomass and other renewable energy forms to produce electricity and steam. Instead, the U.S. has embraced coal for energy production. Currently, over 52% of U.S. power is fueled by coal. CO2 emissions from U.S. coal-fired plants are estimated by the New York Times to be 2.3 billion tons per year. CO2 output in the U.S. has increased by 20% since 1990. Millions of tons of sulfur in the form of SO2 and SO3 are emitted each year from those same plants.
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Like it or not, coal-fired plants will be producing
power in a number of countries for many years to come. Recognizing that,
we must ask ourselves: How can the negative effects of coal be reduced
to the maximum extent possible? What can we do to reduce the CO2
and sulfur emissions of coal-fired plants?
Biomass Development Company is dedicated to increasing the use of biomass in power and steam production as a way to reduce the adverse impact of coal. One of the best ways to accomplish this goal in the near future is to introduce biomass into coal-fired power plants as a fuel to replace coal. Energy industry giant Foster Wheeler has worked for years testing the use of biomass with coal. Recently, David Tillman of Foster Wheeler reported that the most effective method of co-firing large quantities of biomass with coal is to introduce the biomass as a combustible gas from a gasifier. That way, the total output of the power plant or steam production facility is not de-rated by the introduction of fibrous biomass material into a fuel delivery system designed for coal. |
In the past, gasifiers were very expensive. High capital requirements and high operating costs prevented companies from adopting gasifiers as a method of delivering fuel. This is changing now. Biomass Development Company is one of the reasons for that change.
Biomass Development Company is licensed to produce and sell biomass gasification equipment designed and patented by ClearStack Combustion Corporation (www.clearstack.com). ClearStack's patented Ashworth Combustor offers an excellent and inexpensive gasifier for the conversion of a wide range of biomass materials into clean, hot combustible gases. These gases can then be piped into coal-fired plants and combusted there to replace some of the coal that would be used. It is possible that some coal-fired plants could be entirely converted to biomass using ClearStack's gasifier.
Biomass Development Company has invested substantial amounts of money into the ClearStack's demonstration program. That program proved that ClearStack's technology can gasify biomass to provide a clean, environmentally-friendly boiler fuel to replace a substantial amount of coal.
Biomass Development Company has researched the use of wood by-products, agricultural field waste, animal manure, human sewage, construction debris and non-recyclable municipal solid waste as feedstocks for the production of biomass gases. All of these biomass fuels can be used as a substitute for coal in power and steam plants.
In addition to coal replacement, biomass converted into combustible gases can also be used as fuel in oil-fired power plants, oil-fired steam plants and some natural gas-fired combustors.
Biomass Development Company, through its parent, has been involved in reducing power plant emissions since 1989. The company is located in Bradenton Florida USA, and can be reached through its web site, www.biomassdev.com, or by contacting the company at
Biomass Development Company
1401 Manatee Avenue West, Suite 910
Bradenton, Florida
USA 34205.
Telephone 1 941 747 1448
Email info@energyweb.com.
Ten Alps Communications Ltd t/a Sovereign Publications
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2008 Sovereign Publications
