HM3 Energy, Inc.
Biomass Energy
The term "biomass" means any plant derived organic matter available on a renewable basis, including dedicated energy crops and trees, agricultural food and feed crops, agricultural crop wastes and residues, wood wastes and residues, aquatic plants, animal wastes, municipal wastes, and other waste materials. It can be in solid or liquid form.
Biomass power or biopower is the use of biomass to generate electricity, or heat and steam required for industrial operations or space heating. Biopower system technologies include direct-firing, cofiring, gasification, pyrolysis, and anaerobic digestion.
At this time, most references to burning woody biomass to produce electricity refer to the use of hog fuel or conventional wood pellets, which are quite different from pellets made from torrefied biomass. Hog fuel is very bulky and heavy to transport. Conventional wood pellets are not water-proof, so must be shipped and stored under cover. Hog fuel and conventional wood pellets are generally used in smaller power plants close to the source of the biomass. Experts say the rule of thumb is that facilities dedicated to burning this kind of biomass should be within 50 to 75 miles of their fuel source.
Neither hog fuel nor conventional wood pellets can be co-fired with coal without extensive investment in the coal power plant. Coal boilers are designed to blow pulverized coal into the combustion chamber, where specific operating parameters are controlled. Wood ground even as small as sawdust cannot be readily co-fired. Transportation and storage issues also prevent the use of wood chips, sawdust, pellets and other biomass that absorbs water. On the other hand, the chemical composition and traits of HM3 Energy's TorrB™ torrefied biomass pellets allow them to directly replace coal in existing coal-fired power plants.
Addtionally, the energy required to dry, torrefy and pelletize torrefied biomass pellets is much less than that of producing standard wood pellets, for two reasons:
- HM3 Energy's TorrB™ torrefaction process uses a small portion of the feedstock for its energy needs (unlike traditional pellets, which require a large amount of outside energy).
- Because the torrefied biomass is not fibrous (like the wood chips used in producing standard wood pellets), far less energy is needed to grind and then pelletize the torrefied biomass.
See downloadable PDF chart: Production Energy Balance - Traditional vs TorrB™ Torrefied Pellets.
NEWS
NOV 2011: HM3 Energy Northwest Cleantech Open regional finalist, competes in national competition in San Jose. READ MORE
AUGUST 2011: HM3 Energy featured in Biomass Power & Thermal magazine. READ MORE
JUNE 2011: HM3 Energy awarded SBIR-USDA Phase 2 grant, worth $460,000. READ MORE
HM3 Energy receives US Endowment for Forestry and Communities grant, worth $241,000. The award will be used for pilot plant operation and key commercial scale equipment design and fabrication... READ MORE
Successful test burn completed with 100% torrefied biomass in pulverized coal-fired combustion facility proves torrefied biomass can replace coal directly in coal-fired power plants... READ MORE
Torrefied biomass energy can come from a variety of feedstock sources.... READ MORE
Torrefied biomass energy costs compare very favorably with other clean energy forms, such as solar and wind...READ MORE