Heating fuels from switchgrass? A Vermont agronomist explains switchgrass production followed by entrepreneurs turning bales of grass into briquette fuel.
Wonderful idea but what about using discard material such as corn stocks and grain straw? Around here in the upper Northwest, they burn that off every year causing air pollution. Dual-purpose crop.
Straw from wheat was once used to thatch roofs over here in the UK. It still is used on cottages but I'm not sure how farmers dispose of it. Making pallets is a great idea.
You're right. pellets generally better suited to the residential scale market. The market focus for the manufacturer featured in the video is towards those larger commercial/institutional customers who can swap or mix wood chips and grass briquettes (i.e., systems exceeding 1M BTU) -Netaka
While grass fuel briquettes have their place, pellets can be used in smaller scale combustion systems and pellets do have a higher bulk density which means lower transportation costs and higher combustion efficiencies.
one would think that , if one wished to make whole process carbon neutral , one would have the processing machinery either gasifier powered or steam powered...
Unfortunately there is not, but thank you for your interest. If you would like more information on who is involved, you can contact me at sarah at vsjf.org. The closest to you is Shelburne, Alburgh and UVM-Burlington.
I like this video am in the process of trying to be more self stainable. I want to buy a small pellet mill and learn about what type of grass to use. am also looking into rocket mass heaters and rocket pellet stoves. I think the processing grass would be better than wood. I like the fact that it can be stacked and you can put a lot more pellets in a small area because they are more compacted and easily stored and more stainable if all I have to do is let the grass grow and cut it process it and bag it and store it.
Thanks for the feedback! Yes, you are right, one major advantage to pellets is that they are more dense than other forms of biomass fuel. That means they take up less space for storage, and are more economical for transporting. Grass is an intriguing option for farmers, homesteaders, and communities because it is often readily available. I would say we are still working out the kinks in processing and combustion, but we're getting there. Vermont Technical College has been operating a small mobile pellet mill for a couple of years, and will be test-burning their grass pellets in a pellet boiler on campus. Stay tuned for more on that...
this idea is a very good one I think it fits under waste not want not. kind of like making paper bricketts from waste mail. the only draw back I see with it is that it takes a lot of power to run even the smallest of pellet mill. but a pellet mill can do a lot more than just make grass pellets It can make pellet food for chickens, rabbits, fish, goats that is cool that it is duel purpose. that would be the only way it would make it worth wild. but am also looking into fodder systems also they are easy to build and look like a very cheap way to feed animals. sorry rambling
How do they return nutrients to the fields if the whole crop is shipped off and burned? I think that a much better use of the grass would be to feed it to cows, then ferment the manure in a biogas plant then the nutrients can be returned after digesting to the field. Methane could be sold into the natural gas grid, or used to run a generator to feed electricity into the electric grid. This project seems to be well meaning but misguided.
5000 Gallons of Clean Burning Carbon Negative Algae Bio Fuel can be produced from 1Acre p/a. Also a Bi product of Algae Fuel is a v good Fertiliser, and the Algae is grown using waste water, Landfill runoff and industrial gasses, cleaning them in the process!.
Like pretty much all lefty environmentalist businesses it turn out they are unicorn farts and moonbeams when it comes to actually being financially viable and self sustaining without govt grants and other 'free money' inputs
Wonderful idea but what about using discard material such as corn stocks and grain straw? Around here in the upper Northwest, they burn that off every year causing air pollution. Dual-purpose crop.
Straw from wheat was once used to thatch roofs over here in the UK. It still is used on cottages but I'm not sure how farmers dispose of it. Making pallets is a great idea.
You're right. pellets generally better suited to the residential scale market. The market focus for the manufacturer featured in the video is towards those larger commercial/institutional customers who can swap or mix wood chips and grass briquettes (i.e., systems exceeding 1M BTU)
-Netaka
Did he say it takes 3 years for the grass to mature?
While grass fuel briquettes have their place, pellets can be used in smaller scale combustion systems and pellets do have a higher bulk density which means lower transportation costs and higher combustion efficiencies.
I wish i grew up on a farm .
You can try Napier Pakchong Grass from Thailand. 1 acre land can produced 100 Ton Grass
one would think that , if one wished to make whole process carbon neutral , one would have the processing machinery either gasifier powered or steam powered...
What’s the cost per ton of finished product?
Is there anyone in the Newport area involved in this project?
Unfortunately there is not, but thank you for your interest. If you would like more information on who is involved, you can contact me at sarah at vsjf.org. The closest to you is Shelburne, Alburgh and UVM-Burlington.
Switched to Miscanthus yet?
hope they've got a permaculture plan or even a no-till future plan bc the nutrients are going to dwindle with every cut of hay
I like this video am in the process of trying to be more self stainable. I want to buy a small pellet mill and learn about what type of grass to use. am also looking into rocket mass heaters and rocket pellet stoves. I think the processing grass would be better than wood. I like the fact that it can be stacked and you can put a lot more pellets in a small area because they are more compacted and easily stored and more stainable if all I have to do is let the grass grow and cut it process it and bag it and store it.
Thanks for the feedback! Yes, you are right, one major advantage to pellets is that they are more dense than other forms of biomass fuel. That means they take up less space for storage, and are more economical for transporting. Grass is an intriguing option for farmers, homesteaders, and communities because it is often readily available. I would say we are still working out the kinks in processing and combustion, but we're getting there. Vermont Technical College has been operating a small mobile pellet mill for a couple of years, and will be test-burning their grass pellets in a pellet boiler on campus. Stay tuned for more on that...
how cool will that be can't wait.
iwantosavemoney
Thanks! Glad you are interested. Stay tuned to www.vermontbioenergy.com as things develop.
this idea is a very good one I think it fits under waste not want not. kind of like making paper bricketts from waste mail. the only draw back I see with it is that it takes a lot of power to run even the smallest of pellet mill. but a pellet mill can do a lot more than just make grass pellets It can make pellet food for chickens, rabbits, fish, goats that is cool that it is duel purpose. that would be the only way it would make it worth wild. but am also looking into fodder systems also they are easy to build and look like a very cheap way to feed animals.
sorry rambling
How do they return nutrients to the fields if the whole crop is shipped off and burned? I think that a much better use of the grass would be to feed it to cows, then ferment the manure in a biogas plant then the nutrients can be returned after digesting to the field. Methane could be sold into the natural gas grid, or used to run a generator to feed electricity into the electric grid. This project seems to be well meaning but misguided.
5000 Gallons of Clean Burning Carbon Negative Algae Bio Fuel can be produced from 1Acre p/a. Also a Bi product of Algae Fuel is a v good Fertiliser, and the Algae is grown using waste water, Landfill runoff and industrial gasses, cleaning them in the process!.
They arent foraging anything, theyre trying to make a buck
As of 2022....they are not viable?!?! Website is down...number changed....address is a HOUSE sold in 2018. Google Streetview BLOCKED?!?!
Like pretty much all lefty environmentalist businesses it turn out they are unicorn farts and moonbeams when it comes to actually being financially viable and self sustaining without govt grants and other 'free money' inputs
Best to leave it for the cows, use grains