Last year I burned between 10 and 12 cords of hardwood to heat 5800 sq.ft and DHW. That is a lot of cutting, hauling, bucking, splitting, stacking and loading. Good exercise but very time-consuming. I have enabled or am enabling changes to reduce that load by 30-40%
I've been researching alternative biofuels for gassers too. What I have discovered is that wheat straw (for example has 19% more btus than hardwood of the same MC. A gasser with big storage can take advantage of the more irregular burning cycle (fast hot).
I have a steady supply of spent mushroom substrate, which is mostly wheat straw, to use as a fuel. It needs to be processed (re-chopped and dried, then compressed) into a biolog. The plan is to create 14 lb. logs. By my calculations and estimated design heat load, I'll use 9-10 logs per evening and that should carry me through the night and next day.
One concern that I have is corrosion of the boiler. Many biofuels like switchgrass, miscanthus, and waste straws are high in chemicals that can react in a low oxygen environment to create corrosive elements. Chlorine is one of the chemicals. I think the resulting compounds are salts. Apparently, smaller amounts of these elements are present in the gasification of wood too, but the amounts in wood are sufficiently small to be of little concern.
Senescence of the biofuel materials (leaving it standing in the field through winter) reduces the chemicals to the levels present in hardwood. The rains and snows leach out the chemicals that cause the problem. Somewhere, don't ask me where, I read that soaking the biomass in 50-60 degree Centigrade water has the same effect as senescing the biofuel. Our straw is pasteurized in 60C degree water to kill pathogens prior to innoculating with spore laden grain. Problem solved maybe?
Were it not for my concern for the boiler corrosion, this fuel would be a good answer to my fuel needs. It is a waste product and by my calculations is (likely) available in sufficient quantity for heating of house, barn and domestic hot water.
If anyone knows much about the chemistry or what in the biofuel might cause corrosion problems, I would appreciate your input.
I've been researching alternative biofuels for gassers too. What I have discovered is that wheat straw (for example has 19% more btus than hardwood of the same MC. A gasser with big storage can take advantage of the more irregular burning cycle (fast hot).
I have a steady supply of spent mushroom substrate, which is mostly wheat straw, to use as a fuel. It needs to be processed (re-chopped and dried, then compressed) into a biolog. The plan is to create 14 lb. logs. By my calculations and estimated design heat load, I'll use 9-10 logs per evening and that should carry me through the night and next day.
One concern that I have is corrosion of the boiler. Many biofuels like switchgrass, miscanthus, and waste straws are high in chemicals that can react in a low oxygen environment to create corrosive elements. Chlorine is one of the chemicals. I think the resulting compounds are salts. Apparently, smaller amounts of these elements are present in the gasification of wood too, but the amounts in wood are sufficiently small to be of little concern.
Senescence of the biofuel materials (leaving it standing in the field through winter) reduces the chemicals to the levels present in hardwood. The rains and snows leach out the chemicals that cause the problem. Somewhere, don't ask me where, I read that soaking the biomass in 50-60 degree Centigrade water has the same effect as senescing the biofuel. Our straw is pasteurized in 60C degree water to kill pathogens prior to innoculating with spore laden grain. Problem solved maybe?
Were it not for my concern for the boiler corrosion, this fuel would be a good answer to my fuel needs. It is a waste product and by my calculations is (likely) available in sufficient quantity for heating of house, barn and domestic hot water.
If anyone knows much about the chemistry or what in the biofuel might cause corrosion problems, I would appreciate your input.