Blue Flame Stoker

Vanderveen Greenhouses Switches To Biomass

cunger — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:32:03 +0000

Vanderveens’ Greenhouses, one of the largest greenhouse operations on the Prairies, was facing a dilemma shared by many other greenhouse growers. “With gas prices for heating skyrocketing, we weren’t sure if we could economically stay open and keep growing throughout the winters anymore,” says Kelvin Vanderveen. “We needed to find an alternative source of heating.” Their solution was to convert to biomass, and specifically flax shives. Vanderveen and his staff chose this fuel because flax is grown in quantity in the area and there is a plant nearby (Schweitzer-Mauduit Canada Inc.) that processes the flax.

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Lancaster Farming Uses Blue Flame Stoker

cunger — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:31:06 +0000

Because of the high cost of petroleum-based fuels and the future shortage of fossil fuels, alternate fuel sources continue to be investigated. We know about corn ethanol, solar and wind energy, and have heard about biomass and other terms. But, have you heard about energy produced from poultry litter? Recently, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and other partners funded a demonstration project to reduce the propane heating costs for poultry houses and decrease nutrient inputs. The project was funded by an NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Conservation Innovation Grant for Mac Curtis, a turkey producer in Snyder County, Pa. With the support from the poultry sciences specialists at Penn State University, Curtis installed a litter incinerator.

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Boilers Broken Down

cunger — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:21:23 +0000

This update of available biomass combustion boilers is a follow-up to our popular “Biomass Combustion 101” by Dr. Fernando Preto of CanmetENERGY. Here, we drill down through the mass of information provided by equipment suppliers to offer an overview of technologies, specifications and applications to sawmillers, panel mills, pallet makers and other forestry professionals involved in the emerging biomass sector. Compiled by Colleen Cross.

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