There are many environmental and commercial benefits of recovering energy from waste wood, on a large or smaller scale. The UK have set targets to not only divert and reduce the biodegradable waste from landfill. At the same time, an objective of the government’s energy review is to reduce the reliance on electricity and heat generation from fossil fuels. In order to promote these behavioural changes in waste management, the government have had economic measures in place such as the Landfill Tax Escalator. Measures such as these which has seen the tax rise significantly on landfill waste has made recovery routes of wood waste much more attractive. Economic drivers have also led to the increased demand for alternative fuels, such as the sixfold increase in wholesale gas prices. Now has never been a better time to invest in a wood fired heating system from Ranheat Engineering.
A question we are often asked when wood working companies contact us is what forms of Wood Waste our boilers can accept. We thought we would take the time to not only outline what the government outlines permit to be combusted and what we can do.
Although an Industrial Wood Waste boiler could incinerate most wood forms from Grade A, Mixed grade to Low grade, the burning of waste wood is dependent on environmental regulatory controls. Operating a wood burning appliance without an appropriate permit and with exempted fuels is an offence, so these regulations need to be understood. Below is the waste that is officially recognised to be acceptable to incinerate:
This list enables a enables a range of industries to reap the benefits of an Industrial Wood Waste Boiler provided by ourselves at Ranheat. Industries who have these waste streams who we have installed a system for can massively vary. Kitchen manufactures produce a variety of waste which can be utilised as a in a Wood Waste Boiler, from melamine chipboard units to MDF. Other industries can also include domestic/office indoor and outdoor furniture manufactures alongside windows and doors. Although fire doors are made from fire retardant wood our systems can still be utilised with the only consequence being an increased ash content. Waste wood is likely to have a higher calorific value than forestry and willow because of its lower moisture content however these waste streams can likewise be employed in a Ranheat system effectively. These are only a few recent examples of industries we have worked with as there are many more including the below:
The main exception is wood waste which may contain halogenated organic compounds or heavy metals as a result of treatment with wood preservations or coatings. These usually consist of hazardous waste which has had copper, chrome, arsenic (CCA) treatment or creosote. This material can only be disposed by incineration in an elevated temperature IED compliant system or hazardous waste landfill.
The intention of this article was to briefly highlight the diverse range of wood waste that can be incinerated and utilised as a fuel for a Ranheat system. Our industrial wood waste boilers offer high levels of flexibility in fuel type, much more in comparison to other biomass alternatives such as pellet boilers. Industrial biomass boiler’s can burn fuel that is a direct by-product of your manufacturing process whereas pellets require an additional manufacturing process and further supply chain implications (Click here). As mentioned our systems can cater for the majority of waste streams so feel free to get in touch to see what an Industrial Wood Waste Boiler can do for you (Contact us).
MATT LOCAL
