Wood meets metal Grinding contractors across Canada talk about the work they do and the equipment they use. By Treena Hein an exciting time to be in biomass grinding. As Leonard Legault, president and CEO at All-Wood Fibre Ltd. in Prince George, B.C., says, “The grinding industry is still new, but there is tremendous potential yet to be realized, and we are confident that the opportunities for using wood in this way will just keep getting better over time.” Biomass grindings are being used in a wide variety of ways in many sectors, more than ever before in Canadian history. From pulp and paper and pellet manufacture to power generation and specific local applications, ground material is in strong demand. Expansion is on the horizon in many areas of the country and optimism is in the air. Canadian Biomass checked in with five companies across the nation using some of the leading grinder brands to find out when and why they got into grinding biomass, what their end products are used for, why they bought a particular grinder make and model, and much more. Read on to find out how things are going right now – and about plans for the future as well. All-wooD IN prINCe george According to Legault, productivity is the name of the game in grinding. At All-Wood Fibre Ltd. in Prince George, they currently run two CBI 6400T grinders, each utilizing 1,050 hp. “What I like best and why we chose them is because CBI machines are productive and very tough,” Legault says. “They do not fall apart. We primarily grind for wood pellet companies that require a high quality product and CBI delivers.” All-Wood Fibre also produces hog fuel for pulp industry boilers in the area, and also provides site cleanup for log yards. “We purchase our wood fibre from several forest companies that operate in the area and from private individuals as well,” Legault explains. “The fibre is generated from logging slash left at roadsides, and if not utilized, it will be burnt for no value whatsoever.” All-Wood Fibre has been in the wood fibre business since 1994, when they started with whole log chipping for the pulp and paper industry across Western Canada. “We knew that one day the residual LEFT MAIN: One of two CBI 6400T grinders used by the team at All-Wood Fibre in Prince George, B.C. LEFT TO RIGHT: The Bandit 3680 (700 hp) hard at work at Excel Transportation Inc. in Prince George, B.C. Image courtesy of yellowribbonphotography.ca. Triple G Construction Inc. in Grande Prairie, Alta., uses two Peterson grinders (model 4710 B 760 hp) to process biomass from a variety of sources for a variety of end-uses, including as material to power cogen plants and “contaminate mix” for drilling rigs. iT’S Canadian BIOMASS 25
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