WINTER 2019 10 16 In an effort to mitigate climate change, one B.C. company has discovered a way to develop high performance bioplastics from wood. The right grade 18 Two years ago, Comox Valley Firewood, a salvage firewood com-pany, bought a new wood processor. Since then, the company has doubled its production and found its niche in the industry. Renewable niche 20 From a North American perspective, 2018 was one of the best years for the wood pellet trade, with an estimated 23.8 million tonnes produced. Seth Walker and William Strauss delve into what’ s next in the 2019 wood pellet market outlook. Looking ahead 28 10 BUILDING SAFETY Pinnacle Renewable Energy has begun initial production at its new-est pellet plant in Smithers, B.C. Safety was top of mind throughout the planning, construction, and now the operation of the plant, which will produce 125,000 tonnes annually at full capacity. Over the past 10 years, the development of biomass heating projects has increased significantly. But as with any new technol-ogy adoption, mistakes were bound to happen. Ecostrat’ s Pat Liew outlines some typical biomass blunders. Lessons learned 9 16 DEPARTMENTS 6 24 Industry news Equipment spotlight – Dryers “Our company is proving that from wood we can make sustainable, economical, high performance plastics.” 24 Read the full story on page 16 COLUMNS 4 8 30 Editorial WPAC – At home and abroad Final Thoughts Our Cover Pinnacle Renewable Energy’ s new pellet plant in Smithers, B.C., in partnership with West Fraser, will produce 125,000 tonnes per year. Read the full story on page 10. Photo courtesy Pinnacle Renewable Energy. Canadian BIOMASS 3
Canadian Biomass Winter 2019: Page 3
