revenue streams for companies, encourage Indigenous participation in the sector, and reduce forest waste and fire hazards. AGRI-PELLET PRODUCTION POTENTIAL With funding from BioFuelNet Cana-da which manages the Biomass Canada Cluster, WPAC is partnering with the University of British Columbia’s Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group (BBRG) to undertake a multi-year study to deter-mine strategic locations and capacity of agri-pellet production facilities. The cluster is focussed on de-risking and commoditizing agricultural biomass using complete value chains for rural and remote applications, using emerging technologies that improve the profitability of production, pre-processing, handling and storage. This work will be led by Dr. Shahab Sokhansanj at UBC. He and his team will: • calculate the number and sizes of po-tential farm-based agri-pellet plants and their geographical coordinates; • quantify cumulative GHG reduction for fuel switching to agri-pellets and calcu-late the savings in BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) for electricity generation at later years ; • evaluate the investment criteria to identify the biomass development op-portunity zones . CONSISTENT & TECHNICALLY SOUND STANDARDS physical and mechanical testing meth-ods of wood pellets. In turn, we are optimistic we will have internationally recognized standards that allow for safer international trade of wood pellets including handling, transportation and storage with all accredited testing fa-cilities use the same standard to ensure consistency. REDUCING GHGS AND ENABLING A NET NEGATIVE FUTURE durable pellets and meet the specification of graded wood pellets for commercial, residential, and industrial applications as listed in ISO standard 17225-2. The study will take place at BBRG’s lab as well as at Premium Pellet in B.C., Shaw Renewables in Nova Scotia and BioPower Sustainable Energy Corp in Ontario. A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL Often harvest residues are contaminated with sand, gravel and tramp metals; content of ash is high, moisture content is variable, and heterogenous lignin content between solid wood and bark is problematic. To address this issue, WPAC and UBC’s BBRG have applied for funding to examine the potential to increase the use of forest and harvest residuals using near-infrared radiation (NIR) spectrosco-py. This technology can be used to predict the chemical composition, density, struc-tural change, and morphological charac-teristics of lignocellulosic biomass. Our goal is to develop a blend that produces In closing, I want to acknowledge the tireless effort and vision of my colleague Dr. Fahimeh Yazdan Panah, Director of Research and Technical Development. On behalf of WPAC and all our members, she has led the development of these propos-als alongside partners nationally and in-ternationally. I also want to recognize the support of our funding partners who share our vision that investments in R&D are critical not only to the long-term success of our sector but hold the key to unlocking a world of possibilities and a better future for all. • Gordon Murray is the executive director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada. With support from the Global Forest Leadership Program, International Stan-dards Organization, and approval from the Standards Council of Canada, WPAC will represent Canadian wood pellet in-terests on ISO Technical Committee 238. Through this support we will assist in the drafting, reviewing, and commenting on solid biofuel standards as well as partic-ipating in international laboratory testing. Our key goals in this project are to: • Standardize terminology, specifications and classes, quality assurance, sampling and sample preparation and test meth-ods of wood pellets. • Establish internationally recognized safety standards for wood pellets. • Establish testing standards for interna-tionally accredited testing facilities for Combustible Dust Specialists NFPA68 NFPA69 NFPA77 NFPA91 NFPA499 NFPA654 NFPA664 Allied brings 49 years experience to help you meet current NFPA Standards with: system design/documentation, spark detection, isolation, grounding, PLC, venting, blast path management, clean-up systems and duct audits — CWB certified and member SMACNA. Sawmill – Biomass – Boardplants – Pulp & Paper – Power Generation – Mining www.alliedblower.com Phone: 800-576-3611 Surrey,BC Vernon,BC WilliamsLake,BC Edmonton,Alberta PrinceAlbert,Sask Mobile, Alabama 50 years of Industrial Air Systems Canadian BIOMASS CFI_AlliedBlower_JanFeb24_MLD.indd 1 2024-01-23 1:51 PM 9
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