Re: Improvement of energy crop yield

[FMurrl@aol.com]

In a message dated 5/26/02 12:47:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time, venusengineers@eth.net writes:

I agree with Fred that sub-stoichiometric gasification of biomass is a good replacement for coal as a technical innovation. However, when we compare the effective unit cost of energy from coal combustion and biomass gasification, replacing the first with the second may not be economically attractive particularly considering the capital investment on gasifiers.

Mr. Krishnaswamy and all:

The comment above is quite correct, unless a demonstration project of a significantly cheaper gasifier (actually slagging combustor) is successful this summer. That option will have very substantially lower capital requirements than the gasifier options represented by the two oil company gasifiers available today. We will only have a couple of weeks to wait for results. It will either work or it won't. If it does work, then there will be a biomass delivery system that will avoid some of the traditional problems of biomass fuel delivery -- adverse affects to the coal handling system (mainly pulverizer) and derating of the boiler by taking a lower grade (higher moisture) fuel into a system designed for higher heating value fuel.

Regards,
Fred Murrell
Biomass Development Company
Bradenton Florida USA