GAS-L: Torrefied wood's Future...

[Reedtb2@cs.com]

Dear Jim:

Thanks so much for doing my homework for me on Torrefied wood.  I'm starting 
a file on this subject.  

I believe a plant was started in Spain in the mid-1980s to make TW, but has 
closed down.  Does anyone know more about this?  (I presume the economics 
were projected to be marvellous, but turned out to be terrible at a time when 
oil costs were plummeting.  No doubt, someday we'll do it again.  Meanwhile 
we need to preserve the technology in musty files.)

Thanks,                 TOM REED      CPC/BEF

In a message dated 4/30/00 8:10:25 AM Pacific Daylight Time, larcon@sni.net 
writes:

<< 
 
 Dear Tom Reed et al:
 
 The French paper "Charcoal production and pyrolysis technologies". REUR
 Technical Series No. 20, 1991, p.101 - 114, publ. by the Food and
 Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, is on
 my web site at http://www.techtp.com/torrefied%20wood.htm
 
 The French also have a patent US 4,787,917:   Method for producing torrefied
 wood, product obtained thereby, and application to the production of energy
 Leclerc de Bussy; Jacques (80290 Poix de Picardie, Bussy, FR) Issued
 November 29, 1988
 
 Abstract
 
 New product consisting of wood which is torrefied between 250.degree. and
 280.degree. C. in a non oxidizing atmosphere, in the form of sticks of
 uniform length: 15 mm for example and having a diameter comprised between 5
 and 20 mm, which are not disbarked. The preparation of the method comprised
 the obtention by culture of rectilinear ligneous rejections, the cutting,
 drying and torrefaction thereof preferably in a vertical reactor where the
 material to be torrefied is traversed by a gas stream circulating at high
 speed.  See http://www.techtp.com/patents.htm
 
 more:
 
 Pentananunt, R. ,Rahman, A.N.M.M. and Bhattacharya, S.C.
 (1990), Upgrading of biomass by means of torrefaction, Energy, Vol.15,
 No.12, pp.1175-1179.
 
 Fonseca Felfli, F, Luengo, C.A., Bezzon G. and Beaton Soler, P. (1998),
 Bench unit for biomass residues torrefaction, Biomass for Energy and
 Industry, Proceedings of the International Conference, W¸rzburg, Germany,
 8-11 June 1998, Ed. by Kopetz, Weber, Palz, Chartier and Ferrero,
 C.A.R.M.E.N., Rimpar Germany, 1998, p.1593-1595.
 
 Fonseca Felfli, F, Luengo, C.A., Bezzon G., Beaton Soler, P. and Suros Mora,
 W.(1998), A numerical model for biomass torrefaction, Biomass for Energy and
 Industry, Proceedings of the International Conference, W¸rzburg, Germany,
 8-11 June 1998, Ed. by Kopetz, Weber, Palz, Chartier and Ferrero,
 C.A.R.M.E.N., Rimpar Germany, 1998, p.1596-1599.
 
 ==============
 
 Tom Reed said "However, even better than roasting the wood would be roasting
 followed by densification to pellets or briquettes while it is in its hot,
 weak state. Should reduce the energy for briquetting by a factor of 2-5.
 (See our 1981 paper.)
 
 Where is this paper ? on line ?
 
 We could also produce the briquettes first (e.g., from "preheated" sawdust &
 bark) and then torrefy the briquettes.  Which is "better" ?  Please see page
 66 of Section
 7.4 of Carbonization & Torrefaction of Briquettes at
 http://www.rwedp.org/acrobat/rm23.pdf
 
 RWEDP Report No. 23 REGIONAL WOOD ENERGY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME IN ASIA
 GCP/RAS/154/NET Proceedings OF THE INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON BIOMASS
 BRIQUETTING NEW DELHI, INDIA (3- 6 APRIL 1995).
 
 best regards to all,
 
 Jim Arcate
 Transnational Technology
 www.techtp.com
 
 
 ----- Original Message -----
 From: <Reedtb2@cs.com>
 To: <arcate@email.msn.com>; <gasification@crest.org>; <stoves@crest.org>
 Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2000 3:29 AM
 Subject: Re: Torrefied Wood (TW)
 
 Dear Jim et al:
 
 The French know most about this, so the following is off the top of my head
 and I applaud your effort to assemble better data on your site.  Run it by
 me if you like.
 
 By "roasting" wood and other biomass at about 250 C (?) one removes physical
 water, plus some water and CO2 of constitution and produces a fuel with ~25
 MJ/kg (?) rather than the typical 18 MJ of 10% moisture fuel.  This is
 better for storing, shipping and burning biomass.
 
 The roasted wood has a chocolate color and ignites instantly with a match.
 I believe the origins come from charcoal making in piles where the outer few
 pieces haven't gone all the way to charcoal, but are great cooking wood.
 They are sometimes called "brands".
 I became interested in Torrefied wood about 1980 and have followed its
 fortunes out of the corner of my eye.  (Does anyone know the derivation of
 "torrified"? -  sounds like vacuumified rather than roastedified.)
 
 I believe a plant operated for a while in Spain, but the poor economics of
 all biomass in a period of low oil costs may have shut it down.
 
 However, even better than roasting the wood would be roasting followed by
 densification to pellets or briquettes while it is in its hot, weak state.
 Should reduce the energy for briquetting by a factor of 2-5.
 (See our 1981 paper.)
 
 Keep me posted....
 
 Yours truly,                    TOM REED                   BEF/CPC
 
  >>
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