Are Healthy Trees Going To Be Cut Down To Fuel Wood Gasifiers?

The healthy, forested areas where wood gas will be used the most will not be harmed at all. This technology does NOT need to cut down fresh trees or have any significant impact on forests. The idea is that there is so much extra biomass available that nature will not need to be harmed in the process of using a wood gas system. If you live in an area where there are lots of trees you'll know that when one falls across the road, a team of workers goes to cut up and mulch that tree. They normally leave the wood chips right on the side of the road. If that fuel from fallen trees was collected and put into the right sized chunks, it could be used for wood gas.

This technology can go far beyond using trees as a source of fuel. There are many industries that generate huge amounts of organic waste that can be used to run a  gasifier. The furniture industry produces more sawdust than they know what to do with, corn farmers produce an enormous amount of corn stover (the dried stalks of corn plants), sugar producers in South America are left with large amounts of sugar cane waste, rice farmers in Asia have abundant rice husks, and nut farmers have more nut shells than they can handle. ALL of these fuel sources can be used in gasifiers. 

There is one issue that must be addressed though, the fuel has to be the right size for the gasifier to work. If the fuel particles are too small, the gasifier could clog, too big and not enough gas will be produced to keep the high temperature reaction going. To combat this problem a machine must be used to press small bricks or chunks out of finely ground biomass. This means that corn stalks need to be made into a fine powder and turned into bricks with special machines before they can be used to run a gasifier. 

There is one more way to power a wood gasifier that is sustainable and efficient. Willow trees can be planted in groves and allowed to grow around 20 feet tall. A special machine can then be used to mow down the willow trees and grind them into chunks. The trees will sprout again from the bases of the freshly cut trees and the cycle will start over. This is an effective way of farming fuel for wood gas generators. Please Leave Comments or Questions!

This picture shows the different kinds of materials that can be turned into  biomass bricks to power a gasifier.

Here is a willow grove being harvested for the purpose of biofuel production.