Portential fuel source ideas for a Bio-Mizer

[Jeff]

How many do you think we can think of?  I've been brain storming here on where I might find different alternative sources. My mill wont be running until spring. There are many Amish mills and a couple commercial mills in my normal circles of travel, but being winter, I wonder about the moisture content. 

Some of the things I plan on exploring after the holidays are the Harrison and Marion School woodshops, the local kitchen counter making factory here in Harrison, there are some Amish furniture makers within a half dozen miles as well. Maybe all sources of some dry sawdust to mix with mill run. I think sawdust from a place like the counter top shop would be supercharged fuel, with laminate and particle board dust.  My other thought is we have a few grain elevators nearby. Is there anything that is considered waste that comes out of an elevator?

We have a few testers on the Forestry Forum and a whole lot of interested members. I'm just wondering how many ideas we can come up with to source fuels that might work.

Another one brought up, when I told my friend form the U.P. Lou about testing was one that he wanted me to ask about. Hes having some pond work done and what is being escavated is pure peat moss. In the past, in the summer he simply burned the piles as they dry quickly one piled up. He says that as it drys that it crumbles to next to nothing and he is convioced it would flow through a hopper. The Thing I thought of when he was talking about digging his ponds, was when he does pond maintanance. He will "drag" the pond bottoms raking out the  "seaweed" or underwater vegetation. He says when that dries, it turns to powder. I would guess another potential fuel?

[Tom]

Why doesn't Lou bag the peat moss and sell it.  It is used in nurseries, isn't it, for everything from building up clay and sand soils to rooting medium?

Matter of fact, you could use it on your property as a soil amenity as well as fill for low spots.

[stonebroke]

Grain dust is fed back to cows. It is just as good as normal grain and you do not have to process it. Beside grain dust is highly explosive and that might not be good for the biomizer.

Stonebroke

[Jeff]

Why doesn't Lou bag the peat moss and sell it.  It is used in nurseries, isn't it, for everything from building up clay and sand soils to rooting medium?

Matter of fact, you could use it on your property as a soil amenity as well as fill for low spots.

Its illegal to excavate peat for sale in Michigan without special permit as it is a wetlands soil. If he could sell it, he would.

[Jeff]

Grain dust is fed back to cows. It is just as good as normal grain and you do not have to process it. Beside grain dust is highly explosive and that might not be good for the biomizer.

Stonebroke

Sure it is. Very fine sawdust is slightly explosive when it exists in the same conditions as grain dust.

[thecfarm]

There is a mill close by that I could get sawdust for $7 a pickup load.But I would have to fight the horse people for it.That would be the only problem around here.Best bet would be to get it in the summer time and some how keep it for the winters months.

[farmerdoug]

Jeff,  Is it peat moss or peat he is digging?  I would think it is peat as peat moss is harvested from the surface in bogs in Canada every few years.

As for the elevator I would look for the screening that have alot of chaff like wheat hulls or soybean pods.  That stuff often goes to a fill.

[Jeff]

I dont know the difference, I guess its peat.

[Furby]

Yeah, it's peat, and I'd talk to him about getting some to spread on your trails to level them a bit and protect the roots of nearby cedars.
Shouldn't hurt to try and use the peat for fuel, you'll have to screen it. Only thing is it MUST stay dry or it won't feed through the auger on the biomizer.
I know they use peat as a fuel source in other countries.

I'm wondering about lawn clippings using a mulching blade and a bagger.
Only thing is it does compact a fair amount, don't know if it'll feed through the auger.

[Jeff]

Furby, those trees that you saw that would cause you to be concerned are coming out. The trails will be wide enough not to disturb the remaining trees, but the trails on my property are only meant to be for maintenance and walking

[farmerdoug]

Jeff,

Peat burns good.  They used it in Ireland for years.

Furby,

I think you would need to let the grass clippings dry and then bag them.  I am sure that fresh grass clippings are way more than 60% moisture.

[Furby]

That depends a lot on the type of grass and the length.
I've done a lot of cutting with a mulching blade and it is extremly dry, but yes, there are lots of times cutting long grass that it is very wet.

[logwalker]

I know when I run my 25" wide belt sander that it fills up the dust collector quickly with a heavy packed dust. The table saws also would produce a ready product. So large cabinet shops should be a good source.

[Bibbyman]

They demoed the BioGrinder at the Anniversary Party last fall.  I'd think you could scout around local lumber yards and pick up packing material.  Or construction sites and pick up cut off ends.

I asked a question before but didn't get an answer on grinding such things as old catalogs, telephone books, etc.  How would ground up plastic containers burn in it?

[farmerdoug]

Bibbyman,

That is a couple of things I am going to try.  I just have to find a way to grind them right.  I have access to alot of cardboard and plastic pots and trays that are junk.

[thecfarm]

I was at one place I use to work and some guy brought the cardbaord home to burn.He said it worked good but got ALOT of ashes with it.He stopped taking it home.Plastic would probaly work OK,but what about the smell of it?I suppose if you mixed it in.Plastic also burns hot too.

[Radar67]

What about the residue the plastic leaves behind? Seems like that would be a pain to clean out. Would it coat the pipes/flue like creosote?

[LeeB]

I think the EPA might nab you on the plastic.

I wondered about dried horse manure. Mostly hay and not real good for fertilizer. Old hay should also work well if you can grind it.

[Jeff]

I'm thinking the Bio-Mizer may burn different then what we are used to. I'm thinking more towards Paul's project of running his truck on wood and the way that works as an example versus the operation of an outdoor furnace.

[farmerdoug]

The Biomizer has an automatic ash removal system.  If what you are burning then you increase how often the ash auger operates.

[Radar67]

That would be even more reason not to try plastic. The residue might clog up the ash auger and cause a failure.

[Ed_K]

 "Plastic burns Hot" I guess. I cleaned up after a jug shoot at a shooting range,got a 55 gal barrel and started the jugs on fire. Kept adding them and soon the barrel melted the plastic oozed out and started a pretty good grass fire  .

[Jeff]

That would be even more reason not to try plastic. The residue might clog up the ash auger and cause a failure.

Your assuming there would be a residue formed by inadequate combustion of the material. I wouldn't try to burn pure plastic. I would use it as a power booster mixed with other fuels.

[Norm]

My son races motor cycles and has an endless supply of used tires. Most do not have a steel cord on them and could be ground pretty easily. I thought that the bio-mizer burned at high enough temps that this and plastic would burn just fine especially if mixed with some sawdust or planer shavings.

[Radar67]

Your assuming there would be a residue formed by inadequate combustion of the material. I wouldn't try to burn pure plastic. I would use it as a power booster mixed with other fuels.

It may be an assumption, but I've not seen any plastic burned that did not leave a residue. The combustion may not have been adequate in all the fires I have been around, but it still leaves enough doubt that I wouldn't try it.

The smell alone is enough to deter burning plastic. Outdoor wood boilers and fireplaces have already been attacked because people don't want to smell the smoke. What do you think neighbors would think about the burning plastic?

I just think there are plenty of other alternatives for fuel to have to use plastic.