Portential fuel source ideas for a Bio-Mizer

[Bioman]

Does anybody have access to bales of switchgrass?

[Faron]

Jeff, I used to grind straight corn cobs for a hog building.  I don't remember how coarse a screen I used, but it didn't clog anything up.  I bet if you found a farmer with a portable grinder mixer  he could grind them for you.  You will probably have to get them before they get wet, though, if they are stored outside.  Ours were inside and dry.

[farmerdoug]

I have found a item to try in the Biomizer. 8)

An elevator by me has some soybean screenings they would love for me to take.  It is soybean pieces, hulls and weed seeds,  50 yds in all.  I am cleaning a place for it this week.  If it does not work then I will have alot of chicken feed. :

[dundee]

We are installing a 2 MW bio boiler for a apple jiuce exporter, 30% of the fuel is from urban tree side pruning then shipped in-situ, the fuel balance comes from lumber off cuts from surounding mills

Richard

[Jeff]

I wonder what the potential is for this?  This is from the Amish furniture factory about 5 miles from us. This is a mixture of dust and shavings of different types.  This is all from kiln dried cedar and pine. There is a huge amount of this stuff available through the year.  I filled about 5 Bio-Mizer bags with the finer stuff today and I bet the bag ull, packed in, doesn't weigh over 15 lbs.   We filled some large bags the Amish fellow gave us with sawdust from the circle sawmill there and I bet those weigh in over 50 to maybe 75 lbs each. definitely wet

[Furby]

Did ya get any of the curly stuff?

[Jeff]

Nope, I didnt, but its only 5 miles away. I'm hoping Scott pops in and gives an opinion on what he thinks of how it may burn. I figure since its kiln dried it might be too dry by itself but maybe layering it with other sawdust might work.  As for the curly stuff, its paper thin and breaks in your fingers as its so dry.  This stuff is also kept under cover from the elements.  Being almost all Northern white cedar, I bet the stuff is almost explosive.  ???

[Furby]

I'll probly have the little unit running before long and was wondering if it would make that stuff small enough for ya to use.
I've got a small amount of White Cedar planer shavings I can try, but they aren't that big to begin with as they are from a table top unit.

[farmerdoug]

I think the sawdust will burn fine but the curly stuff will probably need to be reduced for better flow though.  Looks like a good source of dry stuff to be mixed with the fresh sawdust.

[Jeff]

We'll do it Furb. I'll get some bigger stuff when yer ready to try it. If we could feed this stuff through with a little bit of speed, it would probably be well worth trying.

[stonebroke]

Jeff

You could probably damp down the really dry stuff with a little water from a hose , would not take much. Hope you are feeling better.

Stonebroke

[farmerdoug]

The dryer the better.  It looks like up front the Biomizer will need an MC% of 30 or less for the feedstock.  If you get really dry fuel you can mix it with wetter fuel.