Vermont forests could fuel future of renewable bioheat

January 24, 2012

With its thick forests and cold winters, Vermont is often cited as a strong candidate for leading the nation into a new era of biofuel production building on its extensive lumber and timber industries.

Finding a renewable source of energy would help create jobs, preserve clean air, promote petroleum independence and produce bioheat - from wood pellets to biodiesel - to help local citizens endure the chilly winter season.

If recent initiatives in fellow states are any indication, this future is not far off. Engineers at ThermoChem Recovery International, in Durham, North Carolina, recently won approval by the U.S. Department of Energy for a process to convert wood waste and forest residue into clean, renewable fuel, the government said.

After a pilot project successfully changed several hundred tons of woody biomass feedstock into diesel fuel and paraffin waxes, the group agreed to contribute its ground-breaking data to similar plants in Wisconsin Rapids and Park Falls, Wisconsin.

Pulp and paper mills in those towns also plan to produce renewable fuel and paraffin while providing additional sustainable energy by capturing steam and hot water from the industrial process to heat their own buildings.