In an era where sustainability is paramount, industries are increasingly seeking innovative ways to reduce their carbon footprint. One such industry is biomass processing, where the challenge lies in transforming raw biomass into usable forms while minimizing environmental impact. At Charm Industrial, we’re proud to lead the charge in optimizing biomass processing, using cutting-edge methods to create what we call the “perfect chip.”
This journey not only enhances our operations but also plays a crucial role in carbon removal strategies. Join us as we delve into the processes, innovations, and future plans that make our approach to biomass processing a model for sustainability.
The Call for Biomass: A Real-World Scenario
Imagine receiving a call from a local forest management service, informing you that they have completed a wildfire prevention project and need to offload hundreds of tonnes of biomass. It’s not just a hypothetical scenario; it’s a common occurrence at Charm Industrial. As we ramp up our biomass processing capabilities at our new Miniforge Site, we are committed to turning this residual biomass into consistent, pyrolyzer-ready chips. These chips undergo conversion into carbon-rich bio-oil, which is then sequestered permanently.
Redesigning Biomass Processing
Over the past year, our team undertook a comprehensive redesign of our biomass processing approach. The goal? To minimize our carbon footprint while maximizing throughput. This journey towards achieving the perfect chip was neither quick nor easy; it required extensive research, testing, and innovation.
The Quest for the Perfect Chip
The pursuit of the perfect chip led us on a nationwide expedition to evaluate various wood chippers and loading systems. Each step involved hundreds of engineering hours focused on analyzing chipping yields, refining test plans for drying techniques, and introducing new processing equipment. Our efforts paid off: we successfully improved our biomass processing efficiency—measured by the accept rate for processed biomass—from 46% to over 85%, all while cutting our processing emissions by half. This progress exemplifies what it looks like to scale up carbon removal efforts effectively.
Minimal Viable Biomass Processing: Our Focus Areas
At Charm, we are primarily focused on two types of biomass residues: corn stover and woody biomass sourced from wildfire mitigation projects. Each year, effective forest management practices yield tens of millions of tonnes of residual biomass. This biomass is critical not only for ecological health but also for wildfire resilience.
While some of the harvested materials can be transformed into lumber or other wood products, a significant portion still requires a viable market. This is where Charm comes in, offering a solution for land managers eager to offload excess biomass. By utilizing this biomass, we can significantly reduce the costs associated with wildfire mitigation efforts for our communities and taxpayers.
The Three-Step Biomass Processing Approach
Our biomass processing strategy is centered around a three-step approach: chipping, sorting, and drying.
Step 1: Chipping
Chipping is the first stage in our processing journey. We began with a reliable yet relatively small, unmodified chipper. Although it served us well for a year, it lacked the throughput capacity necessary for scaling operations effectively. We recognized the need for a more efficient solution to meet our growing demands.
Step 2: Sorting
Once the biomass is chipped, it must be sorted. Our initial setup included a modest two-by-three-and-a-half-foot screen to categorize wood chips into three distinct processing paths based on size. While functional, this system became a bottleneck as our operations expanded.
Step 3: Drying
The final step in our process is drying, which removes moisture from the chips to prepare them for conversion. Initially, we relied on a dryer that utilized forced air and propane-fueled heat. However, this setup contributed significant CO2 emissions, undermining our efforts to achieve net carbon removal.
Our approach has always been to start operating and iterate quickly. While establishing a baseline for operations was essential, we recognized that major optimizations were still possible throughout our processing line in terms of efficiency, throughput, and emissions reduction.
Learning Through Real-World Testing
To enhance our biomass processing capabilities, we spent months evaluating various chipping and drying techniques.
Optimizing the Chipping Process
Our evaluation involved assessing different chippers to find one that could produce high-quality chips with better yields. We focused on minimizing our life cycle assessment (LCA) impact by maximizing material usage and eliminating fossil fuels as a heat source for drying.
Innovations in Drying Techniques
Exploring multiple drying methods, we sought to avoid bottlenecks in our operations. A small test stand was established to operate for several hundred hours, allowing us to study the drying behavior of wood chips and their moisture interaction with ambient air.
Meet the Beast: Biomass Processing 2.0
Armed with our findings, we initiated a significant overhaul of our biomass processing setup.
New Equipment for Enhanced Performance
Based on recommendations from our biomass operations team, we introduced a new horizontal grinder. This machine processes logs with higher throughput and incorporates safer loading techniques, adhering to our principle of “First, Do No Harm.” The powered infeed conveyor can now be loaded using any log handling tools available onsite. Through extensive trials with various knife and outlet screens, we’ve elevated our yield of acceptably-sized chips from 46% to over 85%.
Scaling Up Sorting Capabilities
To support our enhanced chipping operations, we scaled up our sorting equipment. Our new blue screen is eight times larger than its predecessor, ensuring it can keep pace with the demand from our entire fleet of pyrolyzers forecasted for the year.
The Game Changer: Peanut Wagons
One of the most innovative elements of our new drying process involves the use of peanut wagons—equipment typically associated with peanut processing and sourced from Georgia, the peanut capital of the U.S. Each wagon can accommodate about five tonnes of wet wood chips, which dry down to two and a half tonnes of dry chips.
These wagons provide a modular solution that can be deployed for on-site processing. To facilitate drying, we attach large fans to the wagons, which rely solely on air—without propane or external heating—to dry the chips in batches. This method enables a much more carbon-efficient drying process, albeit at a slower pace. Importantly, these fans can operate on clean electricity, significantly reducing our environmental impact.
Emission Reductions Achieved
These collective optimizations have halved the emissions from our biomass processing operations, resulting in more net carbon removed from the atmosphere. This achievement is not just a number; it represents our commitment to sustainable practices in the biomass industry.
The Road Ahead: Continuous Improvement and Future Plans
As we look to the future, we’re already piloting the next stage of our development. Our latest initiative involves harnessing recovered heat energy from the pyrolyzers to expedite the drying process. This strategy not only accelerates operations but also optimizes the valuable heat generated by our pyrolyzers.
A Culture of Innovation
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our team, we’ve made remarkable strides in refining our biomass processing line. Our commitment to sustainability drives us to continually seek out more efficient solutions. By drawing inspiration from various sectors—from peanut processing to advanced forest management technologies—we are well-positioned to lead in the biomass processing field.
Conclusion
At Charm Industrial, our approach to biomass processing is not just about efficiency; it’s about creating a sustainable future. By optimizing our processes and minimizing emissions, we are making meaningful contributions to carbon removal efforts. As we continue to innovate and refine our methods, we remain dedicated to helping communities achieve ecological resilience and promote sustainable practices.
We invite you to join us on this journey towards a greener, more sustainable future—one perfect chip at a time.
