Sustainable grass energy pellets for the Northeast

Sustainable grass energy pellets for the Northeast

Summary

In 2013, this project collected data on the growing of feedstock and production of pellets at the farm scale.  Students visited Woodcrest Farm in Wapwallopen PA and measuerd pelletizer production characteristics and yield, and collected information on equipment use and input costs for planting and establishing the switchgrass feedstock that is used for pelleting.  These data were compiled into an electronic worksheet that will contain the balance of information gathered, and will complement the case study and presentation developed for this project.  These data are being analyzed and compiled into the written case study of the operation.  We plan to collect field harvest measurements to the study when the crop is harvested this April.

Objectives/Performance Targets

The objective of this project is to investigate operating characteristics of a farm-scale sustainable grass pellet fuel operation, and develop a case study that can be used as a gude for farmers interested in pursuing this opportunity. During the year, information was collected during site visits to the farm facility, including data on crop establishment costs, as well as equipment use for planting and harvesting. The pelleting operation was also analyzied, resulting in data on pellet production raets, feedstock use, inputs, runtimes, and yield. One interesting finding is that the pelleting equipment operated best when higher moisture contents were used – up to 50% mc (wet basis) was effective, as compared to standard recommendations of only 10-15%. Another key parameter we observed was the production rate of the equipment – our measured rate of 0.28 kg/min was much lower than the farmer’s reported max of 3 kg/min. Maintaining high throughput will be a key to managing labor and operating costs for the operation.

These data were gathered in a spreadsheet that is being developed into a tool that farmers can utilize to estimate production costs for their own operation. We plan to publish this tool on the internet to allow broad access to the worksheet as a tool for developing farm-scale pelleting operations.

In addition, we were able to obtain synergy with a USDA NIFA grant that was used to produce a video interview of the farmer at his operation, capturing valuable info on his methods and techniques. The role of grants in assisting the development of the business has emerged as a key component that will be elaborated upon in the case study report. An additional section will be added that discusses markets for the product, as this is also an area of keen interest for prospective pellet producers.

Accomplishments/Milestones

During the period from June to August 2013, the work plan was as follows: Student intern spends time working with Woodcrest farm, gathering data on pellet production operations. Student prepares draft case study document.

Two students worked part time on the project during this time, collecting data on pellet production at Woodcrest farm. We were too late to collect data on harvest operations (harvest occurred in April), so we would like to extend this portion of the project into April 2013 so that we can include harvest data in the case study. We assisted with the creation of a video interview of the farmer by the USDA-Funded NEWBio project (available online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Ny05AXeDs), which provides a nice complement to the case study that is being created as part of this project. Information collected during this period included farm equipment used, capital costs, herbicide and seed costs,

During the period from September to December 2013, the work plan was as follows: Case study document is edited and printed, oral presentation prepared that accompanies case study.

Our students were not as available to work on the project as we had hoped (classes were tougher than expected). However, data from the summer were collected into an electronic worksheet that will provide a useful tool for farmers wishing to produce pellet fuel at their farm.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

This project is still underwary, so impacts are limited at this point, although the youtube video interview of the farmer is now available online.

Collaborators: