Namaskar Balaji, Thank you so much for the very informative reply sent on the sawdust matter. I will be discussing this with our collegues soon. Any outcome, I will let you all know. Ver best wishes, Upali.
> > >Hello Keith, > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Keith Addison" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 11:12 AM > >Subject: [Biofuel] Fwd: Information on Sawdust processing > > > > > > > Greetings all > > > > > > I was sent this by an NGO in Sri Lanka. Any advice for them? They're > > > not list members, but I'll forward any responses. > > > > > Thanks! > > > > > regards > > > > > > Keith > > > > > > -------- > > > > > > From: "National Development Foundation" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Subject: Information on Sawdust processing > > > Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 23:13:12 +0600 > > > > > > National Development Foundation > > > > > > 63/2, Yahampath Mawatha, Piliyandala Road, Maharagama, Sri Lanka. > > > > > > Tele: +(94)-011-5526679 or +(94)-011-5522776 E-mail: > > > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > Monday, October 25, 2004, > > > > > > Journey to Forever Organisation. > > > > > > Dear Sir/Madam, > > > > > > Ours is a Non-governmental, non-profit making organisation devoted to > > > development through self-help development programmes. We also > > > carryout environmental protection programmes with local communities > > > in Sri Lanka. > > > > > > Recently we were informed of a long-standing problem in a suburban > > > city, due to sawdust. There are large numbers of timber mills, > > > carpentry workshops and woodwork centers in the area. They produce > > > tons and tons of saw dust and dump them into the nearby lake > > > polluting the area. Recently the government has no other alternative, > > > but found another dumping site and the sawdust is now dumped in this > > > site spending large sums of money for transportation. For a > > > developing country like ours this type of spending is unaffordable. > > > >Truly a huge waste of a very valuable resource. What an unnecessary, > >avoidable and costly expense > >for dumping/disposing of this "waste"! And the pollution. > > > > > We have been trying to find a solution to re-cycle and use saw dust. > > > As we understand, it is possible to make Sawdust Bars - fire logs, > > > briquettes etc or even insulating boards if properly experimented. We > > > were also made to understand that there are many organisations, > > > private sector companies engaged in this business. > > > >A good idea would be to convert the saw dust into fuel briquettes using > >either punch-and-ram or extrusion presses. The briquettes from the former > >cost less to make while those from the latter retain their structural > >integrity better over time. The fuel briquettes could be used as fuel in the > >local rural economy replacing logged wood/coal/paraffin. > > > >We have a large number of briquette manufacturers in India. However, since > >densification of biomass (which is what briquetting does) adds only limited > >economic value by reducing specific transport cost without adding to the > >calorific value, they have limited markets in tea/coffee plantations, where > >felling of alternative biomass such as trees is banned, to prevent > >landslides. > > > > > We thought of searching for a simple technology that could be > > > introduced to the low-income generation groups in the area, > > > especially to the women, who could produce some type of an item to > > > the market, could be a fire log, a briquette or an item that could be > > > used in daily life. > > > >The saw dust briquettes could be very gainfully converted into high quality > >energy such as producer gas to replace fossil fuels, or as electricity. > >Gasifiers use the briqettes as feedstock, when solid biomass is converted > >into producer gas viz. a mixture of combustible gases such as H2, CO, CH4 > >and inerts such as CO2 , N2. The producer gas is then cooled, cleaned and > >used in conventional (compression ignition) diesel generators replacing > >about 70-80% of the diesel otherwise used in the liquid fuel mode. > > > >Alternatively, the gas can be used to generate electricity in the gas alone > >mode using spark ignition natural gas engine generators, with special > >adapation kits to operate on producer gas. In a developing country such as > >Sri Lanka with limited fossil fuel resources, the generation cost of > >electricity would be significantly higher in the dual fuel mode with > >imported diesel compared to the gas alone mode with locally generated > >biomass. > > > >Such a 100% gas engine based power plant would have a number of advantages. > >The electricity required for the briquetting plant could be supplied from > >the power plant itself, adding to the green dot nature of the plant. The > >plant can be configured from 20 kWe to 2000 kWe capacity, depending upon saw > >dust generation and the local power requirements. Electricity would be > >generated at the "pit head" avoiding the transmission and distribution > >losses of centralised power grids. And the gasifier power plant would be a > >force multiplier for the local economy whose needs are now met with local > >fuel. The other inherent advantages such as pollution avoidance and saving > >in disposal cost and effort cannot be overemphasised. > > > >(Below, In Rs. stands for Indian Rupees, SL Rs. is Sri Lankan Rupees and US > >c and > >$ are United States cent and dollar resp.) > > > >Assuming the delivered cost of saw dust as zero (savings in disposal cost), > >the briquetting cost would be about $ 10/MT (In Rs. 450/MT). including > >power, manning and maintenance costs. The generation cost/kWh of electricity > >in the 100% gas mode would then work out to : > > > >1. Cost of raw material @ 1.2 kg/kWh @ $ 10/MT=US c 1.20 (In Rs. 0.55) > >2. Cost of lube oil @ 1.5 gm/kWh @ $ 2/kg= US c 0.33 (In Rs. 0.15) > >3. Cost of manning @ 8 manhours/MWh @ $ 5/manhour= US c 0.45 (In Rs. 0.20) > >4. Other maintenance costs @ 5% of the capital investment= US c 0.57 (In Rs. > >0.25) > >5. Interest & amortisation costs @ US c 0.8/kWh= US c 0.80 (In Rs. 0.35) > > > >Total generation cost/kWh= US c 3.35 (In Rs. 1.50) > > > >If on the other hand you assume the landed cost of saw dust as US $ 20/MT > >(In Rs. 900/MT), as we do for most woody biomass in India, the feedstock > >cost would increase by another US c 2.4 and generation cost would increase > >to US c 5.75/kWh (In Rs. 2.65/kWh). These are achieved numbers on > >installations which have already worked over 6,000 hours at several > >locations. > > > >In the dual fuel mode, using about 90 ml of diesel/kWh for replacing 70% of > >diesel in a conventional generator @ US $ 0.65/l would add another US c > >5.9/kWh (In Rs. 2.70/kWh). > > > >I believe, the Sri Lankan utilities charge the consumer about SL Rs. 10/kWh > >(In Rs. 5/kWh), making this power plant a very profitable project, not > >counting > >the substantial environmental, social and local economic benefits. Funding > >such a project in Sri Lanka should not be difficult as the Government itself > >has a policy of encouraging renewable energy projects with capital subsidy > >and the project will also qualify for CDM/JI funding under the Kyoto > >protocol, if additionality can be established. > > > >The CGPL, IISc technology we employ has already been tried out at a pencil > >factory for over 2500 hours, where saw dust, 'a waste product' of pencil > >manufacture is being briqetted in situ and gasified to generate 200 kW of > >electricity in a dual fuel diesel generator. > > > > > If we could introduce this type of a technology then it will help the > > > poor to generate income. On the other side it will arrest the > > > pollution problem in the area and save public money that is spent at > > > present for clearing and dumping. > > > > > > Considering the above we are very much obliged if you could help us > > > in finding a technological enterprise who would willing to conduct an > > > investigation on this matter. > > > > > > Since ours is a NGO, we are unable to fund such a programme. If the > > > programme proves to be successful, we may be able to convince a > > > suitable and sympathetic funding agency to support the initial stages > > > of this challenging project. > > > > > > I send an article as an attachment to this e-mail that describes the > > > problem in the area. > > > > > > We sincerely hope that you will give your sympathetic consideration > > > to this request. > > > > > > Thanking you and hoping to hear from you favourably, > > > > > > Sincerely yours, > > > > > > Upali Magedaragamage, > > > > > > Executive Director, > > > > > > NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION. > > > > ><snip> > > > >Regards. > > > >balaji > > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): > http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ > _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
