Emissions and Air Pollution Controls for the Biomass Pellet

86 Pages·2010·1.94 MB·English

Emissions and Air Pollution Controls for the
Biomass Pellet Manufacturing Industry
Reference ITQ Number: 12/01/2008
Prepared for:
Mr.BobKonkin
TheBC Ministryofthe Environment
POBox 9342,Stn.
Provincial Government
Victoria,BC V8W 9M1
Prepared by:
Paul Beauchemin
MartinTampier
Envirochem Services Inc.
310East Esplanade
NorthVancouver, B.C.V7L1A4
May12th,2010
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction...........................................................................................................................1
1.1 Acknowledgements...........................................................................................................2
2.0 Pellet ManufacturingProcess................................................................................................3
2.1 Process Overview..............................................................................................................3
2.2 RawMaterial Drying.........................................................................................................5
2.3 Dryer Burners (Heat Source).............................................................................................7
2.4 Post-DryerProcesses.........................................................................................................8
2.5 SupportingOperations andFugitiveEmissions................................................................8
3.0 Emissions from Pellet Manufacturing...................................................................................9
3.1 PM Measurement Methods................................................................................................9
3.2 ParticulatematterEmissionFactors................................................................................10
3.3 PermittedPM EmissionsForThePellet Industry...........................................................14
3.4 VolatileOrganicCompoundEmissions..........................................................................23
3.4.1 Natual Forest VOC Emissions.....................................................................................23
3.4.2 Pellet ManufacturingVOC Emissions.........................................................................24
3.5 DryerEmissions From BC Pellet Mills...........................................................................30
3.6 Non-DryerProcess Emissions From BC Pellet Mills.....................................................33
3.6.1 Pellet Coolers...............................................................................................................33
4.0 PM/VOC ReductionTechnologies and Best Practices.......................................................35
4.1 PollutionPreventionPlanningandStrategies.................................................................35
4.2 Cyclones andMulticlones...............................................................................................36
4.3 DryandWet ElectrostaticPrecipitators (ESP and WESP).............................................38
4.4 Fabric Filters....................................................................................................................41
4.5 Wet Scrubbers..................................................................................................................42
4.6 RegenerativeThermal Oxidizers.....................................................................................43
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4.7 OtherMeans toCleanPM/VOC From Gas Flows..........................................................44
4.8 ControllingFugitiveEmissions.......................................................................................44
4.9 Control TechnologyComparison....................................................................................46
5.0 AlternativeTechnologies andProducts...............................................................................52
5.1 Alternatives toPellets......................................................................................................52
5.2 MobilePelletizers............................................................................................................53
6.0 EconomicAnalysis..............................................................................................................55
6.1 Feedstocks......................................................................................................................55
6.2 Capital andPersonnel Cost ofPellet Plants.....................................................................56
6.3 EconomicBaselineof a Typical BC Pellet Plant............................................................58
6.4 Cost ofAdditional PM Control Measures.......................................................................61
6.5 Economic Impact of Additional PollutionControlMeasures.........................................62
7.0 Conclusions andRecommendations....................................................................................65
7.1 pm emissions from pellet production..............................................................................65
7.2 Observations onCPM Emissions....................................................................................66
7.3 Observations onEconomicEvaluations..........................................................................67
7.4 PollutionPreventionStrategies.......................................................................................69
7.5 AchievableEmission Levels...........................................................................................70
7.6 OtherRecommendations.................................................................................................73
Glossary:.........................................................................................................................................74
References:.....................................................................................................................................75
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List of Figures
Figure1: European Forecast forRenewables -2020.................................................................1
Figure2: Emissions Diagram fora Typical Pellet Plant (TwoDryers).....................................4
Figure3: SimplifiedProcess FlowDiagram for aPellet Plant..................................................5
Figure4: Comparison ofPermittedPM Emissions (Total Pellet Plant)..................................20
Figure5: Comparison ofPermittedPM Emissions (Dryers only)...........................................21
Figure6: PineBarkVOC Emissions as aFunctionofTemperature.......................................25
Figure7: VOC EmissionFactors from aParticleboardRotaryDryer.....................................28
Figure8: CompositionofVOCs from aParticleboardRotaryDryer......................................29
Figure9: TPM Concentrationversus EmissionFactorinBC DryerExhaust Gases..............32
Figure10: Cyclone withElectrostatic PrecipitationFeatures ..................................................37
Figure11: WESPCollectorDetail.............................................................................................39
Figure12: TwoFieldWESP......................................................................................................39
Figure13: WESPComplete InstalledSystem...........................................................................40
Figure14: ExtrapolatedPM ControlEfficiency........................................................................46
Figure15: ParticulateRemoval EfficiencyforWESP andWet Scrubbers...............................47
Figure16: MobilePelletizerUnits.............................................................................................53
Figure17: Capital Investment andEmployment forDifferent SizePellet Plants.....................57
Figure18: CIF-ARAPrices as ReportedbyDifferent Pellet Actors inEurope........................59
Figure19: ROICurves forDifferent Plant Outputs andFeed stockCosts................................63
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List of Tables
Table1: PM EmissionFactors for OSBDryers -USEPAAP 42..............................................11
Table2: EstimatedPM/PM10 Emissions fora100,000Tonne/yrPellet Plant.........................13
Table3: PM10 Emissions from Pellet Productionfora100,000TonneperYearPlant...........14
Table4: Permit Conditions forWoodPellet Mills andSimilarFacilities.................................16
Table5: SummaryofTable4(PermittedPM Emissions).........................................................20
Table6: Comparison ofPM Emission Limits recommendedforWoodCombustionwith
current Pellet Mill Emissions.......................................................................................22
Table7: BiogenicEmissionEstimates forDifferent Forest Types............................................23
Table8: VOC Emissions from UncontrolledParticleboard Dryers...........................................27
Table9: Emissions from Lumber Drying,inkgperdrytonneProcessed.................................29
Table10: Emissions From Pellet Dryers forBC Mills............................................................31
Table11: Non-dryerProcess EmissionDatafor BC Mills......................................................34
Table12: Typical Control Equipment Efficiencies (%)...........................................................47
Table13: Comparison ofMainPM Control Technologies......................................................48
Table14: DataonPM Control Technologies...........................................................................49
Table15: Cost Estimates forWESP,Wet Scrubber,andThermal OxidizerinC$.................50
Table16: Comparison ofPellet Plant Sizes andAnnouncedCapital Investment....................56
Table17: FOBPricingofPellets at St.PetersburgHarbour....................................................59
Table18: Annual Cost Overviewfora200,000TonnePellet Plant inBC..............................60
Table19: Impact ofAdditional PollutionControl Measures ontheROIforDifferent Size
Pellet Plants inBC...................................................................................................62
Table20: SummaryofMill PermittedPM Emissions (kg/t)...................................................65
Table21: Summaryof BC MeasuredEmissions from Dryers withCyclones.........................66
Table22: SummaryofAchievable Mill TPM Emissions........................................................72
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List of Appendices
Appendix I: Properties ofTorrefiedPellets versus Conventional Pellets
Appendix II: Permits
BC PERMITS
1. Canfor,PA-01543,April 16,2007
2. PacificBioEnergy,PA-18312,October4,2007
3. PinnaclePellet Meadowbank,Permit 100229,October31,2008
4. PinnaclePellet Quesnel, PA-13758Amendment, November27,2001
5. PinnaclePellet WilliamsLake,PA-17557,December21,2004
6. PrincetonCo-Generation,PA-16509,June12,2003
NON-BC PERMITS
1. OzarkHardwoodProducts, LLC,Marshfield,Missouri,
Permit 032006-013,March22,2006
2. Greenova, LLC,Berlin, NewHampshire,Permit Application08-0277,
August 21,2008
3. Tomorrows EnergyLLC, dbaPineyWoodPellets, Wiggins, Mississippi,
Draft Permit 25-40-00025(undated)
4. Wayne Farms LLC, Laurel,Mississippi,Draft Permit 1360-0027(undated)
5. TreasureValleyForest Products, MountainHome,Boise, Idaho,Permit P-
2007.0165,January8,2008
6. EurekaPellet Mills, Eureka,Montana,Permit 2554-04,December19,2006
7. PC IndianaSynthetic Fuels, #2, LLC, Lynville, Indiana,first amendment to
Permit CP-173-10815-00041(August 13,1999),January,2001
8. Future Fuel Chemical Company, Batesville,Arkansas, Permit 1085-AOP-
R5,August 25,2006
9. ComprehensiveReport – RACT/BACT/LAER Clearinghouse,Virginia
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1.0 Introduction
Theworldmarket forpellet fuels is rapidlygrowing. It is drivenprimarilybyEuropeandemand
forrenewable (carbonneutral)fuels toreplace fossil fuels inbothpowerboilers andspace
heating. For example,renewable energysources (RES)currentlyprovide about 8.5%ofthetotal
energyproducedinEurope; this is expectedtoriseto20%by2020,creatingapotential market
of75millionmetrictonnes per year(t/yr)(SM 2009); see Figure1.This growthinthemarket
forpellet inEurope andelsewhere will createmanufacturingopportunities forBC wherethereis
anamplesupplyoffibre (rawmaterials)and access tooceanterminals. The current export
market for renewablefuels is primarilyfor electrical generation; however,therearepotential
domesticopportunities inCanada. Forexample,if AlbertaorOntarioweretofollowthe
Europeanmodel andswitchfrom coal-fired electrical generationtopellet firedelectrical
generation,thepellet industrycould get adomesticmarket foothold.
BC is currentlytheworld’s biggest exporterofwoodpellets, andaccordingtotheWoodPellet
Association,theBC industryis forecast to growto>3,000,000t/yr withinthenext few years.
Producingabout 2milliontonnes per year, British Columbiacurrentlysupplies about one-sixth
oftheworldmarket [REW 2009].
Figure1: European Forecastfor Renewables -
2020
Thegrowthinpellet
manufacturing, alongwithother
biomass relatedindustries, is of
interest toBC for anumberof
reasons,including:
 British Columbiahas
considerablebiomass fuel
reserves, particularlyas a
result oftherecent
mountainpinebeetle
infestation.This includes
standingdeadwoodas
well as additional wood
residuefrom themilling
oflower grademountain
pinebeetlekilled(PBK) logs. Sincemost ofthis reserveis not suitablefor higher end
uses, alocal bioenergyindustrymaybethebest optiontoprovidedomesticemployment
benefits.
 Pellet manufacturingcan also helpBC’s goal of eliminatingall remainingbeehive
burners.
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 Global demandfor wood pellets is growingas countries realizethebenefits ofusing
carbonneutral fuels, leadingtoGHG emissionreductions andotherbenefits
(e.g.,when coal is replacedwithbiomass).
Toallowthis industrial growthwithout compromisingairqualityrequires developingemission
criteriaor guidelines for newinstallations that are compatiblewithBC’s environmental
protectiongoals. This report is thereforeembeddedintothecontext oftheBC Biomass Energy
Strategy. It is meant toassist theprovinceinsustainablydevelopingits bioenergyresources to
enhanceboththeenvironmental andeconomicbenefits forthepeoplewho liveinBC.
TheBC MinistryofEnvironment (BCMOE)has committedtoatarget of achievingor
maintainingCanadaWideStandards (CWS)forambient airqualityforPM (particulatematter
2.5
less than2.5microns indiameter)inall monitored communities bytheend of2010.Several
airshedmanagement plans arealreadyinplacethroughout theprovincethat areintendedto
provideamulti-stakeholderprocess for coordinatingactivities inanairshed–toidentifyand
meet communitysupportedairqualitygoals. Inaddition,at least tworecentlypermittedplants
havebeen grantedpermit conditions expiringat theendof2010,requiringadditional emission
reductions afterthat date.
Toprovidebackgroundandsupportinginformationforthe government todevelopemission
standards that bothsafeguardtheairqualityas well as allowingthepellet industrytofurther
expand,theBCMOEcontractedEnvirochem Services Inc., whowas alreadyworkingwiththe
pellet industryintheareas ofenvironmental management,airpollutioncontrol,andenergy.
BCMOEaskedEnvirochem prepareastudythat would; provideanoverviewoftheexisting
pellet industry,identifythebest practices ortechnologies foremissionreductionandthecosts
andbenefits oftheseoptions. Althoughthis studyfocuses primarilyonparticulatematter(PM)
associatedwithpellet manufacture,it also considers otherair contaminants andotherwoodfuel
products, suchas briquettes andpucks.
Thereport focuses onbest achievabletechnologies (BAT)tocontrol particulateemissions and
does not lookat facilitysitingconsiderations, suchas existingairshedparticulateloads,
environmental sensitivity,orairquality.Theresults andrecommendations arethereforetobe
understoodas guidelines as towhat current control technologies can economicallyachieve rather
thanactual values that maybeset bytheregulatoryagencies foremissionlimits orpermits,
whichmaybemoreorless stringent thanthoseoutlinedhere,andmayalso incorporateother
factors such as government priorities, airdispersionmodellingresults, orairshedsensitivity.
1.1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Theauthors wouldliketoacknowledgetheBC MinistryofEnvironment VictoriaandRegional
Officestaffandthemembers ofthePellet Industry, whotookthetimetoreviewthedraft report,
andprovidevaluablefeedbackthat was incorporatedintothis report.
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2.0 Pellet Manufacturing Process
2.1 PROCESS OVERVIEW
Themanufactureofwoodpellets is conceptuallyasimpleprocess: wood(fibre)is driedto
removetheexcess water, andthencompressedintopellets that haveahigh densityand are
amenabletobulktransport andbulkfiringin conventional solidfuel burners. Theprocess
includes nootheradditives orchemical reactions. Althoughtheprocess appears straightforward,
theactual efficient and reliableoperationof apellet mill requires considerableoperational skill
indryerandpelletizeroperationandmanagement skills infibreselectionandprocurement.
Themainprocessingsteps are:
1. Receivingandstorageof therawwood.
2. Sizingthewoodresidue priortofeedingintoadryer.
3. Drying.
4. Additional sizereductionofthedriedwood andconveyingtothepelletizers.
5. Pelletizingwherethewoodfines are compressed andformedintopellets. Thenatural
resins inthewoodact as thebinder.
6. Coolingandscreeningof thefinishedproduct pellets.
7. Combustion,typicallyof wastewoodfrom theprocess orotheroff-sitewoodresiduals, to
generateheat forthedryer.
8. Storage andshipping.
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Figure2: Emissions DiagramforaTypical Pellet Plant(TwoDryers)
Legend
TruckingDry Trucking Wet
PotentialEmissionSource
Materials Materials
ProcessFlow
Fugitive DryerFuel
Emissions
DryerHeat
Shavings Sawdust
Fugitive Storage Storage
Emissions
SolidWood
Processing&
Storage(optional)
Shavings Sawdust
Infeed Infeed
Hammermills, Hammermills,
Conveying Conveying
Storage Storage Emission Dryer Emissions
Controls
Hammermills,
Shavings Sawdust Recirculation Emission Pelletizes,
Dryer Dryer Gas Controls Conveyors
Dryer Hammermills,
PelletCoolers Pelletizer
Cyclone Conveying,
Cyclones Coolers
Heat Separators Storage,
Pelletizers
Products Product
Dryer Dryer Fuel FuelStorage Fuel(RecycleDustor Conveyor& Screens
Screens
Burner Burner Pellets)
Burner Pellet
Startup Fuel Storage
Emissions Sizing
Fugitive
Emissions
Fuel Pellet
Supply Loadout
Figure2 and Figure3arebothschematicflowdiagrams for atypical pellet mills inBC.
Figure2highlights thepotential sources of airemissions from aplant withtwodryers, while
Figure3shows aschematiclayout forasingledryer operation.
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