Read “Wood for Bioenergy” by Mendell & Lang, this #TimberTalks reviews the history and issues described in their book. @ScicommBot #sciencetwitter #scicomm #forestproud 1/13
Wood, as fuel, isn't new. Tech helps wood comparable as energy to oil and wind. 1300-1600s, Europe’s trees are harvested to make iron + shipbuilding. Wood supply soon became a concern, colonization of North America (NA) changed that. 2/13
Late 1700s - 2/3rds of wood removed from NA forests used as fuel. Supplies were abundant, price did increase b/c harvesting took place further and further away. As a result vertical integration occurred - wood cutters diversified business by buying land, ships, and docks. 3/13
Btwn 1700-1800, charcoal form of fuelwood was used to heat homes + industrial settings. Charcoal generated heat for manufacturing factories to produce steam for machines. Tree cutting was a good money maker b/c land had to be cleared for agriculture. 4/13
U.S. population grows the removed forests accommodate new farms, pastures, cities, industries, and roads. Wood supported many activities. Example - steamboats made from and fueled by wood dominated transportation and shipping. 5/13
Next, were the rail networks in America. Up till the Civil War, wood consuming trains stopped often to reload wood for fuel. Networks evolved into systematic operations, soon Rail Co. ran “wood-up” stations along rails. Timberland investment opportunities were created. 6/13
Wood $ went up. Tree supply couldn't keep up with demand. Shift in less expensive fuel, coal + oil, contributed to transition away from wood. Consumers choose energy sources based on availability + cost, shifting to the most abundant and cost-effective sources at the time. 7/13
Shift accelerated into the 1900s. Estimates by Dprtmnt of Energy - wood - 21% of energy consumption while coal use grew to 70% of energy consumption. By 1950, wood provided 5%. Coal, oil, + natural gas - 36%, 38%, + 17% respectively. 8/13
1970-2000s Oil embargo by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries renewed interest in woody biomass in the US. Legislation allowed independent producers to sell power to utility companies - a rise in biomass power plants. 9/13
Investments into these facilities dried up with falling oil prices in the mid-1980s. National interest in bioenergy, including bioenergy from woody materials, increased again following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and military efforts in the Middle East. 10/13
Sawmills, like the one I work at, use wood waste to fuel boilers that produce heat for drying lumber. Pulp mills also use wood waste to produce steam + electricity. 11/13
For these plants, energy from wood is a natural fit and synergy. The forest products industry leads the US in energy generation from woody biomass. From the EPA, it accounts for 80% of the country’s industrial biomass energy consumption and electricity generation. 12/13
Power alternatives continue to gain prominence in the US. It has attracted investors, policymakers, and communities. Our next #TimberTalks will look at the processes to turn wood into an easily transported and consumed energy product: wood pellets. 13/13
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