Less-advanced products still the most reliable option

By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press

REDDING, Calif. -- Timber companies interested in taking advantage of the potentially lucrative arena of biomass production shouldn't fall for slick sales pitches, an expert advised.

So-called emerging technologies such as gasification and liquid fuels are still largely unproven and are not yet feasible for large-scale use, said Gareth Mayhead, academic coordinator for forest products at the University of California-Berkeley.

Densified wood products such as fire logs, pellets and bricks are still the most reliable form of woody biomass there is, with annual production of 10 million tons worldwide and 4 million tons in the United States, he said.

"Keep an open mind" about new technologies, Mayhead told logging conference attendees on Feb. 11. "But I always say if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

Mayhead's advice came during a panel discussion on bio-energy at the Redding Convention Center.

Biomass production figures to remain a key component of efforts to boost the use of renewable energy, particularly in California, where one-third of energy produced must be from renewable sources by 2020.

"We have a great renewable energy program in California. We're just not implementing it yet," said Green Power Institute director Gregory Morris, noting that the state is well behind its mandate to obtain 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by this year.

While biomass capacity has stabilized in recent years after peaking in the early 1990s, it offers a key solution for reducing greenhouse gases by helping consumers avoid fossil fuels and keeping wood waste out of landfills, Morris said.

However, while some new technologies such as gasification and liquid fuels have potential, they're not "now" technologies, Mayhead said. At the moment, the cost of biomass-production methods such as gasification can be very expensive, making it harder to compete with natural gas, he said.

Anecdotal evidence has suggested there's a large residential market for densified wood products, he said. Some timber companies wishing to make use of their wood waste have gained success by partnering with existing densified wood manufacturers or by marketing locally to save on transportation costs, he said.