Stobarts Biomass

[openspaceman]

When you say the whole tree do you mean brash and all? leaf and brash contains chlorine which you are not allowed to burn in most biomass boilers,

 

News to me, how much chlorine and where is it in the brash?

[Tom D]

Chlorine is found in chlorophyl which is in the leaves in summer and withdrawn to the wood in winter. I just sent off some chip samples today for analysis, I'll let you know how I get on, I believe that the chlorine leaves the chip reasonably quickly as it rots, so old chip might be ok......

[openspaceman]

Chlorine is found in chlorophyl which is in the leaves in summer and withdrawn to the wood in winter. I just sent off some chip samples today for analysis, I'll let you know how I get on, I believe that the chlorine leaves the chip reasonably quickly as it rots, so old chip might be ok......

 

Chlorophyll contains no chlorine, it named from the Greek for green which in our alphabet is spelt chloros. There will be a small amount of chlorine ions is a tree and I guess they will burn to form dioxins but only a small amount.

[simonm]

I just want rid either way, trying to open a few avenues for removal incase 1 goes belly up.

[Tom D]

You're right. All I know is there is higher chlorine content in brash than in virgin wood. Per haps someone knows where it comes from....

[woodworm]

Call J S Vicary at York. Am sure you will get a better offer from them.

[skyhuck]

My understanding was that brash is considered virgin wood, unless the foliage content is greater than the wood content.

[MATTMOSS]

There is more chlorine in brash and green waste than clean wood.

 

The chlorine doesn't burn and corrodes the boilers

[MATTMOSS]

Call J S Vicary at York. Am sure you will get a better offer from them.

 

I can vouch for them, Chris is a decent guy to deal with.

[openspaceman]

You're right. All I know is there is higher chlorine content in brash than in virgin wood. Per haps someone knows where it comes from....

 

Wood fibre (the white bits in the middle of the tree) has very little mineral content, as low as 0.5% of the dry mass and half of this is silica. The buds, leaves and bark contain ~8% by dry mass. Arable crops and grasses have much higher ash contents and also higher amounts of chlorine, their ashes also have lower melting points than wood ash and this is why they are more difficult to burn because the molten ash sticks to bits of the furnace as clinker (once it cools).