Repurposing Urban Wood Waste as Biomass

Forest2Market recently posted an interesting article worth a read by all managers of urban wood, landfills and biomass operations.

“Urban Wood Waste: Are You Overlooking a Viable Feedstock?” delves into the potential economic benefits of burning urban wood waste to create power or heat instead of landfilling.

The article states, “Current economics favor funneling wood waste into the market, whether the market is for fuel, mulch or other uses. This is because the disposal of wood waste into a landfill adds zero net value. Rather, introducing wood waste into the market adds value as it can become a feedstock for a biomass power facility, for example.”

The Forest2Market article also looks at reasons for various stakeholders to look at using urban wood waste as biomass. For example, here’s some considerations for a landfill operation to make the shift:

1. The landfill’s need for daily or intermediate cover (cover dirt is expensive and often difficult to find)
2. State waste reduction goal credits the landfill might secure by using the wood waste for daily or intermediate cover
3. A desire to save valuable landfill space for materials which have no alternative disposal options
4. An end-market consumer with feedstock demand requirements.

Read the full article at Forest2Market.