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Question:
Why is low ash content more desirable when burning biomass pellets?

Answer:
High ash content increases the chances of problems due to chunks of melted ash (“clinkers”) and also increases the chances of buildup on the burn pot surfaces, restricting air flow and influencing the removal of ash from the burn chamber. High ash content also means more frequent dumping of the ash pan.

For more Frequently Asked Questions, see our FAQ.

 

Why use grasses as a biofuel?

Reed canarygrass ready to harvest

It takes 70 days to grow a crop of grass pellet fuel.

It takes 70 million years to grow a crop of fossil fuel.

Grass pellets have great potential as a low-tech, small-scale, environmentally-friendly, renewable energy system that can be locally produced, locally processed and locally consumed. As the US focuses on energy security, grass bioenergy is one of the ways that rural communities can move towards energy security.

New York State has about 1.5 million acres of unused or underutilized agricultural land, most of which is already growing grass. Grass biofuel production does not need to divert any of the current agricultural productivity into the energy market; this biomass industry can be completely independent from, but complimentary to, the production of food or animal feed. It is also a very “farmer-friendly” way to get producers exposed to biofuel production.

Grass Bioenergy Attributes