Pellet fuel is a renewable, clean-burning and cost stable home heating alternative of increasing importance throughout the world. It is a biomass product made of renewable substances—generally recycled wood waste. Millions in Europe and the United States use wood pellets for heat, in freestanding stoves, fireplace inserts, furnaces and boilers. Pellets are also used in industrial applications and to generate electricity as a substitute or complement to coal in cogeneration projects. Pellet fuel for heating can also be found in such large-scale environments as schools and prisons. Pellets are manufactured throughout the world and are actively traded across borders. In short, pellet fuel is a way to divert millions of tons of waste from landfills and turn it into energy.
Cordwood, wood pellets, wood chips, waste paper, along with dozens of other agricultural products and by-products capable of being used for energy, are all examples of biomass fuel. The most compelling principle of biomass is that it is renewable. The remarkable consistency and burn efficiency of pellet fuel produces a fraction of the particulate emissions of raw biomass. Pellet burners feature the lowest particulate matter emissions of all solid fuels burners. Given the proper initiatives and agricultural management, biomass is virtually limitless, and has proven to be price stable in comparison with fossil fuels.
