Industrial wood/coal co-utilization in the Northeast: technology assessment and case studies. Final report
This report examines the opportunities and constraints for wood/coal co-utilization in industrial boilers in the Coalition of Northeast Governors (CONEG) region. Coal is the leading solid fuel in much of the CONEG region, but its share of the industrial energy market has not increased as quickly as expected due to concerns about sulfur emissions. Congressional, EPA and state initiatives to curb sulfur dioxide emissions may create a major impetus for blending wood fuels in coal-fired plants in lieu of installing costly desulfurization equipment. This analysis suggests that mixing wood feedstocks with coal may be a cost-effective alternative to complying with increasingly stringent state emissions standards. While wood fuels are not less expensive than coal in all subareas of the CONEG region, wood offers environmental advantages in addition to reduced sulfur emissions. Per unit of heat output, it emits less nitrogen oxide, produces less bottom ash, and reduces opacity and particulate emissions when fired with coal. Additional costs of blending wood with coal include fuel handling, storage and grate retrofitting on existing boilers. For operators of wood-fired boilers, coal supplements provide some insurance against price swings in wood residues markets as well as a more responsive fuel to meet peak thermal demands. State regulators are in a position to foster wood/coal blends by enacting emissions regulations which account for the inherent environmental advantages of wood fuels.
- Research Organization:
- Boston Planning Group, Inc., MA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG05-83OR21389
- OSTI ID:
- 5537130
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/OR/21389-T3; ON: DE86013105
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
POLICY AND ECONOMY
BOILERS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
AIR POLLUTION
COAL
CONSTRAINTS
FEDERAL REGION I
INTERCHANGEABILITY
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
WOOD
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MATERIALS
NORTH AMERICA
POLLUTION
USA
292000* - Energy Planning & Policy- Supply
Demand & Forecasting