The International BioMass Conference is this week in Portland Oregon.
At a breakout session over 200 Torrefaction Geeks sat glued to the presentations by Integrow, Bepex and Pellet/Briquette manufacturers.
Kevin Grotheim from Bepex gave an excellent update on thier research and provided much needed specific numbers to help our understanding of torrefaction. (of course I kept wondering if he should change his name to GroTherm).
Contact me if you want all the data, but the most interesting to me was the capital cost they are projecting:
15 Million to 25 Million for a plant with a capacity of 100Ktons to 150 Ktons per year. Thats $ 1,000 per ton of capacity. That's not too bad, especially for the first version of the project.
Walt Dickenson of Integro Earthfuels gave a clear, realistic overview of why torrefaction is ideal for co-firing. Integro is now targeting year end for their plant.
Everyone at the conference commented on the need for Cap&Trade to add at least $ 20 per ton of value for the models to work. Coal price volatility is the killer. Hard to shoot at a moving target.
Yet I think the industry is not focusing hard enough on getting the capital cost down through really creative engineering. Bepex's work is quite encouraging. Topell was often mentioned as the lead horse in the global race.
Great conference by the way. Ya'll come!
6 comments:
How do we contact you for the data from the conference?
I'll post some of the data on this blog, and a link to an online document for other data -- catching up from being on the road last week but should have all info up this week
When do you feel your detailed report on Bepex will be posted? Also, what are your thoughts on Agri-Tech's process and how it competes with the Bepex process?
Kevin -- i've updated the Bepex info. Thanks for your interest. I'll create a tickler to touch base with Bepex after the August trial
Are you familiar with a Company called Biomass Energy Resources (BER). If so, what are your thoughts?
I spoke with a representative once. They seemed to have their perspectives right but can't say much beyond that.
Have you worked with them?
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