Call it the little engine that could, especially in the rapidly exploding field of renewable energy feedstocks.
It’s a new mobile pellet development unit that adds flexibility and cost efficiency to the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center’s research in such renewable resources as Georgia’s abundant pine trees.
As a research tool, the mobile unit is designed to be more versatile and cost-effective than full-scale systems. It can be rapidly reconfigured to assess a range of feedstocks and identify optimum processing conditions. Its size also gives it the versatility to be employed on-site at Herty or at the client’s site as a skid-mounted unit.
Herty obtained the portable unit through a donation from La Meccanica, an Italian-based firm that specializes in the design and manufacture of pelletizing equipment.
“La Meccanica’s actions demonstrate the confidence they have in Herty to provide the tools and expertise needed to further grow the energy pellet industry,” said Herty president and CEO Alexander Koukoulas.
“Additionally, this new plant gives Herty the capability to go beyond biomass and examine a range of materials, including polymer blends, fiber-based composites and additives,” Koukoulas said. “It furthers our ability to work with project developers and help them engineer pellets from the ground up.”
Herty, which became part of Georgia Southern University in 2012, was established in 1938 to continue the work of the late University of Georgia professor Charles Herty, a research chemist whose findings on turning pine trees into newsprint spawned a massive industry.
Herty discovered an innovative way to make quality paper and rayon fiber from the southern pine, a tree that grows abundantly in Georgia. His work catalyzed the pulp and paper industry in the South and helped revive the region’s economy during the Great Depression.
Over the years, Herty has expanded its focus, leveraging strengths in fibers and pilot-scale production into new industrial markets and products. Those include development of synthetic non-woven materials, innovative “green” technologies, biomass processing and alternative energy solutions for clients worldwide.
Today, Herty is at the forefront of research into such renewable resources as wood, wood waste and agricultural biomass, Koukoulas said, adding that, with the increased domestic and international demand for such energy, the Savannah-based center has become widely known for its world-class research, development and demonstration facility.
“Basically, we’re a new product and process accelerator, providing technical, market and development expertise to our clients,” he said. “We have extensive pilot-scale capabilities for prototyping new products and helping reduce risk in the commercialization process.
Pellet use is growing worldwide, Koukoulas said, predominantly in Europe, which is working to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
“The Southeast — and Georgia in particular — has really benefitted from the European demand, although there is a growing interest domestically as well, where forest management programs are looking for ways to reduce fuel wood,” he said.
An example is the Pacific Northwest, where the dead or dying trees in forests ravaged by the pine beetle create a significant fire risk, he said.
“Closer to home, material left on the forest floor can be used not only for energy but the development of other products such as plastic and composite materials,” Koukoulas said.
The 200-pound-per-hour mobile pellet unit doesn’t need as much material, can screen that material more rapidly and look at a variety of inputs – all while still mimicking realistic commercial-scale operations, said Omar Ali, director of Herty’s bio-products division.
“The more compact unit complements Herty’s larger, one-ton per hour pre-commercial mill,” Ali said. “Having both pellet mills on site significantly increases our capabilities and allows our clients to better assess process conditions to produce pellets from a range of feedstock types.”
Herty has already secured its first client to run trials on the mobile unit, with operations scheduled to begin next month.
ON THE WEB
For more information on Herty and its programs, go to www.herty.com