The M Files

The final phase of the East Lycoming School District’s biomass heating system commissioning took place on Friday, March 25, with air pollution emissions testing. Though considered a sustainable, carbon-neutral heating strategy, burning biomass material does produce air emissions that fall under the scrutiny of the U.S. EPA and Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Here, environmental consultant Gavin Biebuyck of Liberty Environmental explains the purpose of the testing in more detail:

This is what “zero opacity” looks like out of the chimney. No smoke, all water vapor:

It’s very difficult to capture the total operation, from biomass fuel handling to combustion emissions, with camera still shots. Here’s a brief video tour of the entire system:

Despite the cold winter, the actual amount of purchased wood chips was lower than what we predicted for the first year of operation. While we suspect that’s due to better-than-published boiler combustion efficiencies, we’ll find out for certain in the coming months as we conclude our measurement and verification studies. Stay tuned!

If you’re new to the East Lycoming Biomass Boiler project, check out these previous posts:
An Energy Lesson from the Land of Lumber and Maple Syrup
Green without the Glamour
School District to Heat High School with Self-Grown Hybrid Willows
Hybrid Willow: School District’s Best Available Technology
School Biomass Fuel Crop Project Will Be Operational This Winter
Energy By the Truckload
A Tale of Two Biomass Boilers