Wood pellets are a type of Biomass and are a carbon neutral fuel. The carbon dioxide released when the wood pellets are burnt is cancelled out due to the fact that trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. Even taking into account the fossil fuel emissions from planting, harvesting, processing and transporting the wood, replacing fossil fuels with wood will typically reduce net carbon dioxide emissions by over 90%.
Wood pellets are usually made from highly compressed waste such as sawdust, ground woodchips or bark. The material binds together naturally although maize starch is sometimes the only additive included in the manufacturing process. There is a well established market for wood pellets in North America, Sweden, Austria and Denmark and work on the development of the UK market began in 1999, with this country now seeing an emerging industry.
Wood pellets have a high energy content similar to high quality coal and can be used in specially designed stoves and boilers. Some existing solid fuel and oil boilers can also be converted for use with wood pellets. For more information on Wood Pellet Fuelled Stoves and Wood Pellet Boilers follow the links to other pages on the UK Energy Saving site. This type of fuel is also relatively inexpensive and is exempt from the Climate Change Levy.
Even the ash left over after burning wood pellets is useful. Due to its high mineral content, it can be recycled to fertilise forests, parks or gardens.
For more information on wood pellets visit the National Energy Foundation
