Wood Pellets – A Terrific Alternative To Fossil Fuels

When many people think of alternative fuel supplies, the natural tendency is to consider solar or wind power to generate electricity. One alternative fuel source that often gets little attention is the burning of manufactured wood pellets within an environmentally friendly wood stove.

Traditional wood stoves burn logs and pieces of wood that have been acquired from fallen trees or from trees that have been cut down for burning purposes. Wood pellets, on the other hand, and the manufacturer from waste of other industries.

Wood pellets are considered “environmentally friendly” due to the fact that they are manufactured from sawdust waste created from sawmills or furniture manufacturers and other related wood industries. The pellets themselves are a waste byproduct of these industries. As long as there are left over materials to manufacture them, wood pellets will continue to be considered as a “renewable” fuel source.

The manufacturing process consists of taking these waste raw materials and exposing them to extreme heat and pressure. The heat and pressure cause the sawdust to be “glued” together from the excretion of natural secretions from within the wood itself called lignins. The secretion of lignins acts as a binding agent, one that holds the sawdust together. The finished product is typically a burnable pellet that ranges in size from 6 to 8 mm in diameter.

The finished pellets are then bagged into 40 pound bags to be sold to wood stove owners across the United States. North America contains over 60 pellet mills that produce over 680,000 tons of wood pellet fuel per year. This figure has more than doubled over the last five years.

The cost of manufactured pellets continues to be much more stable than traditional fossil fuels, especially over the last couple years where consumers saw gas and oil prices skyrocket. Not only are they more economical than fossil fuels, they are much better for the environment. In fact, wood was used to produce heat long before fossil fuels ever became available commercially.

Wood pellet fuel has quickly become a viable alternative to fossil fuel in helping to heat homes throughout North America. Don’t be surprised if in the future you see homes built with wood pellet stoves already installed and ready to use this renewable energy source.

For more information on wood pellets, wood stoves and other home heating alternatives, visit Wood Stoves

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