The seven biggest challenges facing biomass operators … and how to solve them!

Faced with evolving legislation, ever-changing market forces and mounting environmental pressures, the life of a biomass operator is rarely straightforward. But with challenge, often comes opportunity, believes Gary Moore, director of global business development at Untha Shredding Technology. He has consulted with firms on the ‘front line’ to hear where the greatest complexities currently lie, before exploring, more importantly, how to overcome them...

1.       Dust and the disposal of it

Wood processing is widely considered an inherently dusty operation, especially if using high speed processing equipment for a grade C operation. Generally speaking, the greater the level of dust, the larger the risk of fire or explosion in the event of a mechanical spark.

Regular cleansing of the biomass production plant is therefore recommended to keep dust levels to a minimum. In-built fire suppression technology with heat detectors and extinguishing nozzles should also be sought within the wood shredder, so that a fire can be mitigated before it breaks out.

Dust levels can be further reduced, by design. The target speed...