A Warming Trend for Putting Wood Waste to Work as Fuel

A mountain of wood — broken rafters, studs and floorboards recovered from demolished houses — rises on a lot here. In a few million years, geologic forces could make it oil. Entrepreneurs are hoping to do it this month.

The pile of debris is growing as welders join the last pieces of machinery to convert wood scraps into “bio-oil” that can replace conventional heating oil. The new fuel is one of a widening variety of long-delayed petroleum alternatives moving closer to commercial production as concern over global warming makes them more attractive.
“There’s going to be a mix of fuels in the future,” said Andrew Kingston, head of Dynamotive Energy Systems, the company building the plant. “You can think of each one of these plants as an oil well.”

President Bush has set an ambitious goal of 35 billion gallons of alternative fuels produced annually by 2017. The most recognized biofuel now is ethanol, a gasoline substitute brewed from corn and other grains, which promoters say will significantly reduce the greenhouse gases pumped into the air from petroleum-based fuel.

But when the energy required to grow corn is counted, the advantage of ethanol is marginal, and using a food source to power cars remains troubling to some. Researchers are looking at other methods to convert cellulose such as grass or weeds or discarded lumber into fuels. Some have focused on using enzymes for that conversion, others on chemical or mechanical treatments.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a silver bullet,” said Gregory Kats, managing director of Capital E, an energy consulting firm in Washington. “I think it’s clear there is a lot of opportunity. There is going to be a lot of innovation, and this is a case where letting a thousand flowers bloom is a good idea.”

Washington Post