Farmscape.ca reports the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB has kicked of a three-year project aimed at developing monitoring systems that will improve control of emissions from straw-fired industrial heating systems.
Five years ago, Vidir Machine replaced the coal fired heating system at its Arborg manufacturing plant with a wheat straw fueled heating system and the company is installing a similar unit at its manufacturing plant at Morris. The greenhouse gas displacement system, developed by Vidir Biomass Systems, uses large straw bales as fuel and relies on primary combustion followed by secondary combustion to get a complete burn.
As part of a three year 620 thousand dollar project, researchers will be developing analysis tools and software designed to monitor and regulate emissions from the unit. Vidir Biomass president Raymond Dueck says the intent is to create a system that will ensure emissions remain within acceptable limits meeting every emission standard.
“We’re integrating a computer system to control the flow of the hot gases, the combustion gasses, through the system,” said Dyck. “”To make sure that, even when there is some high moisture feed coming into it, that it will burn that straw and still meet emission standards.”
Results from the company’s emission tests show the emissions are well within limits set by the province. They’re overly concerned with that, but need to get either CSA or some other organization to put their stamp of approval on the entire system.
“We’re trying to make sure we’re operating under all conditions with minimum emissions so we will have continuous monitoring of emissions on this system,” he said. Dueck says, while the research project is scheduled to run for three years, he hopes the work can be completed in one year.