Once a year, Pellet Mill Magazine dedicates an issue to fire and explosion protection. While one could argue it becomes redundant, the fact is that the industry must remain vigilant when it comes safety, and as an advocacy trade journal, it’s our duty to promote that. Nothing is changing in regard to the combustible nature of wood dust, but the way we manage that risk should continue to evolve. In our page-18 feature, “A Never-Ending Pursuit,” freelance writer Keith Loria chatted with some veteran fire and explosion protection companies about the products they’re proud of, advancements in relation to automation and artificial intelligence, and aspects of current safety culture that they believe have room for improvement. Along this vein, if you’re a producer, be sure to read our page-24 contribution, “NFPA 660: The New Standard for Combustible Dust,” by Brian Edwards of Fike Corp. This new standard, according to Edwards, combines six existing standards into a single standard that covers all industries where combustible dust and particulates are generated, used and handled. While there aren’t many significant changes, he says, it’s important for pellet mill owners and operators to be aware of these NFPA requirements, especially for new projects and plant modifications.As for other content in this issue, I did a speed Q&amp;A with Darrell Smith, the U.S. Industrial Pellet Association’s new executive director. I asked him about his background, priorities for the industry moving forward, new markets and potential impacts of the ongoing tariff war. In regard to that, he said that like all industries, the industrial wood pellet sector is navigating the administration’s new approach to trade policy and related uncertainty that comes with this magnitude of change. “We’ve seen no impact on pellet exports so far, but are keeping a close eye on how new trade agreements, tariffs or regulatory changes could affect market access and competitiveness,” he said.&nbsp;Finally, speaking of trade associations, on page 6, longtime Pellet Mill Magazine columnist Tim Portz discusses the Pellet Fuels Institute’s most recent Capitol Hill fly-in, the first trip that the organization has made under this new administration. In “America’s Wood Energy Unleashed,” Portz describes navigating a new Congress to educate our legislators on the positive impact that wood pellet manufacturing has on their respective states, as well as what has unfolded thus far and potential impacts the domestic heating pellet sector. In particular, according to Portz, a couple new executive orders could have positive implications. He points out that while administrations and the balance in Congress change, the broader wood pellet industry mission and value proposition is constant. “For our advocacy efforts to have a chance at success,” Portz concludes, “the way we articulate our policy and regulatory must change with them.”Author: Anna Simet&nbsp; Director of Content/Senior Editor

2025-05-19 - Staying the Course (Biomass Magazine)

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Editor's note from Pellet Mill Magazine Issue 2.

Staying the Course

In early April, the Pellet Fuels Institute completed a congressional fly-in, finding Washington, D.C, and the federal government much changed since our last visit just 11 months ago. In May 2024, the Biden administration was winding down, with the prospects for a second term seeming improbable. Republicans in Congress seemed content to wait for the election, feeling confident that they might regain the majority in the 119th Congress.This spring, our fly-in contingent found itself navigating a Congress in reaction mode to a spate of executive orders and tariff announcements. Capitol Hill was busy, as industry trade groups of all stripes were visiting their policymakers and sharing the potential impacts of President Trump’s tariffs to their businesses, hoping for some guidance on when the bigger ticket legislative packages might start to move.&nbsp;The PFI’s strategy for the 2025 spring fly-in was two-fold. First, as with every PFI advocacy effort, was to educate and remind policymakers about the role wood pellet manufacturing plays in their state and how the sector provides a paying off-taker for the residue streams that are generated by upstream sawmills and secondary forest product manufacturing sites. Of our 29 congressional meetings, 10 were with new members of Congress. In those meetings, we spent more time establishing the impact of pellet manufacturing on their state’s forest product economy. And why not? In many states, wood pellet manufacturing has a sizable footprint worthy of a thorough review. In Pennsylvania, wood pellet manufacturers purchase 500,000 tons of wood waste annually, generating nearly $20 million in revenue for upstream fiber producers. Those residues are then converted into 350,000 tons of finished heating pellets worth nearly $80 million wholesale. This $100 million economic contribution to the state’s economy does not include the impact of the pellet appliance manufacturing site operated by PFI-member Hearth &amp; Home Technologies in Halifax, nor the impact of the state’s roster of hearth retailers selling both pellets and pellet appliances to consumers. The handful of minutes required to establish these important metrics at each meeting created a foundation upon which the remainder of the meeting was built.&nbsp;Part two of this year’s strategy was to connect our regulatory and policy goals with two recent executive orders issued by Trump. Our intent was to make it clear, specifically with the Republican majority, that the Farm Bill provisions, appliance tax credit support and enhancements, and regulatory relief we were seeking closely aligned with the spirit of these recent orders.&nbsp;In his “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production” order released on March 1, Trump established that “the production of timber, lumber, paper, bioenergy and other wood products (timber production) is critical to our nation’s well-being.” Certainly, this is a strong endorsement of wood products and wood pellets specifically, but another executive order issued earlier in the president’s second term put an even finer point on our fly-in goals, particularly our calls for regulatory relief. In his executive order issued Jan. 20, Trump noted, “In recent years, burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations have impeded the development of these resources, limited the generation of reliable and affordable electricity, reduced job creation, and inflicted high energy costs upon our citizens. These high energy costs devastate American consumers by driving up the cost of transportation, heating, utilities, farming and manufacturing, while weakening our national security.”For wood pellet manufacturers, this tone represented a welcome change from the anti-combustion rhetoric so prevalent in both the states and federal government in the recent past. This sentiment stands in stark contrast to state bans on the installation of natural gas infrastructure, or the introduction of bills like Washington’s SB 5174, which would have allowed the state’s ecology department to develop and issue its own list of approved wood-burning appliances, irrespective of the U.S. EPA’s current emissions criteria and list of approved pellet-burning appliances.&nbsp;Administrations change. So, too, does the balance of power in Congress, and although the value of wood pellet manufacturing to our country’s forest product and rural economies is consistent and unchanged, for our advocacy efforts to have a chance of success, the way we articulate our policy and regulatory efforts must change with them. Author: Tim Portz&nbsp; Executive Director, Pellet Fuels Institute&nbsp; tim@pelletheat.org&nbsp; www.pelletheat.org&nbsp;

2025-05-19 - America’s Wood Energy Unleashed (Biomass Magazine)

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America’s Wood Energy Unleashed

In March, the U.S. Industrial Pellet Association announced that it had appointed Darrell Smith as its new executive director. Smith took the reins from interim ED Elizabeth Woodworth, who held the role for 18 months. Despite some uncertainty and potential challenges ahead, Smith is steadfast in his optimism regarding the many benefits offered by wood pellets and their role in global decarbonization efforts.Congratulations on your new role as executive director at USIPA. Tell us about your background leading up to now.Smith: I’ve spent my career at the intersection of public policy, environment, sustainability and safety, representing industries that help keep the world running, from mining and petroleum to waste and chemicals. Before coming to USIPA, I served as president and CEO of the National Waste and Recycling Association, and as executive vice president of the Essential Minerals Association. Both roles gave me the opportunity to advocate for responsible, sustainable practices in some of our most critical industries.&nbsp;Before I made the move to Washingon, D.C., and got into public policy, I worked hands-on in safety and environmental roles across a range of industries. That experience provided a practical foundation that’s helped me bridge the gap between the operational side of industry and the public policy world. I’m also a Certified Association Executive and a Certified Industrial Hygienist, which have both been valuable tools.What excites you the most about the industrial wood pellet industry?Smith: Our industry is driving solutions for some of the world’s most pressing challenges like energy security and climate change. We’re supporting sustainable forest management at home while using renewable, sustainably sourced biomass to displace millions of tons of fossil fuels abroad each year. That kind of real-world impact is powerful.The industry has a tremendous growth story, having increased pellet exports fivefold over the past decade. I think there’s incredible opportunity to maintain this impressive growth trajectory, especially considering our ability to help meet the increasing global demand for renewable carbon.As executive director, what are your top priorities for the coming year?Smith: One of the things I’ve learned in other sectors that I want to amplify at USIPA is that industry players are much stronger together, whether its addressing policy challenges or developing new business opportunities. In that spirit, one area I’m focused on is growing and broadening USIPA’s membership. There are many companies and organizations that can benefit from our unified voice, and I hope to bring them on board and significantly expand USIPA’s member roster. &nbsp;&nbsp;Another priority area is building and improving USIPA’s offerings to our members. We’ve already made progress on this front by beefing up our member communications and creating several new working groups to help better address critical areas like safety, transportation and air emissions.U.S. trade is facing challenges with the new administration—do you see it impacting wood pellet exports?&nbsp;Smith: Like all industries, we’re navigating the administration’s new approach to trade policy and related uncertainty that comes with this magnitude of change. We’ve seen no impact on pellet exports so far, but are keeping a close eye on how new trade agreements, tariffs or regulatory changes could affect market access and competitiveness.It’s important to bear in mind that even with shifting trade policies, the demand for renewable energy sources, especially in markets like Europe and parts of Asia, remains strong. We’re continuing to engage with policymakers to ensure they understand that U.S. wood pellets play a critical role in the global energy transition and that our industry is built on sustainable forestry and responsible supply chains. If we stay proactive with our advocacy and keep telling our story, I think we can continue to grow exports and strengthen our global partnerships, even in a more complex trade landscape.What other markets beyond traditional commercial heat and power applications are your members&nbsp;&nbsp; interested in?&nbsp;Smith: It’s an exciting time for us with the emergence of several new market opportunities. The industry has built global supply chains and proven its ability to reliably deliver large quantities of renewable carbon that meets the most stringent sustainability criteria in the world. That is an attractive offering to companies in hard-to-abate sectors like transportation and heavy industry, especially where other renewable options aren’t yet fully scalable or reliable.&nbsp;Another promising area is behind-the-meter power for data centers. The AI boom is bringing with it a significant increase in demand for electricity. Data center developers require quick access to power that is stable and sustainable. Biomass can deliver against these needs and is a compelling solution both in the U.S. and abroad.&nbsp;While heat and power are still core, our members are looking at a broader picture—one that includes innovative, high-impact applications across the entire energy landscape.&nbsp; &nbsp;

2025-05-19 - Leading the Way (Biomass Magazine)

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Darrell Smith chats with Pellet Mill Magazine about his new role as
 executive director of the U.S. Industrial Pellet Association.

Leading the Way

Once a leader in North American forestry, a chronic wood shortage has impacted British Columbia &nbsp;since the 1990s, when a pine beetle infestation took the region by storm. The epidemic impacted over 18 million hectares (approx. 44.5 million acres) of B.C. forest, peaking in 2005. The Canadian government determined that 723 million cubic meters, or 53% of marketable pine volume, was lost by 2012, and by 2017, a total of 752 million cubic meters, or 58% of marketable pine volume, was estimated to be lost because of the epidemic. Paired with unsustainable timber regulations and significant wildfires, B.C.’s wood product industries continue to face an uphill battle.&nbsp;At the forefront of the battle is the Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia, which recently received a $28 million package from the province to tackle the shortage and reduce wildfire risks through several new projects that may be announced in the coming weeks. “The Forest Enhancement Society of BC reviews proposals from forest managers and invests in forest management practices that make forests more resilient, communities safer from wildfire, and increase the productive use of wood waste from forest management and harvesting that would otherwise be burned,” says FESBC Executive Director Jason Fisher. The recent $28 million funding influx will continue that effort.Back to Our Roots&nbsp; Founded in 2016, the FESBC’s lifeblood lies within wildfire prevention and forestry preservation. “We exist to advance environmental and resource stewardship of B.C.’s forests ... to advocate for the environmental and resource stewardship of B.C.’s forests, and to carry out all other activities that support the stated purposes and exercise the society’s powers,” Fisher said. The FESBC has supported over 400 projects, each with the intent of wildfire reduction and fiber recovery.“Wood is an amazingly versatile and beautiful material,” Fisher says. “Wood is used to create building materials like lumber, plywood and other wood products. It is also used to generate pulp and paper, wood pellets, and bioenergy, sometimes referred to as green energy.”&nbsp;With applications in all walks of life, it’s no surprise that the FESBC’s work has gone far from unnoticed. Fahimeh Yazdan Panah, director of research and technical development at the Wood Pellet Association of Canada, describes the partnership between the FESBC and WPAC as pivotal to the pellet industry. WPAC, established in 2006, boasts over 50 members and advocates sustainability, safety, awareness and innovation in the pellet industry. “Our vision is a vibrant, globally competitive Canadian wood pellet industry, safely producing a clean, efficient and sustainable form of energy for world markets,” Yazdan Panah says.The wood fiber shortage has forced the wood pellet industry into a difficult position, Yazdan Panah explains. “Canada experienced a record-breaking 15 million hectares of forest burned in 2023,” she says, adding that B.C. forest policy has created challenges in accessing Crown timber. “Although 95% of forests are government-owned, harvesting requires permits that have been increasingly difficult to obtain,” she says. “As a result, we're harvesting only approximately 60% of the allowable cut.” Sawmill closures have also impacted the pellet industry in B.C., Yazdan Panah says. Major sawmill closures due to decreasing resources have limited pellet producers’ access to feedstock, but she notes that this uncertainty has not deterred the pellet industry. In 2024 alone—decades after the initial pine beetle infestation in the 1990s—over 3 million tons of Canadian wood pellets were exported.A Team Effort&nbsp; The success of the FESBC’s projects wouldn’t be nearly as great without its close partnership with the First Nations community. “The FESBC has worked with [the] First Nations since the beginning of its mandate,” Fisher says. “Our programs are applicant-driven, and many of our applicants are First Nations.&nbsp;“Often, First Nations hold the forest tenure on which the funded activities will be carried out. In addition, non-First Nation applicants often have partnerships with First Nations, hire First Nation-owned businesses as contractors, or have some other relationship that benefits First Nations,” he adds. Fisher cites two primary programs for investment: one that supports projects that reduces wildfire risk, and one that “supports the collection and use of wood waste from forest management and harvesting activities.”For the First Nations and the planet, fire is a way of life and a process of rebirth and renewal. In a video titled “Living with Fire” by the Westbank First Nation, CEO of Ntityix Resources Mic Werstuik explains the importance of fire in the Westbank First Nation. “Fire was always used by our people as a management tool...We have to use that tool,” he says.The variety of fires that can appear in forestry vary from manmade to natural. “Wildfires are fires that occur unintentionally in forest ecosystems. They can be caused by human activity or lightning,” Fisher explains. “Slash burning is the process of burning harvesting waste, which is primarily made up of defective logs, branches and tops of trees. This is an intentional fire set to remove the wood waste or fuel, which in turn helps reduce the risk of future wildfires and creates more spaces for planting new trees.”&nbsp;It is with this fire that the work of the First Nations and the FESBC finds its focus. By collectively removing and burning slash, wildfires lose proverbial steam much more quickly. As a result, wildfires are significantly less intense.Similar to those of slash burns, prescribed burns are fires deliberately started to remove fuel from future fires. According to the Western Fire Chiefs Association, prescribed burns “are started in specific, predetermined locations and carefully controlled, so they do not cause harm to people, animals and property.” Prescribed burns are often confused with controlled burns, which are merely fires that are started with an intent of controlling its effects, like that of a campfire, which can turn into wildfires. Prescribed burns must abide by several parameters to ensure safety and definite control, and very few turn into wildfires.While fire serves an important role in the ecosystem, its impact on the environment can serve as a negating factor. “When slash is burned, it releases greenhouse gases that are more potent than CO2, as well as smoke that can be harmful to living creatures,” Fisher notes. “These effects can be mitigated by building appropriate slash piles and only burning on days where weather conditions support the dispersal of smoke.”Balance, then, is needed to navigate the climate effects of burns. This puts producers in prime position to contribute. “Depending on how far the slash is located from businesses that can consume it, such as pulp mills, green energy facilities and wood pellet manufacturers, the material in slash piles could support the manufacturing of pulp and paper, wood pellets or bioenergy,” Fisher says.&nbsp;The quality of wood can impact where it goes in the pipeline, he explains. “If logs are defective because they are crooked, damaged, cracked, burnt or too small, they might not be suitable for making higher-value construction products like lumber or plywood. Some of those logs might alternatively be suitable for making pulp and paper. The smallest and most defective logs might still be able to be utilized to generate wood pellets or bioenergy which can offset the need to utilize fossil fuels.“Wood pellet producers can effectively use materials that are derived from slash piles.” Fisher continues. The barrier to slash use as wood pellet feedstock comes with the often steep cost of processing and transport. “Burned wood can be used to make wood pellets and bioenergy. Depending on the severity of the fire and how long ago it moved through an area, some burned wood can even be used to make building products like lumber,” he says.&nbsp; The Path Ahead&nbsp; As the shortage continues, further support from the province of British Columbia is crucial to continue this effort. “We are so thankful that the FESBC receives $20 million per year from B.C.’s Ministry of Forests,” Fisher expresses. “We will use this funding to continue to invest in and support projects that create more resilient forests, better protect communities and increase the use of wood that would otherwise be wasted and burned.” Fisher notes that the FESBC is open to future partnerships with funders and agencies to extend its reach and impact. “There are more areas to be treated for wildfire risk and more waste wood to be collected and used than the FESBC has funding for,” he says.The process of recovery won’t be easy. The Trump administration’s tariff war on Canada extends to the pellet industry, particularly in the realm of sawmill residues, Yazdan Panah says. “The pellet industry relies heavily on sawmill residues, and as tariffs make lumber exports less competitive, more mills are reducing operations or shutting down altogether, reducing the available feedstock for pellets,” she explains. Investment uncertainties could also influence production, further intensifying the industry’s strain under the wood fiber shortage.Canada’s own retaliatory tariffs don’t directly target the pellet industry, according to Yazdan Panah, but the trade war offers rough waters for the forestry industry. However, this could offer domestic benefits, she notes. “Right now, Canada exports over 90% of its wood pellets, helping countries like Japan and the United Kingdom reduce emissions, but very little is used domestically,” she says. “Expanding Canadian demand for pellets could lower heating costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen rural economies, and create new, stable markets for forest residues and low-grade timber. With the right approach, Canada can turn international trade turbulence into an opportunity for energy security and climate leadership at home.”&nbsp;The path to a sustainable future could extend beyond what is currently prescribed for wood products. “I am optimistic that there are many more uses for [slash] wood that are waiting to be discovered and commercialized,” Fisher says.&nbsp;Whatever the path, Werstuik and the First Nations remind us that fire will be a part of it. “Utilizing fire—reintroducing fire to the landscape, investing in fuel mitigation work—it’s not to stop wildfire. It’s to mitigate the impacts,” he adds. “We need to learn how to live with fire.” Author: Caitlin Scheresky&nbsp; caitlin.scheresky@bbiinternational.com

2025-05-19 - Balancing Fire and Fiber Utilization (Biomass Magazine)

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The Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia supports projects that create more resilient forests, better protect communities and increase the use of wood that would otherwise be wasted and burned.

Balancing Fire and Fiber Utilization

Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming the fire and explosion protection sector, and vendors are bringing forth new innovations to improve plant protection and safety. As producers strive to strengthen safety protocols and protect their facilities and employees, industry experts are focusing on continued advancements such as smart sensors and integrated response systems while identifying key areas for improvement.Meeting Industry Needs&nbsp; IEP Technologies has been involved in explosion protection since 1958. Formed from four leading explosion protection companies in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland, the company’s roots stem back to the first application of industrial explosion protection in the early 1950s by Graviner Ltd. The company has installed thousands of systems around the world since its inception and has been a key contributor to safety regulations such as NFPA 660. “We helped create the prescriptive requirements that are necessary to help keep these facilities safe,” says David Grandaw, vice president of sales for the Marlborough, Massachusetts-based company. “Included in that is the requirement for explosion mitigation.”Per the nature of technology, explosion protection has evolved over the decades. In recent years, Grandaw says he’s seen much innovation being done with passive explosion protection, which typically falls into the categories of standard explosion vents, passive flat-valve-style explosion isolation devices, rotary airlock valves and flameless explosion vents, of which IEP has two different styles that are used in the biomass industry.&nbsp;Some new innovations from IEP center on detection, according to Grandaw. “When you have an explosion, there’s pressure that’s traveling at the speed of sound, but the fireball is only traveling maybe 3 to 10 meters a second, so there’s a gap between the pressure wave and the flame front,” he explains. “We take advantage of that by using pressure-activated explosion detectors. The big innovation has been in the use of rate-of-rise pressure sensors, so rather than just being a pressure switch that could go off due to process pressure variation, these are detecting an explosive rate of pressure increase, and this helps filter out any false discharges.”&nbsp;Another well-known company in the fire prevention space, Fagus GreCon has been manufacturing innovative spark detection and extinguishing systems for more than 50 years. Its InfraRed sensors detect sparks and embers to automatically trigger countermeasures that enable elimination of early causes of fires and explosions.“Common causes of fires in wood bioenergy production are heat, sparks, embers and hot particles,” says Eric Peterson, CEO of the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company. “One of the most efficient measures for preventing fire or dust explosion is the early identification of the ignition source so it can be extinguished quickly.”The company recently introduced a smart extinguishing option, the Intelligent Extinguishing Module GreCon, which extinguishes sparks while using sensors to detect the wear of nozzles and monitor low-pressure flow, thus increasing plant and system availability and enabling efficient planning of maintenance to reduce downtime. “The system will also detect and recognize when microleaks are occurring with a nozzle, allowing for repair of defective nozzles before they become a problem,” Peterson says. “The IEM system can add an integrated frost monitoring component to the system, for greater operational safety.”Over the past 20 years, CV Technology has become a world leader in superior fire and explosion protection design, known for designing custom engineered protection solutions tailored to processes that handle combustible dust. One of its recent developments is the offering of remote connection capabilities with control systems that allow real-time communication with on-site maintenance teams and employees, lessening downtime and assisting plant operations in reliable troubleshooting.CV Technology’s Interceptor-QV is a patented explosion isolation device that utilizes flameless venting principles to protect clean air lines. “This passive valve is able to provide immediate isolation of a deflagration with minimal pressure drop during normal operating procedures,” says Daniel Obarski, sales engineer for the Jupiter, Florida-based company. “We have seen great success using the Interceptor-QV to protect clean air lines that would have posed a safety risk as they were exhausting inside of a building or being recirculated back inside the building.”CV Technology is particularly proud of its ability to serve as a single source for &nbsp;both fire and explosion protection, allowing end users to have continuity throughout their facilities with protection design and equipment maintenance.&nbsp;Originally founded over 50 years ago as Moldow Dust Control Inc. with Danish roots, Flamex Inc. is primarily known for spark detection and extinguishing systems used for the prevention of fires and explosions in dust collectors. Its European parent company, East Asiatic Company, developed the first system of this type, and it was introduced in North America in the late 1970s. &nbsp;Allen Wagoner, marketing and operations manager for the High Point, North Carolina-based company, notes that its latest generation of fire protection control panels incorporate significant technological advancements that have resulted in great improvements in reliability and increased capabilities, as well as improved operational efficiencies.&nbsp;“The CLUNID FMZ 6000 Series offers functional redundancies of the CPU, control boards and modules to prevent breakdowns and repairs,” he says. “Individual modules can be replaced during operation without interruption. The LogicManager feature provides plausibility checks to prevent operator errors. Users also benefit from the ServiceAssistant feature, which makes it possible to access status and event history messages, including documentation, at any time during operation.”Still, perhaps the most salient new capabilities are the improved communication protocols that not only allow use with a wider range of detectors and actuators, but also facilitate remote technical support access via a Gateway module with the control panel during operation, according to Wagoner.&nbsp;Within the past few years, Flamex also introduced the MXOne Firefighting Turbine, which allows application of water mist from a long distance with high accuracy. “The unit has a 360-degree operating range and can project water mist up to 40 meters and a full water stream up to 80 meters,” Wagoner says. “It’s capable of a maximum output of 1,000 gallons per minute, and even large fires can be addressed. The operational flexibility of the unit allows control either remotely, automatically, manually or in some combination.”While the aforementioned companies are continually focused on enhancing their offerings and meeting individual facility needs, they offer valuable perspective on improvements that can be made within the industry, from best practices to protection system design.Continually Improving&nbsp; Regarding industry safety culture areas for improvement, one issue that Wagoner says Flamex has consistently seen is failure of plant management to recognize the fire and explosion hazards present at the facilities in which they operate. “Despite the large amount of attention devoted to the dangers inherent in combustible dust and the efforts made by the NFPA and loss control community, there is still ignorance among mill operators on this topic,” Wagoner says. “Examples include large dust accumulations on various surfaces and equipment, which sometimes even reach the point that they engulf actively running motors; explosion vents on dust collectors that are sometimes absent or placed in dangerous locations; as well as poorly designed dust collection systems that do not allow proper suction to effectively evacuate the dust particulate through the system.”The best solution to avoid these and other dangerous potential pitfalls, he says, is through obtaining a dust hazard analysis by a competent professional. &nbsp;&nbsp;Grandaw points to one thing that is missed more than any other: the stoppage of flames traveling from one vessel to another—a gap where things can be improved. &nbsp;“We see this time and time again—you have an explosion that starts in one vessel, but there’s no isolation,” he explains. “When a fireball is allowed to spread unchecked through a duct, that ignition energy expands dramatically. The existing explosion protection measures are often inadequate.”&nbsp;In Obarski’s opinion, the area with the greatest potential for improvement within the industry is ensuring the reliability and functionality of existing fire and explosion protection systems. “In many such cases, the process that the protection equipment was originally designed for is constantly changing,” he says. “It is very important to keep the existing safeguards in mind as the process is evolving.”Advancing with AI and Automation&nbsp; Technological advancements are opening up new possibilities to facilitate and improve the level of safety in industrial facilities. For example, Flamex is breaking new ground with the use of virtual reality (VR) technology to assist customers remotely and provide training for plant personnel in the operation and maintenance of their systems. “This allows customers to gain specific, relevant training experience in operating and troubleshooting within their facility, thereby dramatically minimizing both their time and costs,” Wagoner says. &nbsp; &nbsp;For IEP Technologies, AI is used for computer modeling to determine the worst-case explosion potential and predict the worst-case reduced pressure after suppression. “We also use computer modeling to determine the mid-max distances, size and type of nozzle necessary to effectively stop an explosion from propagating from one vessel to another,” Grandaw says. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;While automation and AI are being looked at to shape the future of fire and explosion protection, it’s still early in the development and there are limitations in regard to how quickly advancements can be made. “Since spark detection and extinguishment systems require long-term development, testing, certification and adherence to standards, AI is being used on the product development side of things right now,” Peterson says.&nbsp;Finally, perhaps the most critical component to fire and explosion protection puzzle is plant personnel training and education.Employee Training and the Future&nbsp; Employee training is paramount when working in a facility handling combustible dust. Obarski notes that even the best fire protection systems can be severely compromised due to a lack of operational understanding or lack of preventative maintenance. “Bringing general awareness of the inherent risk in many facilities is the first step to a safer workplace,” he says. “CV Technology trains on-site employees to understand the fire and explosion protection solutions and systems in place to ensure proper use, maintenance and service is conducted.”Peterson agrees that training is critical to the successful implementation of any fire system. Fagus GreCon’s systems capture the history of occurrences at every site, which allows the company to understand the number and type of issues that are occuring. “We get the best feedback when we do our periodic maintenance, when our team is on-site and hears about the challenges, issues and concerns that the customers express to them directly,” Peterson says. “Usually, this is relating to improving the intuitiveness of the system or improving the user experience.”The fire and explosion protection industry will continue to evolve, whether through new processes, unconventional process layouts or even new standards such as NFPA 660. “Future trends are likely to involve more automation, requiring less human interaction,” Peterson adds. “[This includes] an emphasis on early detection of developing fires and more unconventional methods for detection and suppression, such as the use of drones and thermal imaging.”Author: Keith Loria&nbsp; writer@bbiinternational.com&nbsp; &nbsp;

2025-05-19 - A Never-Ending Pursuit (Biomass Magazine)

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Fire and explosion protection experts share insights regarding product improvements, personnel training and technological improvements.

A Never-Ending Pursuit

For the past 10 years, the National Fire Protection Association has been working to consolidate several industry-specific standards for combustible dust. In December 2024, the NFPA completed its goal by issuing “NFPA 660–Standard for Combustible Dusts and Particulate Solids.” This new standard combines six existing standards, including NFPA 61 (agricultural dust) and NFPA 664 (wood dust), into a single standard that covers all industries where combustible dust and particulates are generated, used and handled. &nbsp;&nbsp;Building permitting authorities, code enforcers and fire agencies use the NFPA standards to establish the basis of design and operation for new and existing industrial sites, so it’s important for pellet mill owners and operators to be aware of NFPA requirements, especially for new projects and plant modifications. NFPA 660 covers both administrative and engineering requirements at facilities with combustible dust, and its goal is to minimize fires and explosions, help companies maintain business continuity, and, most importantly, protect workers and the public. &nbsp;NFPA 664 and NFPA 61 are the standards most often applicable to pellet mills, depending on what material is being processed. Those standards are two of the oldest NFPA standards dealing with combustible dust. NFPA 664 dates back to 1931 when the “Code on Wood Flour Manufacturing” was issued. NFPA 61 is even older, dating to 1923 when standards were first developed to prevent dust explosions in grain terminals and flour mills. &nbsp;In addition to NFPA 61 and 664, NFPA 660 also incorporates NFPA 484 for combustible metals; NFPA 652, which covers fundamentals of combustible dust; NFPA 654, which is for combustible solids not covered by one of the other commodity standards; as well as NFPA 655 for sulfur. This doesn’t mean that the existing standards will disappear—they are still available at nfpa.org. However, NFPA will no longer revise those six standards, and they will effectively stay frozen in place. Some state and local fire codes are several years old and still reference the legacy dust standards, so there will be times when the old, industry-specific standards apply. &nbsp;In the past, facilities would start with NFPA 652, which is the standard on the fundamentals of combustible dust. Then, they would need to review the commodity-specific standard that applied to them. This could be burdensome and confusing, requiring users to jump back and forth between multiple standards that sometimes contradicted each other. NFPA 660 does not eliminate the commodity-specific requirements. Instead, the requirements that were in 652 are now chapters 1 through 10 of NFPA 660, and the old commodity standards are separate chapters in 660. So NFPA 61 is chapter 21, NFPA 664 is chapter 24, etc.&nbsp;The fundamental chapters (1-10) of NFPA 660 apply to everybody handling combustible dust, and the commodity chapters only apply to facilities handling those specific materials. The subchapters of the commodity chapters are aligned with the fundamental chapters. For example, chapter 9.3 covers building design in general, and chapter 24.9.3 covers building design for wood processing facilities. There is a caveat that if there's something in the fundamental chapters that contradicts something in a commodity chapter, the owner of the facility has the option to pick which requirement they want to follow.The standard includes requirements for hazard identification and analysis, administrative controls, building design, equipment design, and fire and explosion protection. Hazard identification means understanding the combustion and explosion properties of the materials handled. For example, it’s important to know the difference between green wood chips and dry fines when assessing fire and explosion hazards at different stages of the process. Obtaining the material properties may require reading safety data sheets, textbooks and online databases, or it may mean sending dust samples to a combustion testing lab to get more specific data on the dust being generated. &nbsp;Facilities are required to complete a dust hazard analysis (DHA) for existing operations and as part of the design of any new project. The DHA is a systematic review of the process equipment and buildings to determine where and when a fire, flashfire or explosion hazard might exist. The DHA also needs to evaluate existing or planned safeguards to determine if they are adequate, and if they are not, provide recommendations for additional safeguards. The DHA must be performed by a qualified person who has experience identifying and mitigating hazards related to the specific types of dusts being handled. NFPA requires that the DHA be documented and maintained for the life of the process, and it shall be reviewed and updated at least every five years. &nbsp;NFPA 660 includes building design requirements such as construction features to limit the accumulation of dust and the need to separate dust fire and explosion hazard areas from other occupancies. The standard addresses life safety (means of egress) as well as when damage-limiting construction may be required. For equipment, the standard covers leak prevention, ignition source control, bonding and grounding, foreign object removal (e.g., magnets and screens), and other safety features. It also identifies where fire and explosion protection are needed in equipment.The standard outlines the training and preventive maintenance required, covering topics such as inspections, emergency preparedness, incident investigation, management of change and more. Housekeeping is an important focus in the standard, and it provides guidance regarding how to keep dust to manageable levels so that there isn’t potential for secondary explosions.After many years, “NFPA 660: Standard for Combustible Dusts and Particulate Solids” has finally been published. It does not significantly change many of the requirements that have been in place for decades, but it does make navigating the standards much simpler. It is the one place that pellet mills and other industries can go to understand how to protect against fires and dust explosions in their operations. Author: Brian Edwards&nbsp; Global Explosion Protection Consultancy Manager&nbsp;&nbsp; Fike Corp.&nbsp;&nbsp; Principal Member&nbsp; NFPA Correlating Committee for Combustible Dust&nbsp; brian.edwards@fike.com&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

2025-05-19 - NFPA 660: The New Standard for Combustible Dust (Biomass Magazine)

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Revamped combustible dust standards make it simpler for the wood pellet industry and others to understand how to protect against fires and dust explosions.

NFPA 660: The New Standard for Combustible Dust

As the world’s coldest country, Canada consumes a lot of energy for home heating. Space heating accounts for 64% of Canadian residential, commercial and institutional energy consumption. The most common energy sources are natural gas, electricity and heating oil.Compare this with Sweden and Finland, where biomass is the dominant heat energy source. In Sweden, biomass provides 66% of space heating, and in Finland, the figure is 59%. The two countries use district heating networks and modern, small-scale biomass boilers designed to the European standard EN 303-5.Biomass central heating is a mainstay in much of Europe. Western European boiler manufacturers have invested heavily in the research and design of pellet boilers, creating efficient and clean-burning systems that are fully automatic and reliable. The most advanced of these boilers recover heat from flue gas, so even condensation isn’t seen leaving chimneys on cold days.These new technologies aren’t generally available in Canada, however, because existing Canadian safety standards are only appropriate for fossil fuel-fired boilers and do not consider the latest biomass-fired boiler technologies.Why Adopt a European Standard?&nbsp; The Canadian Standards Association is working to adopt the European standard, “EN 303-5:2002+A1:2023 Heating Boilers – Part 5: Heating Boilers For Solid Fuels, Manually and Automatically Stoked, Nominal Heat Output of up to 500 Kilowatts” as a national standard of Canada, which is anticipated to happen by fall 2026.By CSA adopting EN 303-5, a standard currently used by 28 countries, Canada will be able to:• Demonstrate to the standards-user community that this standard has been examined and endorsed by Canada’s top technical standards experts and found relevant to the economic growth of Canada’s emerging sectors.• Support domestic and global trade as national standards adopted by Canada meet World Trade Organization obligations and trade agreements such as the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.The rationale for this work is set out in a white paper, “Certification of Small Solid Biomass Combustors (SSBC) in Canada.” The paper is the culmination of nearly five years of work by experts across the country to address administrative barriers that restrict the sale of wood pellet-using boiler systems in the Canadian market.Once adopted, Canada can more easily design, manufacture and import small solid biomass combustors for Indigenous, remote and rural communities across Canada that use fossil fuel heating systems due to accessibility and affordability.What is a Small Solid&nbsp;&nbsp; Biomass Combustor?&nbsp; A small solid biomass combustor uses small quantities of biomass materials, such as wood pellets or chips, to generate heat or energy. As a low-carbon and renewable energy source, biomass has great potential to help solve the energy shortage problem and lower energy costs, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions from space heating in Canada.Small solid biomass combustors are typically designed for small- to medium-scale applications such as residential, commercial or institutional heating systems. Over 600 are operational in Canada today, displacing propane, oil or electric baseboard heating systems for many communities.What’s Left to Accomplish?&nbsp; Draft new CSA Standard: A working group is reviewing the EN 303-5 standard to make it more easily understood and usable in Canada, and to recognize existing Canadian standards that should be referenced in the adopted standard. It is expected this assessment will be completed by December.Review and public comment: The draft must be reviewed and voted on by the technical committee, and the draft standard will be distributed for public review.&nbsp;Canadian adoption: Once consensus has been reached by the technical committee under the CSA Group’s accreditation, it is expected that EN 303-5 will be adopted as a Canadian standard with the Canadian deviations currently being devised. It is anticipated the standard will be published by fall 2026.With adoption, Canadians will have the same access to efficient, low-carbon, small biomass central heating systems (hydronic heaters) that many across the world now enjoy, and more Canadian wood pellets can serve the heating and environmental goals of Canadians. Authors: Gordon Murray&nbsp; Executive Director, Wood Pellet Association of Canada&nbsp; gord@pellet.orgDutch Dresser&nbsp;&nbsp; Director, Maine Energy Systems&nbsp; Maineenergysystems.com&nbsp;

2025-05-19 - Pursuing a New CSA Standard to Heat Canada with Wood Pellets (Biomass Magazine)

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Adoption of the European standard would allow Canadians access to efficient, small-scale 
biomass central heating systems that many across the world now enjoy.

Pursuing a New CSA Standard to Heat Canada with Wood Pellets

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Pellet Mill Magazine Issue 2 2025

Pellet Mill Magazine Issue 2 2025

Columns

Staying the Course

America’s Wood Energy Unleashed

Featured

Balancing Fire and Fiber Utilization

A Never-Ending Pursuit

Contributions

NFPA 660: The New Standard for Combustible Dust

Pursuing a New CSA Standard to Heat Canada with Wood Pellets

Departments

Leading the Way

Pellet Mill Magazine Issue 2 2025.css-7jxktu{position:absolute;bottom:0px;left:0px;right:0px;height:3px;border-radius:3px;background-color:var(--chakra-colors-brandBlack);}

Columns

Staying the Course

America’s Wood Energy Unleashed

Featured

Balancing Fire and Fiber Utilization

A Never-Ending Pursuit

Contributions

NFPA 660: The New Standard for Combustible Dust

Pursuing a New CSA Standard to Heat Canada with Wood Pellets

Departments

Leading the Way

Pellet Mill Magazine Issue 2 2025