Media Release | Aug. 25, 2006
UBC Conference to Reveal Pine Beetle Infested Wood as Part of Biofuel Solution to World’s Energy Crisis
The largest outbreak of the mountain pine beetle ever recorded in western Canada is creating an opportunity for British Columbia to be a leading producer, user and exporter of biofuels, says UBC Dean of Forestry Jack Saddler, who will kick off the International Energy Agency’s Bioenergy Workshop at UBC Sunday night.
“Canada currently exports appoximately 500,000 tonnes of wood pellets per year to Europe and Scandinavia to be used as fuel in household stoves, fireplaces and even municipal facilities,” says Saddler, citing an analysis to be presented at the conference, which has attracted the world’s leading bioenergy experts from countries as far as Sweden, China, and Sudan.
“In the next five years, the province could at least double that amount from pine beetle infested wood. While we should maximize structural uses of lodgepole pine, such as lumber and pulp and paper applications, in the short term (5-15 years) there will be lots of wood residues available,” says Saddler. “In the longer term, bioenergy will probably be the only use for these trees as they will be unsuitable for structural applications.”
To create fuel pellets, timber go through drying, size reduction and pelletization. Mountain pine beetle infested wood is already dry and easy to compress.
“Although B.C. has only recently become a significant exporter of biofuels such as wood pellets -- which are generally cheaper and more environmentally friendly than burning gasoline or natural gas -- both the volumes of wood used for bioenergy and global markets are expected to grow significantly,” says UBC Forestry Research Associate Warren Mabee.
“What’s ironic is that the use of wood pellets is limited here at home due to a variety of reasons such as bylaw restrictions and the wrong perception that bioenergy is dirty and poor use of our abundant biomass resource,” Mabee adds.
Other topics to be addressed at the conference include the production of ethanol, nitrogen and biodiesel from biomass, sustainable forestry and a review of current bioenergy systems in Finland, Denmark and Japan.
“This is one of the most comprehensive discussions to date on bioenergy
and biofuels,” says Saddler. “B.C., Canada and indeed the world will benefit from this magnitude of intellectual exchange on a topic that will greatly impact the way we live in the next decade.”
NB: Members of the media may attend the conference by contacting Clare Keating-Husk at 604.822.3542.
For a complete schedule of the conference, visit http://www.task39.org/vancouver06.htm.
About the IEA
The International Energy Agency was established as an intergovernmental organization in November 1974, under the Agreement on an International Energy Program (IEP) after the oil shock of 1973/1974.
In the event of a major oil supply disruption (7 per cent losses) the IEP commits IEA’s 26 member countries -- which includes Canada, the US, Japan, New Zealand and the UK -- to reduce demand, draw stocks and share available oil. It includes the important commitment that the participating countries should hold oil stocks equivalent to at least 90 days of net oil imports of the previous calendar year.
For more information, visit www.iea.org.
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