Dry Biomass

Recently, Advanced Trailer announced that the University of Idaho has been selected as the recipient of a grant to study the application of Advanced Trailer’s agricultural crop drying trailer for biomass.  For years, our trailers have been used to dry peanuts.  But two years ago, Advanced Trailer began exploring the possibilities of using its drying trailer to remove moisture from woody mass by providing a trailer to the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center in Savannah, Georgia.

This revolutionary application removes moisture from wood chips that are used as fuel for the University of Idaho’s steam boiler plant located at their campus in Moscow, Idaho. The results of this new research at the University of Idaho will benefit biomass plants in other cities.

The prior testing has clearly shown that the trailer works and does the job.  But we needed a facility or institution that had an actual application where we could daily see the benefits of lowering moisture in biomass products used to fuel a plant. We found it at the University of Idaho. Our partners there were eager to put the trailer to work at their steam boiler plant.

In December of last year, Advanced Trailer met with representatives at the University’s steam boiler plant located in the heart of the university’s campus. After touring the facility and seeing the similarities in handling wood chips compared to peanuts, plans were made to provide equipment to the school’s steam plant.  In late January 2009, a trailer and dryer were transported from Advanced Trailer’s plant in Vienna, Georgia 2600 miles to Moscow, Idaho. The initial 12 month testing period is expected to begin within the next few weeks. The grant will provide written research on lowering fuel (wood chips) cost while reducing carbon emissions by lowering the moisture content in woody mass products.

And we at Advanced Trailer are also interested in the Mesquite wood market.  We believe this abundant Texas tree could be a boon to the biomass market.  And we believe our drying trailer is the perfect vehicle to help harvest, transport, dry and store Mesquite wood chips for biomass.

Years ago, our company revolutionized the peanut industry.  Now, we aim to revolutionize the biomass industry, too.