Thursday, June 28, 2012

Biomass cogeneration facility remains on schedule

The biomass cogeneration facility at Domtar’s Rothschild mill has been under construction for about a year, and progress is on schedule.

The steel framework is complete for most of the main buildings, and some structures already have siding and roofing material in place. The boiler, which is the largest piece of equipment at the facility, is being assembled inside the steel framework of the tallest building on site. Three other large pieces of equipment -- auxiliary boiler, steam turbine and generator -- will be shipped to the site this summer.

On any given day, more than 150 workers, many from north central Wisconsin, participate in building the facility. By late summer or early fall, the crew will be at its peak, with approximately 275 construction employees. Many local vendors also have assisted, providing various services and materials.

Environmentally beneficial practices are being used in the fuel storage building that will hold processed wood chips for burning in the boiler unit.

The building features a concrete pavement called an EcoPad. The pavement was made with recycled concrete and existing aggregates on site, fly ash and Portland cement. These ingredients were mixed on the ground surface with a special piece of equipment used in pavement recycling called a Pulverizer. The fly ash ingredients were sourced from the Presque Isle Power Plant and make up 50 percent of the cementitious material. EcoPad components in this project feature 92 percent recycled content overall.

The EcoPad's economical, durable and hard surface avoids sand and stone that would get into the fuel from a soil surface. The EcoPad also prevents moisture and mud from getting into the fuel. Recovered sand and stone from the site was recycled and used to avoid importing new materials, and coal combustion products (CCPs) from our power plants helped produce a superior product at a lower cost while avoiding landfill disposal and conserving natural resources. 

The EcoPad is one-third to one-half the price of traditional paving, such as asphaltic concrete or regular flatwork concrete. The EcoPad installs more quickly than conventional paving. Large areas can be installed within two days, helping advance construction schedules.

Further benefits of CCPs at the Rothschild biomass plant include additional concrete work that uses Class C fly ash in the mix design to produce concrete flatwork and a high strength, durable foundation.

Additional information about CCPs

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Biomass is biological material derived from living , or recently living organisms. Biomass heating systems generate heat from biomass. Biomass boilers burn bark, sander dust and other wood-related scrap not usable in product production. Good information. Thanks a lot.
Biomass Heating