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Torrefied biomass test burn reported successful
Feb. 10, 2011, Pittsburg, CA – California utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and power generator GWF Power Systems report a successful test burn of Renewable Fuel Technologies (RFT)’s bio-coal. The bio-coal was produced from woody debris provided by PG&E’s vegetation management team using RFT’s demonstration mobile torrefaction processor. Twelve hundred pounds of bio-coal were co-fired with petcoke during the two-hour test at GWF’s Pittsburg petcoke power plant. The test generated approximately 1 MWh of electricity, which was delivered to PG&E without changes in operations.

KEMA, a global authority on energy consulting, testing, and certification, witnessed the test burn and verified that the power plant stayed within its normal operating range during the test. No power plant modifications were needed.

“It is important that we develop renewable energy solutions that can leverage our existing power generating infrastructure,” says RFT CEO Mark Wechsler. RFT’s patent-pending torrefaction process involves trailer-based mobile torrefaction processors that can convert woody debris at its source.