[citation needed] Prices for US pellets surged during the fossil fuel price inflation of 2007–2008, but later dropped markedly and are generally lower on a price per energy amount basis than most fossil fuels, excluding coal. [citation needed]. Wood pellet cat litter works by absorbing the liquid - along with the smell - and then crumble into sawdust. Some wood produces harmful chemicals which can be dangerous for health. Wood Pellets do not contain any glues, additives, chemicals, starch or anything else apart from wood. Occasionally, however, a small amount of maize starch is added. Regulatory agencies in Europe and North America are in the process of tightening the emissions standards for all forms of wood heat, including wood pellets and pellet stoves. [68], In 2019, India started co-firing biomass pellets in coal fired power stations around its capital city Delhi to reduce the air pollution caused by the stubble/biomass burning in open fields to clear the fields for sowing next crop. By sticking with smoking chunks, your food will only be exposed to natural, flavorful wood smoke. Fatal accidents have taken place in private storerooms[36] and onboard marine vessels. The co-firing plants which use pellet sector for energy production are not widespread in the country. Wood pellets are designed to be used in pellet stoves. An environmental impact assessment of exported wood pellets by the Department of Chemical and Mineral Engineering, University of Bologna, Italy and the Clean Energy Research Centre, at the University of British Columbia, published in 2009, concluded that the energy consumed to ship Canadian wood pellets from Vancouver to Stockholm (15,500 km via the Panama Canal), is about 14% of the total energy content of the wood pellets. It suggested the benefits of grass as a feedstock included its short growing time (70 days), and ease of cultivation and processing. [80][81], Wood pellets are also used to absorb contaminated water when drilling oil or gas wells. Check out how to use wood pellets, the newest wood-based fuel source for smoking BBQ, & get that great smoky flavor like the pros! Food-grade pellets, on the other hand, have been made from leftover wood materials. However, while wood pellets over the previous decades have been a very small niche in the BBQ industry, itâs grown considerably. [9][48][49][50] Factors in the uncertainty include the wood source, carbon dioxide emissions from production and transport as well as from final combustion, and what time scale is appropriate for the consideration. In Austria, the leading market for pellet central heating furnaces (relative to its population), it is estimated that 2⁄3 of all new domestic heating furnaces are pellet burners. Another concern here is that the emissions are not detectable except with the use of special equipment. Wood pellets are also far more energy efficient (source) and come in a large range of flavors and aromas. Every wood cannot be used to form the pellets some woods do not give flavour to the meat. The only added ingredient in wood pellets might be a hint of food-grade soybean oil which is sprayed on the dry wood fibers to feed them into the forming die. They are 100% virgin wood and do not contain any additives or chemicals. This makes them suitable to use as a horse bedding. Wood pellets are 100% natural, with no binders, chemicals, or additives. Energy Pellets of America meets all U.S. guidelines set by the PFI. Because Energy Pellets of America only uses pallets not treated with chemicals to make pallets and does not use binders in the pellet making process, our pellets are 100 percent natural and clean burning. Most wood pellets made in the USA are manufactured from clean sawdust and wood chips: waste products from lumber and other wood industries that would wind up rotting in landfills, if not used for heating fuel. [8] Pellets are extremely dense and can be produced with a low moisture content (below 10%) that allows them to be burned with a very high combustion efficiency.