Page 15 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 2 - Spring 2023
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authorities, in providing assistance to potential wood pellet investors and the biomass electricity industry, enabling them to locate in the state.
“In 2007, there were no pellet mills operating in Georgia,” Dartnell said. “Today there are eight! The vast major- ity of pellets manufactured here are exported to Europe for electrical energy and heat production.”
Georgia Delivers
the Goods
The Port of Savannah is the busiest wood-pellet export port in the world. According to the Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia exported 1.76 million metric tons of wood pellets in 2021, worth $300 mil- lion. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has interrupted energy supplies throughout Europe, potentially increasing demand for wood pellets from the US. Georgia produces an additional 20,000 tons of wood pellets for domestic heating and cooking, valued at $32 million annually.
As the #1 forestry state in the nation, Georgia is uniquely positioned to supply the demand for biomass for wood pellets, electricity and biofuels. The state’s industry seeks to maximize use of the
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4 | PELLETIZATION:
After drying, the wood is pressed through dies at high pressure. This process causes the sawdust to heat up and release natural lignins in the wood that bind the sawdust together.
» The pellets come out of the mill between 200 and 250 degrees and soft.
A cooling tower is used to bring the temperature down and harden the pellets, after which they are ready for shipment.
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