Manufacturing

With its future at stake, New Zealand Foam Latex needed an economically viable and environmentally friendly fuel to produce steam needed to manufacture their products - all made from foam.
Coal was cheap, from $6.10/GJ. But emissions and the costs of mitigating them ruled it out. Diesel and LPG would cost over $30/GJ.
Wood was cost-effective and clean-burning. A variety of sources helped assure reliable supply - forestry hoggings, timberyard residues, left-over pallets and demolition, even dunnage reclaimed from shipping.

Waste was one of the first considerations for Southern Pine Products when it started manufacturing MDF (medium density fibreboard) products.
The company opted to install a briquette press, which turns MDF dust into combustible briquettes for boiler fuel.
Moffatts Flower Company, a greenhouse complex only 5 km from Southern Pine, now buys all the briquettes the company produces.
The saving in Southern Pine's waste disposal costs is projected to be $180,000 a year and annual revenue from briquettes is projected to be around $25,000. 

This study assesses the suitability of various-sized wood-fired boilers for providing some or all of the Brewery's process steam needs.

It also assesses the possibility of using an absorption chiller to provide some or all of the sites cooling requirements using wood energy. Three boiler scenarios are considered. The two most attractive scenarios are described in detail, both delivering an IRR of 7 - 8%.

This study looks at the feasibility of replacing light fuel oil boilers with wood fuel boilers at ENZAFOODS site in Nelson.  It found that the due to the variable steam demand at the site and the high cost of wood fired boilers per kilowatt, the most cost effective approach to steam supply at the Nelson site would involve utilising a relatively small woodfired boiler as a "Base Load" boiler.

Nelson based Nutrizeal Ltd have investigated options to replace their LPG hot water boiler with a biomass boiler.  Three different options are considered with simple paybacks ranging from 0.7 years to 2.4 years.

East Harbour Energy was commissioned by Fonterra to carry out an assessment of the feasibility of converting the energy supply at their Tuamarina, Kaikoura, and Culverden milk processing plants from diesel or LFO to wood fuel.

This report investigates the site requirements, the regional wood fuel supply, suitable boiler plant, consenting issues, risks, benefits, and provides a financial assessment of conversion.

Energy for Industry engaged Aurecon to complete capital cost and operating cost estimates for a biomass boiler at Fonterra's Kauri dairy factory in Northland.

This report investigates the option of co-generation, outlines the work required, and gives capital and operating cost estimates.

This is part one of a two-phase report about bio-oil technologies and the manufacture of the product in New Zealand.

The report is aimed at investors; forest and mill owners who have access to quantities of remote forest and mill residue and may consider bio-oil production as a technically and economically viable business option.

A thermal energy audit of South Island MDF producer Dongwha Patinna identified seven energy management opportunities, and a buyer for excess fuel produced onsite - which together could be worth up to $288,000 a year.