|  | Public Health Safety | Environmental Health

Wood Pellet Uses

Wood pellets come from sawdust and wood chips, for a fuel in pellet stoves. More than 610,000 tons of wood pellets are produced in North America each year, according to the Encyclopedia of Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living (ERESL) website.

  1. Characteristics

    • Wood pellets are dense, with a low moisture content. Premium-grade pellets have less than 1 percent ash content, while standard-grade pellets have no more than 3 percent ash content, reports the ERESL.

    Uses

    • Wood pellets burn in pellet stoves and pellet furnaces, to heat homes.

    Advantages

    • Wood pellets produce fewer emissions than other heating fuels, the ERESL reports, while generating more heat and burning more efficiently than other heating fuels.

    Disadvantages

    • When burned, wood pellets produce ash, which must be removed from the stove or furnace and the vents.

    Consideration

    • Wood pellets are carbon neutral, according to the ERESL, as trees eventually absorb carbon dioxide released during combustion. An increased demand for wood pellets could lead to increased deforestation.

Environmental Health - Related Articles