Premium fuel production from coal and timber waste

There is a significant amount of energy in the waste generated by the coal and timber industries. In the coal industry there is an energy loss mainly due to the discharge of fine coal to the waste impoundment. Despite the fact that the fine coal has the greatest cleaning potential, dewatering, handling and transportation concerns prevent its use as product in many cases. Likewise, sawdust generated from wood production has energy value but is only used as industrial boiler fuel when the transportation distance is relatively short. Wood waste is often discarded into cumbersome landfills due to uneconomical transportation alternatives. Recent research found that these two waste materials can be combined to provide a high-energy fuel, containing around 30.2 MJ/kg (13,000 Btu/lb), that can be easily handled and transported to end users.