As the federal government considers ways to mitigate climate change, it’s become apparent that energy policies will be enacted at some point to restrict fossil fuel consumption. Modern grain drying technology is particularly energy-intensive. Farmers will undoubtedly feel the impact.

One Canadian machinery company based in Manitoba is betting its business on burning biomass as a long-term solution. Conventional grain dryers burn either natural gas or propane as fuel. Triple Green Products’ BioDryAir system burns just about anything that’s combustible, producing a much drier air that’s more efficient overall, according to Cody Kimmel, a sales manager and product specialist for the brand.

“Propane is about 56% water,” he says. All that moisture must be turned into steam, requiring additional Btu. “On average, biomass is about 15% or less water.”

Heating with biomass

Connecting to existing grain dryers, the BioDryAir heating system comes in Btu sizes from 3 million to 20 million. Triple Green Products manufacturers clean-energy systems for heating, composting, dehydrating and managing waste. It isn’t the first business to try to break into the agricultural grain dryer marketplace with a biomass grain drying unit. They have been around for a while but haven’t yet caught U.S. farmers’ attention.

Technologically, Triple Green Products’ grain dryer heating unit works like a boiler that heats buildings, Kimmel says. The heating unit is fed crop residue and other biomass by a hopper and auger system. Then, an air duct directs the heat to the existing dryer. The BioDryAir system was originally designed to meet the needs of mining operations. Triple Green Products’ boilers heat two hospitals in Quebec, one in Nova Scotia, and “full communities in Manitoba,” according to Kimmel.

With the possibility of more fossil fuel regulations and rising energy costs, Kimmel says he’s noticed an uptick in interest from both Canadian and U.S. growers. Twelve of the brand’s biomass heating units have already been installed in Canada.

“It’s starting to catch on as the carbon tax rises in Canada,” Kimmel says.

Regulation isn’t the only thing that’s sparking interest. Kimmel notes energy savings, too. He says one customer cut grain drying energy costs from $130,000 annually to $8,000 by burning biomass. Another farmer invested $600,000 in a biomass system and expects to see a return on their investment in 1.5 years. That’s an anomaly. On average, Kimmel says growers can expect to make back their money in about a decade.

The savings would come from the system’s ability to burn farm waste as fuel, including crop residue, such as corn stover, and animal byproducts, such as chicken pellets, which need to be at least 30% dry. Fuel must be ground down to 4 inches or less. The technology is patented and passes current California standards.

“We can dry in the middle of a Canadian winter,” Kimmel says — without slowing down at all.

Kimmel says engineers are working on a system that can burn whole hay bales. In about five years, he expects to see a biomass heating unit that can dry grain and provide heat for farm buildings. For now, though, “We’re still, in most cases, proof of concept.”