I read about a small town in Missouri that is using paper pellets in lieu of coal in their boiler (steam turbine for power). Ironically, the EPA shut them down citing their permit for a coal-fired boiler doesn't permit the use of paper. That would involve a waste incineration. Sheesh!
So, they "supplement" the coal with about 35% waste paper. Burns great. I will be going through the area later this month and hope to stop by to learn more.
The University of Minnesota at Morris (where they use GEK's in their Biomass Gasification course) has a grant to study onsite densification of paper for power generation. They are looking at large stores like Wally World, K-Mart and Target. Rather than ship out the waste paper for recycling, why not use it on site to feed a gasifier which powers a generator to supplement the store's power needs?
I will be in Minnesota on the same trip and plan on stopping by Morris to see how they're doing in their gasification research.
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