



The BFN/WPAC research project is a four year project (2019-2023) funded by the federal government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The BBRG is collaborating with the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) and BioFuelNet Canada (BFN) in this project.

Wood pellet plants produce syngas – a highly explosive mix of carbon monoxide, methane, hydrogen and other volatiles – during various stages of the pellet manufacturing process. This combustible gas is produced whenever biomass is subjected to high temperatures in a low-oxygen environment.
As a result of several recent syngas explosions, the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC)’s Safety Committee decided to produce an educational video to help operators minimize the risks associated with syngas.










In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
Canada’s pellet industry gained a champion when Shahab Sokhansanj, Ph.D., created the Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group (BBRG) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2003. The world-class research group has partnered with the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) since 2006, and is currently collaborating with WPAC and BioFuelNet Canada (BFN) in a four-year research project (2019-2023) funded by Agriculture and Agri Food Canada’s AgriScience Program under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
When most people hear the words “flax straw,” they don’t think about biofuel. But a new start-up based in Regina, Sask., called Prairie Clean Energy wants to change that.
The company, which was founded in March 2020, has developed a process for turning flax straw, which is often burned or trashed, into biofuel. But where did the idea for this project come from?
The founder and chief relationships officer of Prairie Clean Energy, Trevor Thomas, saw an opportunity in the environmental space, says Mark Cooper, president and CEO of the company.

In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
The Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group (BBRG) at the University of British Columbia is seeking information from pellet mill manufacturers and farmers on the small-scale pellet units with the capacity of less than one tonne per hour (1000 kg/hr). The wide spread of crop fields and the high capital cost of farm equipment has made the mobilization of farm equipment among crop fields a common practice. BBRG intends to develop a mobile pellet system that can fit into the current business models of custom operators in Canada.

In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
The Canadian Society for Bioengineering/La Société Canadienne de Génie Agroalimentaire et de Bioingénierie (CSBE-SCGAB) council has awarded Dr.Fahimeh Yazdan Panah, the research and technical development director for the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC), the 2020 Glen Downing Award.

In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
With financial support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriScience Program, a team of researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) aims to produce durable and homogeneous pellets with consistent quality from under-utilized and low-quality biomass resources in Canada. As a member of BioFuelNet Canada (BFN), the UBC Biomass & Bioenergy Research Group (BBRG) is leading this project in collaboration with the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) and BFN.

Biomass feedstock drying is a key operation for producing durable and storage stable pellets. The operation reduces the average moisture content from about 50 per cent (wet mass basis) to five – seven per cent. The rotary drum dryer is the most common type of dryer used for this task.
Biomass feedstock drying is a key operation for producing durable and storage stable pellets. The operation reduces the average moisture content from about 50 per cent (wet mass basis) to five – seven per cent. The rotary drum dryer is the most common type of dryer used for this task.
Biomass feedstock drying is a key operation for producing durable and storage stable pellets. The operation reduces the average moisture content from about 50 per cent (wet mass basis) to five – seven per cent. The rotary drum dryer is the most common type of dryer used for this task.

In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
As WPAC’s executive director, I prepare a business plan and budget each year for approval by our board of directors and membership during our AGM. The business plan guides our direction for the ensuing year.

In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
ISO TC 238 convened its 11th annual meeting in Seoul, South Korea where Canada was represented by two delegates including the Wood Pellet Association of Canada’s (WPAC) research and technical development director, Dr. Fahimeh Yazdan Panah, and Dr. Maurice Douek with FPInnovations. The ongoing efforts by Canada on this technical committee are being sponsored by WPAC, FPInnovations and Standards Council of Canada.

In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
It’s been a year filled with development and market growth, as speakers emphasized at the 2018 Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) conference, but Canada has only scratched the surface of reaching Asian markets with Canadian wood pellets.

In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.

In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
When handled properly, wood pellet fuel is safe and benign. Wood pellets are made by drying and compressing pure wood particles. Naturally occurring lignin softens during pelletizing and then hardens during the cooling process to bind wood particles together as pellets. It is hard to imagine how such a pure product could be dangerous.

In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In its Climate Leadership Plan, the Government of Alberta will phase out coal power by 2030, replacing one-third with natural gas and two-thirds with renewables. Alberta also said that it intends to ensure that capital is not unnecessarily stranded.

In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
In November 2015, the government of Alberta released its ambitious Climate Leadership Plan. This plan aims to accelerate the transition from coal to renewable electricity sources, put a price on carbon emissions and set emissions limits for oil sands operations.
The presentations given at the Biomass Pelletization and Torrefaction Workshop, hosted by the University of British Columbia’s Biomass & Bioenergy Research Group (BBRG), are now available online.















