Wood waste: turning scrap into ca$h.

WOOD WASTE TURNING SCRAP INTO CA$H

With the help of new wood waste processing equipment, wood products manufacturers can increase their profits by controlling their waste disposal costs.

The next time you're near your company's dumpster, take a good look at what's being thrown away. Wood scraps from the cutting room floor can make up a large part of the total waste content, and that can translate into making more expensive hauls to landfills.

Wood waste processing equipment manufacturers are helping companies realize that there is money to be saved or made by removing and processing the wood scrap. Waste can be sold at a profit when it is hogged into animal bedding, compressed into logs or burned as boiler fuel to heat a plant. And removing wood scrap means fewer trips to the dump.

Wood waste has also been a contributing factor to the country's vanishing landfill space problem. With ecological responsibility entering the woodworking industry through government legislation and public pressure, the woodworking industry is carefully monitoring any wood waste regulations that may appear in the future. Equipment manufacturers have responded again by offering high efficiency machines that feature cleaner, quieter and more productive operation.

WOOD & WOOD PRODUCTS presents a review of products that accomplish these various tasks. For additional information on any item, circle the appropriate number on the Reader's Service Card.

Grinding and compacting equipment The Wiema wood scrap grinder available from Woodtech Machinery Inc. is reported to be a low rpm, low hp cutting rotor with indexable knives and a load-compensated hydraulic ram. Twelve models with hopper-style feeding are available with capacities from 500 lbs to 4,000 lbs per hour of wood fiber. 260

Mid-Oregon says the Mini-Hog can hog edgings and trim ends right at their source, eliminating the need for elaborate conveying systems or the expense of dumping boxes. The capacity with the gravity feed chute is 2-in. by 4-in. by 6-in. max size, or 12 in. max length. 261

The new LRW Series low noise, low hp wood waste grinders from Montgomery Industries Int'l. are available in three models; the 20, 40 and 60 LRW. Capable of grinding small blocks to whole pallets, the machines feature fully automatic operation with electrically-controlled hydraulic ram. 262

The Vortex grinder from Northfab Systems Inc. is reported to handle both wet and dry wood scraps and can reduce wood waste to nearly any size chip needed by the user. Using a low noise and low-energy rpm motor, a hydraulic ram advances scrap into the cutter for processing. Cutters are reversible and economically replaced, the company says. 263

Using a patented rotary cutting system, the Rotacrex rotary wood grinder from E.A.C. Engineering USA can turn scrap into a variety of economically viable products. By using the rotary cutting action, the company says the grinder will operate on longer life, is low noise and eliminates fire and explosion hazards. 264

The LogMaker from A. Costa America Inc. can convert ground wood and paper waste into solid, clean burning logs without using wax, petroleum or harmful additives. Logs are formed by compression and heat which bonds the fibers into a solid, dust-free log. 265

Operating with minimum noise, the Cresswood Wood Grinder from Cresswood Industrial Furnaces is reported to quickly grind up large volumes of any type of wood scrap, green or dry. Using low horsepower, the grinder features heavy-duty construction and advanced logic controls for easier operation. 266

The 2852BH horizontal hog from West Salem Machinery Co. can reduce large volumes of whole pallets and pallet scrap into a recyclable product in a single pass, according to the company. With a 50-in. wide horizontal infeed, the hog eliminates inclined infeed conveyors and overhead chutework. Other features include three-way hammer design, built-in magnetic separation and heavy-duty construction. 267

Clarke's Sheet Metal says its Falcon Hog wood waste processor has one moving part; a 6-in.-thick steel shaft and rotor assembly with offset cutter bars. Other features include a heavy-duty case, long piece feeding ability and a 180[degrees] processing surface. 268

Eurohansa Inc. says its Zeno ZTLL grinder reduces any woodscrap to chip size and discharges them by conveyor or extracted pneumatically. Models are available for processing 500 lbs waste per hour up to 80,000 lbs per hour. Added features include industrial cutting tools. 269

Available from Tryco Mfg. Co. Inc., the Untha Model RS-50 grinder/shredder is a four shaft grinder available with two motors up to 30 hp. Processing capacities of 8,000 to 10,000 lbs an hour are possible and cutter widths are available up to 56 in., the company says. 270

Jacobson Inc.'s 24-in. series wood hogs are available in 10-in., 25-in. or 35-in.-wide models. All three widths offer the choice of either top or horizontal feed. The horizontal feed hogs allow the swinging hammers to shear wood rippings and pull them directly into the grinding chamber. This results in a positive pull of material into the hog, eliminating any need for power feed rolls, the company says. 271

The SS-24 shaving mill from Newman Machine Co. Inc. has a production capacity of one to three tons of shavings per hour and can produce shavings from slabs, logs, truss mill scrap, end trim blocks and other materials. 272

Sprout-Bauer manufactures a full line of pellet mills for wood waste applications. The company says it supplies the total system, from the preparation of feedstock to the bulk handling after the pelleting job is done. Pellets can be produced for home pellet-burning stoves or industrial use. Pellet mills also can be custom designed. 273

The HX series hammer hogs from Lamb-Grays Harbor Co. is reported to process from 1/2 to 150 tons of waste material an hour. The company also adds that types of wood waste accepted include all species and sizes of veneer and solid wood. 274

From Schutte Pulverizer, the Model 5635 Hogerizer grinder handles standard 48-in. wide pallets which are placed on a steel bed and fed into the mouth of the unit. There, four rows of steel hammers "hogerize" them. The particles are sucked into a sheet-metal tunnel by a 40- to 50-hp fan. In a hump in the tunnel, Eriez Superbrute magnets attract the nails and other metal objects from the flow. The ground wood continues through the fan blades and into a trailer. 275

Pallmann Pulverizer Co. Inc. offers the Series PZKR of knife ring flakers, which flakes chips, coarse material and pre-chipped veneer waste into flat flakes with predetermined thickness. A special feeding system ensures equal feeding and eliminates fine and foreign matter, the company says, thus reducing wear inside the machine and power consumption. 276

The Model C-32 "no-knife" hog from Williams Patent Crusher & Pulverizer Co. is ruggedly built with no knives to sharpen, the company says. Alloy steel hammers and massive breaker plates fight wear. The welded steel frame has replaceable liners. 277

American Pulverizer hogs are available in ten different models with capacities from 3/4 to 40-hp, the company says. Wood scraps, veneer, chips, bark and shavings can be turned into boiler fuel or raw material for particleboard. 278

The Road Hog from Dresser Industries Inc. is a portable, self-contained shredding plant that can provide on-site hogging, the company says. Features include alloy steel hammers, removable steel liners, diesel engine drive and discharge conveyor on a triple-axle, rubber tire chassis. 279

Richmond Machine Co.'s Eager Beaver wood chippers are reported to be economical, fast, quiet and reliable. Features include fully automated controls, self-contained hydraulic power drive, emergency shutdown and a direct coupled drive. 280

The Capital Knife Veneer Hog from Capital Machine Co. Inc. is reported to use less power than hammer hogs with less noise. Using low cost V-positioned knives that are easily resharpened, the hog works well on both wet and dry veneers. Added features include roller bearings and rugged construction. 281

Wood energy systems

G & S Mill Inc. offers a brochure high-lighting its line of low-emission boilers and boiler retrofits. The company says the boilers use wood fuel to generate hot water or steam for heat or process needs. In compliance with current EPA regulations, the system operates without costly pollution control equipment. 282

Wood-fired boilers from Wood Energy Systems are reportedly a simple and cost-effective way of producing hot water or steam for kilns, pre-dryers, plant heating or cogeneration. Units are available to utilize all types of wood waste, from green bark to dry sander dust, with systems available to convert or retrofit existing boilers. 283

The Bio-Master heat exchanger furnace system from Sukup Mfg. Co. is designed for high-temperature combustion of wood waste. The furnace will accept wood measuring up to 12 in. by 2 in. by 4 in., eliminating the need for grinding wood. The company adds that normal operating temperatures range from 600 to 1400F. 284

Decton Iron Works Inc.'s Model 32 hot air furnace now includes an automatic stoker, the company says. Producing 250,000 Btu/hr, the system can heat up to 5,000 sq ft. The furnace is shipped complete with furnace, circulation blower, feed augers, rotary air lock, 100 cubic ft of fuel storage and control panel. 285

The Model 2004 bin unloader from Flying Dutchman Inc. is a piece of tubing with chains mounted vertically atop a 2-in. shaft of a small wood waste bin, the company says. Features include belt and roller chain drive systems and materials discharge through a slide gate. 286

Industrial Boiler Co. offers the 25,000 lbs/hr Modul-Pak wood fired steam boiler. The boiler can be used to replace natural gas and fuel oil that would conventionally be used to kiln dry lumber. The system includes a flue gas filtering system, which meets EPA requirements. 287

The Tornado UF 150 burner from Econo-Energy Inc. is reported to control burning temperatures from 500 to 1800F, is completely electronically controlled, burns clean and is easy to clean and maintain. Safety features and precise controls prevent operating damage, the company says. 288

The Wood Gun from Eshland Enterprises Inc. is a completely automatic wood waste combustion and fuel handling system for burning sawdust, shavings and similar material. Due to a patented downdraft gasification design, the unit cycles on and off in response to demand, so over-heating is never a problem, the company says. Automatic oil or gas backup is available and models range in size from 100,000 to 3.3 million Btu/hr with either steam or hydronic controls. A heat rejection coil can be supplied for applications requiring incineration throughout the year. 289

PHOTO : Montgomery's LRW Series grinder, Decton's Model 32 hot air furnace, West Salem's 2852BH hog/pallet grinding system, Eurohansa's Zeno ZTLL grinder, Cresswood's wood grinder, Dresser's Road Hog, and EAC's Rotacrex rotary wood grinder.