| While a fireplace is often set into the framework of | | | | wood pellets. |
| the house and is closed off in a way that allows you | | | | Further innovations have led to the question of what |
| to see the flames and experience their heat, stoves | | | | else we can burn for heat and even for an attractive |
| offer a very different image. The stove image that | | | | fire. The biomass stoves became a way to replace |
| comes to mind is of an enclosed and usually a raised | | | | fireplaces with a more energy efficient and therefore |
| metal structure that is often mostly closed off. | | | | more environmentally healthy alternative. Even better, |
| Stoves, like our kitchen stove, can be cooked on, | | | | you may not even need to use an extensive |
| and even a stove that is solely responsible for | | | | ventilation system (like a chimney) to use a biomass |
| heating does not usually offer much in the way of | | | | stove; a small vent through the wall and up may do |
| attractiveness, although it might be more efficient | | | | just fine. |
| than a fireplace. | | | | Biomass stoves are now designed to burn with fuels |
| The problem with stoves is that they burn their fuel, | | | | other than wood pellets. Stoves have been |
| which is released into the environment, and that this | | | | specifically designed to burn fuel like corn pellets, and |
| fuel burning can deplete some of our natural | | | | even waste that would otherwise be wasted like |
| resources. While wood is technically a renewable | | | | cherry or olive pits. These units require a calibration, |
| resource, it is not the only fuel for a stove. Some | | | | which is usually done for you and can be selected |
| stoves run on natural gas, and others run on coal, | | | | with a simple button, and they are ready to burn |
| neither of which is immediately renewable. Since | | | | your bio fuel of choice. |
| these are not the best environmental choices, people | | | | How Biomass Stoves Work |
| interested in creating a healthy alternative worked to | | | | If you simply drop a handful of wood pellets into a |
| develop a better stove. | | | | biomass stove and try to light it, you will find that it |
| The better stove that was developed is the biomass | | | | doesn’t work. Your biomass stove is designed to |
| stove. These stoves run on natural and highly | | | | make special use of energy to blow air through the |
| renewable fuel rather than making use of and | | | | fire pit in a way that allows the fuel to reach |
| depleting less renewable resources. While the biomass | | | | temperatures hot enough to burn. The user fills a |
| stoves still emit carbon because of the fuel that they | | | | special hopper, which feeds the pellets or pits to the |
| are burning, they are at least not burning some of | | | | fire at a regular interval. |
| the resources that we have come to understand are | | | | The biomass stove, once lit, provides a great deal of |
| limited in our world. | | | | heat to a home, allowing you to achieve much more |
| The first patent for biomass stoves appeared around | | | | comfortable warmth with much less fuel, making |
| 20 years ago, and these stoves were designed to be | | | | biomass stoves a more fuel efficient alternative to |
| supplied with wood pellets. Although technically any | | | | other heating features in your home. The fuel is |
| stove that burns wood is a biomass stove because it | | | | highly efficient, which means that the use of the |
| burns wood, a biomass fuel, the term “biomass | | | | biomass stove lets you save a great deal of money |
| stove” is usually reserved in modern times for | | | | that would otherwise be wasted on firewood, gas, |
| the stoves that have been designed to burn wood | | | | coal, or other energy sources. |
| pellets or other fuel pellets. | | | | Also, because the biomass stoves are beginning to |
| Other Fuel Pellets | | | | be able to run on even more energy efficient fuels, |
| Wood pellets are no longer the only biomass that can | | | | like highly renewable corn pellets, they are becoming |
| be burned in biomass stoves. Because of the lack of | | | | even more positive in their impact on the |
| alternative fuel sources, scientists began to | | | | environment. They save us money that we would |
| experiment with what they already knew. It was | | | | otherwise spend on fuel, produce better heat, and |
| realized that wood burning stoves could burn hotter | | | | put off less pollution than a traditional stove or |
| and more efficiently with a special system that | | | | fireplace does, and still provide us with good looks |
| allowed them to burn the super-dense compressed | | | | and a great source of heat. |