WHAT'S NEW IN BIOMASS PANEL - 2 OPL CREDITS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010

2PM - WHEELER PAVILION (MEETING AREA)

RANDY HILL

ADVANCED TRAILER

In the mid 1990s, Randy Hill discovered that the trailers that he rented and sold could be used to remove moisture from peanuts. His converted semi trailer soon became a revolutionary vehicle that transports, dries and stores various agriculture crops across the nation. Now he has his sights on using his patent-pending technology to do the same for biomass.

Two years ago, Randy's company, Advanced Trailer, began exploring the possibilities of using its drying trailer to remove moisture from woody mass by providing an Advanced Trailer to the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center in Savannah, Georgia. Randy knew he needed an application to show the power of the Advanced Trailer for Biomass. In December 2008, Advanced Trailer met with representatives at the University of Idaho's steam boiler plant located in the heart of the university's campus. After touring the facility and seeing the similarities in handling wood chips compared to peanuts, Randy made plans to provide equipment to the school's steam plant. In late January 2009, a trailer and dryer were transported from Advanced Trailer's plant in Vienna, Georgia, 2600 miles to Moscow, Idaho. The initial results from the application are exceeding all expectations.

Since then, Randy and his company have provided grants to Iowa State University, North Carolina State University and Integro Earthfuels.

In his presentation, Randy will explain how the Advanced Trailer for Biomass works, and why it is a perfect fit for biomass producers.

 Randy Hill is a Texas entrepreneur and inventor who grew up in Garland and received his undergraduate degree from Abilene Christian University in 1990.  Five years later, he launched his first company with Advanced Trailer Leasing and Sales LTD.  As one of the early pioneers in the semi-trailer and cargo container rental and sales business in Dallas, his company soon became one of the largest in the Southwest.

When Hill realized that the semi-trailers he sold could be used to dry peanuts, he began developing specialty modifications for existing used trailers. Soon, his company was not only a leader in the industry, but developing new industries.

In 2002, Randy sold the Irving-based rental fleet but retained the company name and sales business. In 2003, he transformed his trailer companies into APT AdvancedTrailer and Equipment LP, which he continues leading today as President and CEO. In April 2004, Randy officially expanded his operations by opening a peanut trailer manufacturing plant in Vienna, Georgia. The move was designed to capitalize on the vast opportunity in the South Eastern United States where 85% of the nation's peanut crop is grown. GE has said "What Hill has done is nothing less than revolutionizes an entire industry."

Today, Advanced Trailer has over 3,000 drying trailers in service in all ten U.S. peanut- producing states. They are also used to dry almonds in California and seed in Kansas.  In 2007 APT began to explore the possibilities of using their patent-pending drying trailers to remove moisture from woody biomass products.

In April 2009, Randy announced that APT would provide equipment and funding for a research grant to the University of Idaho. The grant is being used to implement the use of Advanced Trailers at the college's biomass steam boiler plant at their campus in Moscow, Idaho.  In October, another APT grant award was announced to Iowa State University to use the trailers to dry multiple potential agricultural biomass products including energy grasses, soybeans and corn stover. Integro Earth Fuels has also been provided an Advanced Drying Trailer to be used to remove moisture from woody biomass at its pilot torrefaction plant in Grambling, SC.   

Hill also is a rancher and developer.  His real estate holdings include commercial, residential, and ranch holdings across the Southwest, including Brewster, Callahan, Fisher, Llano Hudspeth, Pecos, Jones, Tarrant and Taylor counties in Texas. Over the past four years, he has begun an effort to concentrate his interest in historical ranch preservation. And he has been recognized by the National Republican Congressional Committee as the recipient of their two most prestigious awards, Republican of the Year and The National Leadership Award. Hill has been featured in the Dallas Business Journal, Peanut Patriot, Abilene Reporter News, Southeastern Farm Press, Biomass magazine, Ethanol Producer magazine and Spokane Business Journal.

Randy Hill currently lives in Baird, Texas with his wife and three daughters.

TIM WEST, PRODUCT APPLICATION CONSULTANT

JOHN DEERE CONSTRUCTION & FORESTRY

"WOODY BIOMASS OPPORTUNITIES"

The presentation will focus on current woody biomass opportunities, market drivers, transportation challenges, and feedstock values relative to moisture content.  There will also be a brief overview of John Deere's newest trailer mounted bundling technology.

Tim started with John Deere / Timberjack in 2003, primarily demoning the 1490D slashbundler all over North America from coast to coast and north to south.  In 2006, Tim and his family moved to Moline, where he worked at the John Deere Training Center in Davenport, Iowa as a Forestry Training ins tructor and developer.  Tim now resides back in Bonners Ferry, Idaho and his duties as a Product Application Consultant,  includes working with the dealers and customers to determine their needs, conducting training, demoing machines and start up and delivery of new machines.

Tim has 30+ years in the timber industry.  Prior to working with John Deere, Tim was a logging contractor with conventional and CTL systems of excavators in forestry and fire fighting applications.

DICK BENSON, NW REGIONAL MANAGER, FECON 

"FORWARDER / CHIPPER"

Fecon will present logistical solutions for lower cost harvesting of woody biomass by sizing and collecting material in the woods using the new RTC-22 Chipper-Forwarder and the Fecon Pick-Up Mulcher attachment.  Equipment will also be on display for attendees to see first-hand.

Dick is the NW Regional Manager for Fecon covering the North West US States including Alaska & Hawaii. Dick has been helping Customers and Dealers in the North West for the past several years with their Land Clearing, Right Away and Fuels Reduction Equipment needs. Dick has several years of hands on experience with the Fecon Products. With the new push toward Renewable Energy, Fecon has developed new Bio Mass Harvesting Equipment, which Dick will also be marketing in the North West US for Fecon.

DAVE WELLMAN, REGIONAL SALES MANAGER WESTERN NORTH AMERICA

KOMATSU AMERICA CORP.

"HANDLING BIOMASS IN SWEDEN"

Dave Wellman's presentation will show the latest technology in harvesting, forwarding, mobile chipping and chip transportation by truck to regional biomass heating plants.  This PowerPoint presentation will feature photos taken during a Woods Tour in Sweden of 2009.

Dave was born in Southern Ontario, Canada. He attended the University of Western Ontario in London and lived in Woodstock where he worked for Timberjack Corporation.
In 1989 he became Timberjack District Sales Manager for the West and moved to Maple Valley, Wash. in 1993. Dave worked for John Deere as Forestry Operations Manager covering Western North America from 2000 until Jan. 2004. In Feb. 2004 thru March 2005, he worked as a Forestry Consultant for Government and Private Industry. Dave joined Komatsu Forest in April 2005 where he currently holds the position of Regional Sales Manager for Western North America.

WAYNE WINKLER

BRIQUETTING SYSTEMS INC.

"FUEL PUCKS, A COST COMPETITIVE ALTERNATIVE T PELLETS FOR INDUSTRIAL & CONSUMER HEATING & ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION"

Briquetting Systems offers briquetters to make industrial fuel pucks and consumer fuel products. They are available from capacities as low as 500 pounds per hour where the plants can be localized to the markets to a half million ton per year plants due to their modular systems.

They are available in mobile design in 20 foot ship containers, see picture here, in plant design as well as press systems positioned inside large 2 story steel fuel silos which have 400 cubic yard storage capacity or inhouse versions.

The cost of operation and capital for fuel puck mfg is substantially less than pellets. Fuel pucks can be used in all applications that pellets are used for and have similar heating values and bulk densities. They will max out a truck or train car. Most fibers incl wood, agri and paper feedstocks can be briquetted.

Mulitiple systems are available for processing green slash and small diameter logs taking advantage of portability where the equipment can be taken to the source of the fiber thus maximizing logistics and transport costs.

Fuel pucks can be used for heating greenhouses, institutional heating as well as cofiring electric generation plants. Briquetters have been used for processing torrefied fiber which is  a new development. Torrefied fiber is waterproof and has higher heat values. See picture attached. Also fuel pucks are available in quartered fashion which is the size of cubes but denser. In this way fuel pucks can be fed through all types of feeding and transport systems similar to those used for pellets.  Fuel Puck and Firelog brochure