Urban Biomass Utilization
City of Toronto
War On Waste - WOW
Canadian Biochar Initiative
Wood Biomass. Dead trees and hazardous trees in the METRO are cut and made into wood chips by city contractors. These chips are used for ground cover, landscaping, tree planting or composting. Collection of dead leaves are another biomass to deal with. There are hundreds of thousands tons of the tree waste produced every year in GTA alone. My venture is to better utilise these biomass.
Raw Material Bio-Mass Stock Pile. A stock pile of bio-mass materials consist of the municipal wood chips, dead leaves, sawdust from lumber mills and woodworking shops, and organic municipal refuse.
Fine Mulch. The raw materials are grounded into fine particles in less than 3mm using a milling machine . There are three, 1, 2, 3, ways of using this fine mulch.
1.Composting to Organic Fertilizer . Some of the fine mulch will be transported to a composting site. It will be mixed with city organic refuse and deposited in compost bins. The filled compost bins will be undisturbed for one year in thermophilic decomposition at which time the fully decomposed bio-mass will be bagged for distribution for sales and donations as organic fertilizer.
2.Fuel Pellets or Briquettes. Some of the fine mulch will be extruded into pellets or briquettes using a extrusion machine for fuel for cooking foods and heating air or boiling water. This fuel can be used in lieu of oil or natural gas. The bio-fuel thus produced will be packed in bags for distribution for sales or donations.
3. Biochar Mulch Briquettes. Biochar created by pyrolysis of the fine mulch will be the best companion for the compost to rejuvenate or enrich soil for plant growth. Biochar is a way to carbon sinking or sequestration. Biochar can be compressed into briquettes for fuel as well. Energy input to make the mulch biochar will be much less because of the fineness of much particles to pyrolysis in producing the biochar.
Municipal Organic Refuse. This waste can be used for composting and biogas production.
Machineries. Many countries have adopted this practice. Equipments are well developed, and countries that have many companies in wood pellet/briquette manufacturing business reap energy saving through the better waste management. Digestors can be custom built locally to produce biogas.
Pilot Project. A small pilot project will be initiated within the budget of $50,000. This project is to evaluate viability of the venture in cost/benefit analysis from actual model. The Pilot Project can be started in short time once city approves the project and fund stands in the wing.
Public Educational Ground. The plant, when built in full scale, will be open to public to learn about this environmental project. How tree wastes as well as organic waste refuse are being processed into a valuable products and shows how they are used at home or in the garden. The touring the facility would enhance the awareness of environmental issues and what can be done about it. It will be a public educational laboratory. It also provide venue for research and social activities in advancing environmental challenges
Website. A well-intentioned business website will be developed to inform public, business and academia to promote activities surrounding the facility and its operation.
10 million litres of oil may be replaced with this project by turning waste into fuel and organic fertilizer.
This proposal suggests better utilization of waste that comes from city's biomass by recycling. 3R, recycle reduce reuse, is a vital part in the global effort in challenging climate change. This proposal presents an opportunity to show a waste can be valued as resources.
City of Toronto
War On Waste - WOW
Investors A, B, C
This is how $50,000.00 may be used for the pilot project:
The compost thus created will be sold at retail outlets as organic fertiliser. Pellets and briquettes thus created will be sold at retail outlets as fuel. We have to rent a warehouse and retrofit the building to this venture. Nothing will be new. Required equipments that can be found in the industry will be purchased and installed in the building. A new vertical fine mulching machine will be set up that will spew out finely ground wood mulch. Some of it will be saved for composting and some of it will be transported to an extrusion machine that spits out pellets or briquettes. Some of it will be made into biochar and charcoal briquettes. Finished products will be bagged into retail packages for sales at appropriate retail outlets like super markets, garden centres, building material retailers, etc.
We may use city's composting lots to build composting bins where the fine wood mulch will be mixed with city's collected organic refuse and fill the compost bins. The filled compost bins may sit there for a year when it is ready to package in bags for retail sales as organic fertilizer.
Buy sample pellets, briquettes and biochar on the market. Test them in real situation. Buy a complete line of equipment like a fine mulching machine, pellet and briquette extrusion machine, charcoal burner, bagging machine, rent a warehouse where a complete line of equipment will be set up. Shop around to buy the required equipment in good second-hand at reasonable prices that are available in the industry. Train the operating workforce. Design the bag for retail sales as store brands or City brand as a test base. Build a pricing structure with actual cost parameter and set a wholesale price. I can direct the whole pilot project within the budget of $50,000.00. Within this fund two 10 cubic meter compost bins will be filled with the fine wood mulch and city organic refuse.
This initial pilot project will indicate cost/benefit scenario of the venture. The investment in the pilot project will help measure viability of the commercial phase. Final report can be completed in 14 months.
Comments
More Details and statistics
It may be a new idea for Toronto Urban Forest, but some countries have been doing this kind of business for decades. Processing equipments are well developed, and available on the market. There are extra energy input in the process. Energy costs will be built into the pricing. It will comparatively small and products from the chips can compete with conventional products on the markets.
Initial investment will be small, and operation can be scaled up as more experience in the operation becomes accumulated. Google "pellets wood fuel" in Google YouTube or Images. You will see tone of info.
More Details and statistics
It may be a new idea for Toronto Urban Forest, but some countries have been doing this kind of business for decades. Processing equipments are well developed, and available on the market. There are extra energy input in the process. Energy costs will be built into the pricing. It will comparatively small and products from the chips can compete with conventional products on the markets.
Initial investment will be small, and operation can be scaled up as more experience in the operation becomes accumulated. Google "pellets wood fuel" in Google YouTube or Images. You will see tone of info.
Waste to Energy
Energy can be derived from urban woody biomass via gasification and other methods. Your venture to extract greater value from an underutilized resource is commendable however your proposal is clearly at the idea stage.
Examples & cost/benefit would help.
Waste to Energy
I did research on the technology and business side. It may be new idea but other countries in South Americas has been doing this practice for decades. It is an ideal venture for urban forests like Toronto.
When fund for business plan made available, cost/benefit will be known. It make so much sense in this kind of venture; it' worth for some angel investers to seriously consider putting shoe-ins.
Waste to Energy
I did research on the technology and business side. It may be new idea but other countries in South Americas has been doing this practice for decades. It is an ideal venture for urban forests like Toronto.
When fund for business plan made available, cost/benefit will be known. It make so much sense in this kind of venture; it' worth for some angel investers to seriously consider putting shoe-ins.
City is investigating
Hello Harry -
I think you have an interesting idea here, but my understanding is that the City of Toronto is already investigating the potential for use of urban wood waste and whether it's a good idea or not (from economic, social and environmental standpoints). Is there someone specific at the City that you're working with?
City is investigating
$50,000 may be enough to do a small pilot project from fine mulching to compost to pellets/briquettes to retail package. Duration of the trial would be one year. This investment would assess its viability. If the pilot project turn out to be positive and when it expands to full scale, its impact and benefits would be worthwhile for other urban forest to emulate the example.
If the City has interest in the idea and decides to try, the contestant can certainly collaborate with the City. The City would have an opportunity to contract it out to capable business with investors.
What I will do if I win $50,000.00?
Buy sample pellets and briquettes on the market. Test them in real situation. Buy a complete line of equipment like a fine mulching machine, pellet and briquette extrusion machine, bagging machine, rent a warehouse where a complete line of equipment will be set up. Shop around to buy the required equipment in good second-hand at reasonable prices that are available in the industry. Train the operating workforce. Design the bag for retail sales as store brands or City brand as a test base. Build a pricing structure with actual cost parameter and set a whole sale price. I can direct the whole pilot project within the budget $50,000.00. Within this fund two 10 cubic meter compost bins will be filled with the fine wood mulch and city organic refuse.
War On Waste
With this proposal, the City has a new business that will generate some revenue and make urban gardeners happy by offering them organic fertilizer from city's tree waste. The City can set an example and showcase its operation to other cities and consult them to set up their own operation.
City of Toronto is an ideal city in implementing this idea. Toronto has one of the best urban forest and produces plenty of wooden waste from leaves to tree trunks. Pellets and briquettes are excellent fuel for heating home with wood-burning fireplace, even for cooking as well. Piza restaurants can use the briquettes to bake their piza. Fine mulches that come in the process is the best material in making good organic fertilizer. The best way to go about it is to do a pilot project to produce an exact cost/benefit data. I have a gut feeling that it will make a good business sense as well.
Strengths and Weaknesses
It is the fact that wood waste has been turned into convenient fuel form many decades ago in the developing coutries around the world. But business as well as public are not aware of this fact.
The whole operation from cutting unfit trees and dead trees in the City to the finished products and in between can be toured for education for public, students and businesses. People will visit the processing plant to witness how the waste is turned into different forms - fine mulch, pellets, briquettes and fertilizer. Visitors can take samples of these end products to home.
Needs visual presentation
Sounds great but needs to show some videos and picture to convince the reviewers.
Presentation is weak. Be more specific. Include pictures and videos.
Potential Diversion from Current Uses
Some of the tree waste could potentially be used for this project, whose basic premises are valid and useful. However, the City of Toronto already provides mulch as in-kind donations to non-profit groups doing tree planting in and around the city. These groups rely on mulch donations to offset their operating costs since budgets are often ridiculously tight. Hence, some of the waste has already been turned to resource.
Potential Diversion
Yes, Toronto Urban forest is a great resources for landscapers and urban tree planters, not to mention clean the air and lend the beauty to urgan landscape. Fine mulching provide greater use of the resourceful waste.
Combination of city organic refuse and this tree mulch makes best organic fertilizer. And the same mulch can be made into fuel for boiling water to heat downtownbuildings and also for domestic cooking. We have to treat waste as resources with new creative and critical thinking.
Good thing in this project is the fact that Toronto makes a sensible decision to go about it and establish a good example that other cities can emulate.
Kelven Goodridge and Biochar
I met Kelven on the street car to SCI the other day. He offered me his seat and we striked a brief conversation. He said I should look into Biochar. He emailed me with a link. It is so good I decided to use it.
Thank you, Kelven.
Biochar is a charred biomass that can enhance soil fertility by holding moisture and nutrients. It is a perfect companion for fine mulch in my "Urban Forest Tree Waste Utilization". Now the fine tree mulch can be turned to char. This char can be used for another form of fuel as well as soil enhancer mixed with the compost fertilizer produced from city organic refuse and the mulch. So now the fine mulch has triple usage. Thank you, Kelven.
Harry
Financial Strategy: Bootstrapping and your Lead Customers
Please read below.
I’m excited to see so many entrepreneurial proposals on ClimateSpark. I especially like the model of social ventures that can sustain themselves by creating their own revenue and be less dependent on grants or gifts.
In my own experience starting and building several companies, I’ve often employed “bootstrapping” techniques so I’m not dependent on external capital (VCs, etc.). One technique I’ve used successfully is to recruit one or more “lead customers” who pay me up-front for a service (e.g., consulting or something they need right away), which gives me the capital to build my product or capability for them. The big advantages: cash up-front (or early); a real customer to help make sure my design is something they’ll want to buy; and a great partner to test ideas with as I’m getting off the ground.
What’s your bootstrapping strategy? Have you tried to develop “lead customers” for your product or service? Have you talked to potential customers ? What are you doing to get cashflow from them early, so your idea can gain traction?
Financial Strategy
Thank you, Deepak. Your question may be what all it comes down to. Careful planning may required, but best way is to try testing the idea in real life situation.
A pilot project will be carries out, when selected. That is a mandate. A small scale testing production system will be built to evaluate and derive cost/benefit scenario. The end products are sold at retail outlets throughout the industry, supermarkets, lumber yard, home improvement stores and so on. Thre urban tree waste has many uses but there are ways to expand the usage to a greater range. Social, educational and environmental benefits are greater than the economic benefits.
Clearly expressing your business value – Mock Press Release
Each proposal in ClimateSpark is bringing a valuable community based idea forward to help with energy conservation and the reduction of carbon emissions
Centennial College, School of Communications Media & Design, Corporate Communications and Public Relations Class of 2012 will be working on a set of mock press releases, in anticipation of this proposal being one of the 20 to be selected on October 31 to continue to ClimateSpark Ignite Phase 2.
If you would like to be interviewed as part of the mock press release development process, please send a note to Professor Barry Waite, [email protected] by Friday October 21, 2011.
If you choose not to be interviewed, the mock press release will be developed based on Information currently posted in the description of your idea, as well as information gleaned from the various comment interactions.
Uncharted New Green Business
It is a great idea! But hardly anybody knows about the idea. Is this just an idea? Why do you think it can be done?
It may be new idea in Canada, but other part of the world except Noth America it is well established business practice - an excellent sustainable environmental project. You can find biomass briquettes in Dominican Republic and many countries in South America. Biochar sounds unfamiliar, but it has been known for centuries and it makes great sense in this day and age of green movement. Biochar is the best soil enhancer and it perpetuates soil fertility for good agricultural crops year after year. If you use organic fertilizer from municipal biomass waste like tree wood chips and organic refuse from kitchen, your soil get enriched so much so that you don't need chemical fertilizers and hardly any pesticides or fungicides. Plants bet a natural defence system built up from soil supported by organic fertilizer. This is the right time business can move on to this area.
Needs more details
Having many entrepreneurs exploring eco-friendly energy generation initiatives, whether on a small or large scale, are good signs of what is achievable in the nearest future. This proposal (Urban Biomass Utilization) in particular, I believe, has great potential. The initiator may want to take a stronger business strategy approach to prop up this venture. I will be interested to have information on your market research findings for this venture.
Thank you, Yemi, for your comment
If I get selected, I will use the money ($1000?) to write up business plan and market research. I can present a strong case. I need numbers: how many tons of organic fertilizer for farmers, how many tons of biomass pellets and briquettes for fuel, how many tons of biochar for soil fertility, what would be retail value of all of these new products, what it would save carbon emission . . . and so on. Numbers will be very encouraging, I can imagine. It will be a fine project that investors may be interested in. Besides, the venture will create good employment and good environment.
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More Detail and statistics
Hey, this seems like a good idea, but it seems it is only in its infancy stage? There needs to be more clear parameters here as to how this will all take place and who/where the processing will take place. Will more energy be used to turn this mulch into other products?
A More detailed pitch of your idea!