Alternate Fuels in Coal Stoker Boilers

vermontday · Post by **vermontday** » Wed. Oct. 22, 2008 9:02 pm

Anyone know if any other solid fuels other than coal can be burned in an EFM 520 or Keystoker boilers? Examples would be pellets, corn or ecocleancoal (a compressed wood charcoal product).

I like coal heat and am planning on buying a coal boiler to run on coal, but if coal prices get too high in the future, ?????

Also has anyone run into problems bringing coal ashes to their landfill?

Thanks

Post by **Richard S.** » Wed. Oct. 22, 2008 10:21 pm

I believe the EFM rep mentioned some farmers running a 50/50 mix of coal/corn. As far as running anything without coal probably unlikely.

vermontday · Post by **vermontday** » Thu. Oct. 23, 2008 8:34 am

Thanks!

Post by **coaledsweat** » Thu. Oct. 23, 2008 8:42 am

vermontday wrote:but if coal prices get too high in the future, ?????

Anthracite will never catch up with conventional fuels. It basically has two markets, home heating and water filtration, neither of which will expand very rapidly. Unless someone figures out how to finish turning it into diamonds cheaply, you will see very modest price increases in the future, as is in the past which is a historical fact. The huge, rapid increase in diesel fuel had a very small impact on anthracite pricing, I would be more worried about the politicians will do about it than the cost of it.

vermontday · Post by **vermontday** » Thu. Oct. 23, 2008 9:29 am

The politicians are what worries me. They may impose some tax on fossil fuels.

If corn can be mixed in 50/50 with coal, I wonder if wood pellets can be mixed in 50/50?