Biomass energy use in small-scale commercial operation

A coffee roasting system using sawdust has been developed by Carbon Cycle, a California Company, and its founder, Kerry Sachs. They have shown that biomass combustion can be a safe, low-cost alternative to the use of natural gas in a food processing operation. Two systems are in operation with a combined run time of over 80,000 hours. The system uses a patented furnace technology characterized by thermal control to clean combustion, which, when used with biomass, achieves an even, slow roast of raw coffee beans. This results in high-quality coffee flavor. The technology has potential for use in other medium-temperature applications in food processing, district heating, and small-scale energy production.