I used to burn them when I started out with wet wood. I would throw a handful in each load because they are so dry to help it along. They are good but $$$ if you are buying them. If I remember correctly some guy filled his ideal steel to the brim with them and it burned for like 2 days straight on low.
That’s not a bad price really. I paid a dollar less about nine years ago. They burned, made heat, wasn’t a real fan. I couldn’t get over the $8 every time I put a bag in the stove
That's the best use for them IMO...I personally don't care for them by themselves, but if I had a well controlled cat stove it might be a different story...our lil Drolet 1400i in the fireplace would go ballistic if I tried to burn a belly full of those by themselves!
For years now I've been putting my money where my mouth is with the Bio Bricks. I purchase probably a ton every other year and use them in conjunction with cordwood. If there's any testament I can give them pertaining to what I perceive the value is that I get from them: I will continue to buy them.
I was looking at my OP pics and didnt realize they are made in my home state. Be interesting to see them made.
Ive seen pellets made on the TV show "How its Made". They are extruded through a die kinda like spaghetti. The lignans in the sawdust are the glue that bind them together.
Been a lot of years since I did any googling but if I recall they were first developed in Ct. Bristol Ct I think.
Bricks can be made both by extrusion or compression in a form, yep. giant pellets. regular pellets can be made by extrusion through a die plate , hydraulic , screw feed or roller compression through same. In either case getting the lignin up to the plasticized state temp wise is critical as well as the moisture content of the raw material. In commercial units the die plate or forms are heated as well as the raw material, they do not rely on friction by itself. In those inexpensive china roller mills a binding agent is generally recommended- various starches work for that, as all that you have there is friction and it takes a bunch of time and material passed through to get the dies hot.
