TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 01/04/08 -- I'm not sure that those in the timber industry know how lucky they are, and what opportunities they are sitting on. First let me inform you of certain current affairs which you have no doubt heard of. Here are some catch-phrases and words that you have probably been hearing for the last little while: Clean-Energy, Renewable Resources and Global Warming to name but a few.

The energy industry and the consumer's treatment towards it are changing; consumers are demanding cleaner energy because of the severity of global warming, and if you look at the whole situation from either an entrepreneurial point of view (you want to make money), or an environmentally friendly point of view (you want to do your part for the environment), those in the logging industry are perfectly placed to do both. The more that consumers demand cleaner business practices, the more interested companies are becoming, and ultimately the more investment goes into finding new ways to produce sustainable green-businesses. The increasing demand for cleaner energies is not only a result of a need to improve our environment, but also for political reasons. A recent article in renowned publication The Economist, states that:

Clean-Energy fever is being fueled by 3 things: high oil prices, fears over energy security and a growing concern about global warming. (The Economist,)

Late October 2006, the government of the United Kingdom released the Stern Review of Economic Impacts of Climate Change, an in depth analysis of the environment. The Review estimates that if nothing is done to counter the increasing risks of climate change, the damage could be up to 20% of GDP per year.

In contrast, the costs of action reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change can be limited to around 1% of global GDP each year. This proves that businesses and markets will move to green-businesses because it is efficient.

The higher the oil prices get and the more governments wish to cut their reliance on Middle-East produced oil, combined with the search for environmentally friendly business, the further the search for renewable resources goes on. The Economist quotes analysts as confidently predicting the clean energy business will grow by 20-30% a year for a decade, and that it may be the biggest job and wealth creation opportunity of the 21st century.

So now that you have an understanding of the potential demand for new technologies and new fuel sources, what can the wood industry do and why should you prepared to play your part?

Wood differs from the fossil fuels that we use in everyday life such as oil to drive our cars and gas to heat our houses because the same amount of Carbon Dioxide is released when we burn wood as if it were to decompose naturally in a forest. This is of course not the case for the other types of fuel which are terrible for the environment.
Theoretically, the more that wood burning replaces fossil fuels the less greenhouse emissions and the better the environment would be.
This is an immense selling point for wood as a viable source of future energy requirements. If wood fuel were to capture even a small percentage of the emerging renewable energy growth, the results would be lucrative, and the environment would be better off.

The point of this press-release is, of course, not to persuade people to cut down mass quantities of trees for the sole reason of producing energy, but rather to inform you of a more contemporary method of renewing resources, briquetting.

To view a photo of the "BRICHETTA MAC B-90", please visit the link
below:

http://www.ccnmatthews.com/docs/brich104.pdf

Briquetting.

Briquetting Systems is the reducing of the volume of wood waste by compacting the waste into evenly sized logs and presents people in the waste industry an opportunity to participate in environmentally friendly and cost-efficient business practices while at the same time profiting from what is effectively waste. The growth of agribusiness and the forestry industry, combined with briquetting's ability to increase the density of waste and therefore it's burn ability, places briquetting up there as one of the most interesting emerging stars in the green business market.

PMA International, an importing and exporting firm based out of Toronto, has the exclusivity contract for a sophisticated Italian made piece of briquetting machinery called 'La Brichetta'. It is made by M.A.C. Officina, an engineering company whose 25 years expertise has landed them the responsibility of building the new airport in Pisa, Italy. La Brichetta automatically reduces the volume of waste by 2-10X depending on the type of material used (whether it be wood, corn husks or other type of Biomass). This allows you to reduce your waste haulage and storage costs by the same amount, drastically slashing your overhead, while at the same time helping you do your part for the environment. In addition to the current market situation of the North American forestry industry, briquetting will make of your waste and added-value product that con increase the much needed profits to a declining industry.

"There are currently problems in the wood-processing industry which 'La Brichetta' helps offset. The regulation of leachate ( a toxic black substance produced from wood waste mismanagement) levels is well-documented. In Canada, heavy fining and mandatory inspections have placed a heavy burden on possible creators of leachate. The Canadian government now encourages efficient wood waste management plans by offering incentives to assist with the development of a set of best environmental management practices designed to minimize the environmental impact that wood waste products have." Source:( Environment Canada)

La Brichetta produces briquettes that burn 2X hotter than regular firewood. Because the briquettes are so dense, they have a much improved volumetric calorific volume, resulting in a cleaner, hotter, more consistent burn. La Brichetta produces briquettes with no additives and can cut the briquette logs at a customized length, making storage and haulage easy.

Currently, 'La Brichetta' can effectively create an entire revenue stream with what was previously waste. The briquettes can be sold to whole range of consumer, from the micro to the macro. They are cleaner and burn 2X hotter than regular firewood, and can be sold for a better price. Chart 1.1 compares Briquettes to coal and to cordwood.

Source: Davies and Company Forestry Consultants

Chart 1.1 shows that wood briquettes are more efficient when compared to other types of fuels, and are far better for the environment. As the need for environmentally fuels increases, so potentially, will the price of wood briquettes, a good sign for those dealing with the by-products of wood production.

PMA International also offers other machinery that, combined with a Briquetting system, can create an entire network. Whether it be a small facility that produces 1 ton per day or a larger plant that produces 20+ tons a day, a network of dryers, grinders, briquetting system and cogent plants can be implemented to achieve maximum efficiency.

The potential of Briquetting has not been realized. In this day of environmentally friendly business practices and as big money is being introduced to the market to explore possible renewable energy sources, selling briquettes has a lot of potential to become a big money business. Briquetting has numerous selling points such as the reduced need for haulage and storage, the increased volumetric calorific volume of the waste. The Brichetta also has the capabilities to render an entire plant self-sufficient. That is to say that burning your own briquettes, from your wood garbage can fuel your business, and drastically reduce your dependency on more traditional, dirtier, more expensive fuels.

PMA International

PMA International

More from PMA International