Stories

Biofiltration Reduces Dependence on Natural Gas for Emissions Control

When we built our new facility in Clarke County, Alabama, we chose a new biolfiltration control technology that does not require burning natural gas to destroy press emissions.

Biofiltration uses naturally occurring bacteria and fungi to destroy incoming emissions and releases only some carbon dioxide and water. Millions of “bugs” – bacteria and fungi – live inside simple garden compost packed into plastic spheres about an inch and a half in diameter. These fill a 16-foot tall concrete box about two-thirds the size of a football field. While other mills have used a more primitive form of biofilter, Clarke County was only the second OSB mill in the U.S. to use this particular innovation.

The biofilter was selected for Clarke County over a Regenerative Catalytic Oxidizer, or RCO. Though the biofilter had a higher installation cost, it has lower ongoing maintenance costs. It uses no natural gas, so it also cuts down on the greenhouse gases that are byproducts of burning fossil fuels. Pay back on the difference in installation costs is expected to take about five years.

Biofilter technology is not currently available for use on OSB dryers, but several vendors are evaluating it. LP is testing other innovative technologies to help us reduce energy use in our emission control systems.