Summerhill Biomass Systems (Summerhill) is unveiling solid biomass technology system at Syracuse Tech Garden's Fall Tech Expo. Summerhill, has pending patents across the globe on its system for grinding up timber, brush, corn stalks and other plant waste and converting the fine powder into heat. This powder would cost less than heating oil, including delivery and can be used to heat commercial or institutional greenhouses, or in agricultural bins for drying out grain.
Summerhill will be equipped to retrofit its system at homes or businesses that used heating oil or propane. Dr. McKnight, Summerhill president and co-founder, presented his technology in 2008 at the World Bank Alternative Fuels Symposium.
The powder burns between 5/100ths and 1/10th of a second, and emits no smoke or odor even at 1 million BTUs. Summerhill previously obtained a $75,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Agreement #10826 for feasibility studies and is currently seeking additional accredited investors. The company is also contending for state and federal grants. Funding would be used to further develop the McKnight family’s technology to the point where it could be sold to residential and commercial customers throughout the northeast and beyond. SUNY ESF and Cornell University are partners in exploring the concept.
James T. McKnight, said he’s eager to prove that this solid form of renewable energy is more efficient than ethanol and other types of biomass produced around the world. Central New Yorkers will be among the first to witness a locally-produced energy system that has global potential.
“Photosynthesis as biomass is the most efficient way to store solar energy, and excess quantities are being stored this way all the time. Summerhill just provides the most efficient way to use this stored solar energy” said McKnight, who helped develop products for DuPont and Johnson & Johnson as an organic chemist before founding Summerhill with sons Kim and Steven in 2006. “By contrast, when you grow corn, 95% of what you grow (stalk) is wasted. Then you take the corn off, and it’s expensive to convert to ethanol.”
“The consistency of the powder is midway between baking flour and confectionary sugar,” added Summerhill co-founder Kim McKnight. “The way it burns, we’re pretending it’s a gas, without it actually being a gas.”
“We feel there will be support for this because, with this system, you’re not using cultivated land. You’re not using any fertilizer. Instead, you’re using leftover wood and brush, which potentially cause fires. We intercept the decay process,” Dr. James T. McKnight said.