Idea to reality: The Kriedermacher family needed a more cost-efficient way to heat their 65,000 square-foot greenhouse, Pork and Plants. Brothers Eric and Paul decided to make biomass pellets that could be burned in boilers to heat the greenhouses.
AURI’s role: AURI Scientist Al Doering worked with the Kreidermachers in AURI’s Coproducts Lab in Waseca to develop biomass pellet blends using crop residue and grasses.
Outcome: The Kreidermachers now use about 20,000 bushels of corn or 500 to 600 tons of pellets to heat the 65,000 square-foot greenhouse. Kreidermachers’ two pellet mills also can produce significantly more fuel than Pork and Plants will use and can be used for commercial boilers and residential burners.