Timber Drying

Years of success in dealing with difficult timber species, it is safe to say that timber drying in Australia has reached maturity. Our indigenous eucalypt species in particular have been propagated in millions of hectares of plantations around the globe.

We research, you reap the benefits

Years of optimizing research means that conventional timber drying methods and technologies have reached their peak development, yet still use massive amounts of energy and still product high levels of degrade from almost all species dried. It seems solar energy drying is the way to go. Because of this, we have embarked on a $1.5m collaborative research project with an eminent Australian University to optimize cyclic timber drying.

After 35 years of commercial timber processing experience, Greg Weir (Solar Kilns Director) knows and understands the timber drying industry well. Others at Solar Kilns have similar levels of experience that have been combined with external eminent scientists to develop break-through solar energy hybrid drying technologies and advanced timber drying prescriptions.

Change is the future

History has seen the oil shocks of the 1980s cause timber drying operations to convert oil fired boilers to steam and gas fired heat plants. Gas fired kilns are now being forced out of existence due to increasing pricing. Wood-waste fired steam boilers, inherently costly by nature, are facing increasing environmental compliance costs as the ball starts rolling towards carbon taxes against drying operations for the release of hundreds of thousands of tons of greenhouse gas each year.

The global example of rising wood waste values for alternative uses will predictably create havoc for those who react slowly or without due consideration of the facts. Demand for wood waste products is rising for engineered wood products, bio-fuel (ethanol and bio-oil), for electricity co-generation, and in some cases specialized generators to produce electricity to saw the logs.

Solar energy is the way

The tide is changing yet again, and quickly. By using low solar energy kilns, many new options are made available to the forward thinking manufacturer of today. Will it take low carbon manufacture regulations that are beginning to be applied in some countries already, to jolt some into action?