LUMBER CITY, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 6, 2025--
TSI and Telfair Forest Products are proud to announce the construction of a torrefaction facility at Telfair Forest Product’s facility in Lumber City, Georgia. The partnership leverages Telfair’s operational excellence and TSI’s best-in-class biomass torrefaction technology to promote the growth of the nascent carbonized biomass industry.
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At the facility, a TSI-designed and fabricated Torreactor ® will be paired with Telfair’s logistics for the torrefaction and densification of biomass to provide commercial demonstration samples for industrial users. The output produced will enable heavy industries to continue striving toward sustainability goals by proving the viability of torrefied biomass as a fossil fuel substitute.
Torrefaction, thermal treatment of biomass in a low-oxygen environment, enables the use of ordinary biomass like wood residuals and agricultural waste in applications which have traditionally been primarily reliant on fossil fuels.
In addition to promoting new applications for sustainable biomass, the project also enjoys the support of state government for its contribution to the local community.
“For years now, Telfair Forest Products has worked with Telfair County and Lumber City community to enhance and breathe new life into a former industrial site on the Ocmulgee River,” said Senator Blake Tillery. “I am glad to see their work with the local leaders will continue with today’s announcement and the investment of $7.6 million dollars. TSI will lead the collaboration with Telfair Forest Products, to bring 15 new and retained jobs for Lumber City and Telfair County with the development of a small torrefaction unit.”
TSI is also enthusiastic. “For years, the industry has struggled with the chicken or the egg problem, where industrial users need large samples to demonstrate commercial readiness to build large production facilities, but without large facilities, production of large samples has been impossible,” says TSI CEO, Benny Teal. “We intend to solve that problem. The combination of a skilled workforce, abundance of sustainable wood, and supportive government makes Georgia, and Telfair’s Lumber City mill, the ideal location for the birthplace of the next generation of sustainable biomass products.”
The new facility, with capacity of more than 15,000 tons per year, is designed to handle a wide range of temperatures and torrefaction levels. The Torreactor will be capable of producing mildly torrefied biomass – useful for applications in heat, power and biofuels industries (including sustainable aviation fuel) – to highly carbonized products with applications in steel making and other processes, enabling a greener, more sustainable future.
Construction is underway, with commissioning and startup in early 2025. For more information regarding the plant, to order torrefied biomass, or to schedule a tour, contact torrefaction@tsi-inc.net or visit www.tsitorrefaction.com.
About Telfair Forest Products
Telfair Forest Products, LLC is a manufacturer of premium quality southern yellow pine wood shavings.
www.telfairforestproducts.com/
About TSI
TSI provides biomass dryer systems, furnaces, air pollution equipment and torrefaction reactors (Torreactors) to companies around the world.
www.tsi-inc.net, www.tsitorrefaction.com
Installation of TSI Torreactor onsite in Lumber City, GA (Photo: Business Wire)
TSI Torreactor Drum During Installation (Photo: Business Wire)
