All CWF fuel products are made from agricultural or forestry waste. Under no circumstances does CWF use food crops or crops that have been grown to replace the growing of food crops.

In many cases at the end of the harvest season many crop residues are either burnt or left to de-compose in the fields. In both cases this can be harmful to the environment as large quantities of CO2 or methane gas is released into the atmosphere. In collecting and utilizing waste to make energy, biomass is classified as carbon neutral and hence makes a positive environmental impact.

Given the increasing global interest in the utilization of biomass as a fuel source, there has been considerable activity in recent years to attempt to standardize the industry. CEN / TS 14961 is a European Standard that provides a way to describe the specification of Biomass fuels.

The standard further classifies biomass resources into the following three main categories namely:
   

1. Woody Biomass (typically forestry waste)		2. Herbaceous Biomass (typically agricultural waste)		3. Fruit Biomass (typically nut residues)

The logic for this classification is to reflect the similar chemical composition of each biomass group and the composition of the ash residues (although the volumes may vary). Each group also behaves in a similar way during combustion which has implications for the ways in which boilers must be operated and maintained. (Note that Herbaceous and Fruit biomass are often collectively referred to as ‘agricultural waste biomass)

The TS 14961 standard also defines from factors such as briquettes, chips and pellets.

Typically the following parameters are defined:
    D – Diameter (mm)
    M – Moisture Content (%)
    A – Ash Content (%)
    E – Energy Density (Net Calorific Value – kCal /kg)
    DU – Durability (Break Weights)
    N – Nitrogen (%)
    S – Sulphur (%)
    Cl – Chlorine (%)

So far only a pellet standard made from ‘woody’ biomass has been fully defined but it is anticipated that standards for pellets from both herbaceous and fruit biomass will soon follow.