CLA-2-84:RR:NC:1:104 J81394
Ms. Roxanne Peiffer
Norman G. Jensen, Inc.
3050 Metro Drive, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55425
RE: The tariff classification of a gasifier system from India
Dear Ms. Peiffer:
In your letter dated February 14, 2003 on behalf of the University of North Dakota you requested a tariff classification ruling.
The “Ankur” WBG-200 Biomass Gasifier System converts wood chips and other solid fuels into a combustible gas mixture normally called producer gas. This gas can be used to replace expensive and scarce fossil fuels for various thermal applications. The WBG Series uses woody biomass as the basic feedstock. The process involves partial combustion of such biomass. (Partial combustion occurs when the air supply is less than adequate for the combustion to be completed.)
The gasifier unit is essentially a chemical reactor where various complex physical and chemical processes take place. The biomass undergoes four distinct processes in a gasifier: (1) drying of the fuel, (2) pyrolysis, (3) combustion, and (4) reduction. Although there is considerable overlap, each process can be considered to be occupying a separate zone in the unit, in which fundamentally different chemical and thermal reactions take place. The fuel must pass through all of these zones to be completely converted. The system also includes cleanup or purification equipment consisting primarily of a gas scrubber and associated filters.
The applicable subheading for the Biomass Gasifier System, WBG-200, will be 8405.10.0000, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), which provides for producer gas or water gas generators, with or without their purifiers. The rate of duty will be free.
This ruling is being issued under the provisions of Part 177 of the Customs Regulations (19 C.F.R. 177).
A copy of the ruling or the control number indicated above should be provided with the entry documents filed at the time this merchandise is imported. If you have any questions regarding the ruling, contact National Import Specialist Robert Losche at 646-733-3011.
Sincerely,
Robert B. Swierupski
Director,
National Commodity
Specialist Division