Physical characterization of commercial woodchips on the Italian energy market

Abstract The Authors set out to determine the particle-size distribution, the fiber and bark content, and the heating value of a wide sample of wood chips, collected from 60 commercial biomass terminals active in Northern Italy. This sample was meant to represent a cross-section of the Italian fuel chip market, and focused on four main feedstock types: sawmill residues, logging residues, small trees and short rotation coppice (SRC). Overall, the Authors collected 300 samples, each weighing approximately 1 kg. Particle-size distribution was determined with an automatic screening device on 210 samples, according to European Standard CEN/TS 15149-1. All samples were also manually separated into the following main components: fiber, bark, twigs, leaves, dust and other. The higher heating value (HHV) was determined on 56 one-gram subsamples using an adiabatic bomb calorimeter. Sawmill residues and small trees offered the best quality, with high fiber content (85–90%) and favorable particle-size distribution. On the contrary, both logging residues and SRC presented a high bark content (⩾20%) and occasionally a mediocre particle-size distribution, being often too rich in fines (⩾10%). These problems were especially serious with fuel derived from 1-year old SRC sprouts. There is a need for reducing the supply cost of small trees, and improving the quality of SRC biomass.

[1]  Manuel Garcia-Perez,et al.  Effects of particle size on the fast pyrolysis of oil mallee woody biomass , 2009 .

[2]  Paul Upham,et al.  Project ARBRE: Lessons for bio-energy developers and policy-makers , 2008 .

[3]  Yoshiki Yamagata,et al.  A spatial evaluation of forest biomass usage using GIS , 2009 .

[4]  P. Lehtikangas.  Quality properties of pelletised sawdust, logging residues and bark , 2001 .

[5]  Sotirios Karellas,et al.  An innovative biomass gasification process and its coupling with microturbine and fuel cell systems , 2008 .

[6]  Karl Stampfer,et al.  Current state and development possibilities of wood chip supply chains in Austria , 2006 .

[7]  R. Lundmark.  Cost structure of and competition for forest-based biomass , 2006 .

[8]  Kj Krzysztof Ptasinski,et al.  More efficient biomass gasification via torrefaction , 2006 .

[9]  D. W. Einspahr,et al.  Wood and Paper Properties of Vacuum Airlift Segregated Juvenile Poplar Whole-Tree Chips , 2007 .

[10]  T. Verwijst,et al.  Estimation and relevance of bark proportion in a willow stand , 2005 .

[11]  Yong Yan,et al.  Characterisation of biomass and coal co-firing on a 3 MWth Combustion Test Facility using flame imaging and gas/ash sampling techniques , 2009 .

[12]  T. Volk,et al.  Energy feedstock characteristics of willow and hybrid poplar clones at harvest age. , 2003 .

[13]  M. Londo,et al.  Willow short-rotation coppice in multiple land-use systems: evaluation of four combination options in the Dutch context , 2004 .

[14]  Roberto Fratini,et al.  A methodology to anaylse the potential development of biomass-energy sector: an application in Tuscany , 2004 .

[15]  Svend Bram,et al.  Small scale biomass heating systems: Standards, quality labelling and market driving factors – An EU outlook , 2009 .

[16]  Wim Turkenburg,et al.  Technological learning and cost reductions in wood fuel supply chains in Sweden , 2005 .

[17]  C. Gamborg.  Maximising the production of fuelwood in different silvicultural systems , 1997 .

[18]  Kj Krzysztof Ptasinski,et al.  Exergetic evaluation of biomass gasification , 2007 .

[19]  Natascia Magagnotti,et al.  Using modified foragers to harvest short-rotation poplar plantations , 2009 .

[20]  Warren B. Cohen,et al.  Assessment of forest biomass for use as energy. GIS-based analysis of geographical availability and locations of wood-fired power plants in Portugal , 2010 .

[21]  Natascia Magagnotti,et al.  Comparison of two harvesting systems for the production of forest biomass from the thinning of Picea abies plantations , 2010 .

[22]  M. Sjöström,et al.  Effect of biomaterial characteristics on pelletizing properties and biofuel pellet quality , 2009 .

[23]  Wim Turkenburg,et al.  Exploration of the ranges of the global potential of biomass for energy , 2003 .

[24]  Larry L. Baxter,et al.  Effects of particle shape and size on devolatilization of biomass particle , 2010 .

[25]  Mikko Hupa,et al.  Chemical forms of ash-forming elements in woody biomass fuels , 2010 .

[26]  Iain S. Donnison,et al.  The effect of lignin and inorganic species in biomass on pyrolysis oil yields, quality and stability , 2008 .

[27]  Prasant Kumar Rout,et al.  Characterization of Canadian biomass for alternative renewable biofuel , 2010 .

[28]  P. Jansens,et al.  Biomass combustion in fluidized bed boilers: Potential problems and remedies , 2009 .

[29]  Wim Turkenburg,et al.  Technological learning in bioenergy systems , 2006 .

[30]  Karl Stampfer,et al.  Regional energy wood logistics - optimizing local fuel supply. , 2009 .

[31]  Wilhelm Claupein,et al.  Quantity and quality of harvestable biomass from Populus short rotation coppice for solid fuel use - a review of the physiological basis and management influences. , 2003 .

[32]  Jan Erik Mattsson,et al.  Tendency of wood fuels from whole trees, logging residues and roundwood to bridge over openings , 2004 .

[33]  G. Keoleian,et al.  Life cycle assessment of a willow bioenergy cropping system , 2003 .

[34]  R. Ceulemans,et al.  Production physiology and growth potential of poplars under short-rotation forestry culture , 1999 .

[35]  Bart Muys,et al.  Poplar growth and yield in short rotation coppice: model simulations using the process model SECRETS , 2004 .

[36]  Bruce R. Hartsough,et al.  Testing Mobile Chippers for Chip Size Distribution , 2005 .

[37]  Yadong Li,et al.  High-pressure densification of wood residues to form an upgraded fuel , 2000 .

[38]  E. Bonari,et al.  Bark content estimation in poplar (Populus deltoides L.) short-rotation coppice in Central Italy , 2008 .

[39]  Bengt Hillring.  Price trends in the Swedish wood-fuel market , 1997 .

[40]  Carl-Fredrik Mandenius,et al.  On-line spectroscopic measurements of wood chips before a continuous digester , 2004 .

[41]  I. Obernberger,et al.  Chemical properties of solid biofuels¿significance and impact , 2006 .

[42]  R. Ceulemans,et al.  Population dynamics in a 6-year-old coppice culture of poplar: II. Size variability and one-sided competition of shoots and stools , 2005 .

[43]  André Faaij,et al.  Bio-energy in Europe: changing technology choices , 2006 .

[44]  M. Manzone,et al.  Energetic and economic evaluation of a poplar cultivation for the biomass production in Italy. , 2009 .

[45]  Hanzade Haykiri-Acma,et al.  Calorific value estimation of biomass from their proximate analyses data , 2010 .

[46]  Nilay Shah,et al.  Multiscale modelling of hydrothermal biomass pretreatment for chip size optimization. , 2009, Bioresource technology.

[47]  D D Wagman,et al.  Erratum: The NBS tables of chemical thermodynamic properties. Selected values for inorganic and C1 and C2 organic substances in SI units [J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 11, Suppl. 2 (1982)] , 1989 .

[48]  R. Spinelli,et al.  Wood chips size distribution in relation to blade wear and screen use , 2010 .

[49]  Taraneh Sowlati,et al.  Economic sensitivity of wood biomass utilization for greenhouse heating application , 2009 .

[50]  Britt-Marie Steenari,et al.  Characterization of ashes from wood and straw , 1995 .

[51]  R. Sage,et al.  Short rotation coppice for energy: towards ecological guidelines , 1998 .

[52]  W. A. Kenney,et al.  A review of biomass quality research relevant to the use of poplar and willow for energy conversion , 1990 .