Where is the end market?
Although wood and other biomass fuels can be transported considerable distances and still offer potential carbon savings, in order to minimise delivery costs and maintain a competitive price, haulage distances should be kept to a minimum. There are several types of market to consider from the high volume, low value markets associated with very large heat plants and power stations through to the domestic market which generally requires small volumes of seasoned logs or high quality pellets. The middle ground, occupied by wood chip boilers in the 50kW to 500kW range is often the most attractive market for those looking to produce and sell woodfuel. The number of these types of installations is increasing, they are generally reliable, and, from the suppliers point of view often offer a good volume/value compromise. Before setting up to produce fuel you should contact the relevant project partner to establish the current market conditions in your region. More information on the types of stove and boilers available is available here.
What grade of fuel does the end market need?
Once your end market has been identified you will need to find out the specific fuel requirements of the boilers currently installed or soon to be installed in your region. Boiler manufacturers may refer to an existing standard, such as the Austrian Onorm, or may describe a range of moisture contents and particle sizes that are compatiable with their equipment. Fuel standards are becoming increasingly important and suppliers should familiarise themselves with the CEN TC335 standards that are currently under development. It is likely that these standards will be rolled out during 2010/11. If the future emphasis on the origin of biomass fuels may increase, it is worth ensuring that the source you obtain the wood from is from a sustainable source, such as well managed woodland. It is also important to supply 'clean' wood that has not been treated with paint, varnish or preservatives as this can damage boilers and also cause unnecessary pollution if used in inappropriate appliances.
Harvesting wood
If the woodfuel you supply if sourced direct from thinnning or harvesting operations it is imperitive that you comply with local regulations on felling trees and managing woodland. The project partners from your country will be able to advise on this.
Seasoning wood
When producing wood chip it is often best to leave the wood 'in the round' after thinning or felling operations. Cut into 2m or 3m lengths stacked on bearers and covered in a sunny part of the woodland or wood processing yard to allow good air circulation through the stack it should be possible to reduce the moisture content of many species from around 55% to 30% within a 12 month period. Some species, such as chestnut, may take a little longer to season. Local weather condition will also influence the seasoning length too. Although chipping dry wood can be a little harder on machinery, it is generally easier to dry wood in this manner than to chip wood when it is green. The resulting pile of wet woodchips may compost, leading to a reduction in calorific value and possibly promoting the growth of fungus which could cause respiratory problems in humans.
Processing wood
There are a range of log splitting and wood chipping machines available on the market. The relevant project partner should be able to advise on types of machines that have been successfully used in your region. It may be possible to hire a machine for a few days if you have a small amount of wood to process (10s or 100s of tonnes depending on the available equipment). Some chippers aimed at the arboricultural market may not be able to produce a sufficiently uniform size of chip to work well in boilers. A number of companies produce equipment aimed specifically at the fuel market. When properly set up and operated carefully, this should help the producer meet the fuels standards specified by the end user.
Delivering wood
There are various methods of delivering wood fuel from simple tipping trailers through to more complicated pneumatic delivery systems. Again, the type of equipment that you use should be dictated by the local market. If possible you should work with a boiler installer or project manager to ensure that any new installations have sufficient access space for your preferred delivery option and that the fuel store is suitably sized to take a full load from your delivery vehicle.
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