Loading…

Changes in feedstock quality in willow chip piles created in winter from a commercial scale harvest

Storage and handling are important facets of biomass logistics because there are associated costs and biomass properties can change significantly as material proceeds through the supply chain. Thus, this aspect of biomass supply systems requires continued study. Shrub willow chips were harvested, an...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biomass & bioenergy 2016-03, Vol.86 (C), p.180-190
Main Authors: Eisenbies, Mark H., Volk, Timothy A., Patel, Aayushi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Storage and handling are important facets of biomass logistics because there are associated costs and biomass properties can change significantly as material proceeds through the supply chain. Thus, this aspect of biomass supply systems requires continued study. Shrub willow chips were harvested, and used to create six piles that each contained between 10 and 22 Mg (fresh biomass). Material was monitored for several months in temporary storage to assess changes in biomass quality (moisture, ash and energy content). Internal pile temperatures increased due to biological activity and conditions within a pile quickly differentiated based on location (shell, core, top, and side). Mean moisture content increased from 42 to 47% (mass fraction) between harvest and delivery of the chips, but ranged between 37 and over 60% over the next three months depending on pile location with the shell generally drier than the core. Mean ash content increased 1 to 2% points (mass fraction) between harvesting, reloading and delivery to the trial location, but became more variable during storage. Higher heating values (HHV) were stable between 18.6 and 19.0 MJ kg−1 over the six months, but lower heating values (LHV) ranged between 8.6 and 11.7 MJ kg−1 and mirrored changes in moisture content. There was minimal change in chip quality over two months, but quality became more variable over longer time periods. This period could be extended, and negative effects on chip quality could be mitigated, by improving storage methods, blending different types of chips, or employing pretreatments. •The ratio of outer shell chips and inner core chips affects overall pile quality.•Moisture content was higher in the pile shells compared to their inner core.•Ash content of chips increased most during handling and transportation of material.•Results suggest the time and pile configuration should guide sampling intensity.•Rapid methods of feedstock assessment may facilitate mitigating variability in future.
ISSN:0961-9534
1873-2909
DOI:10.1016/j.biombioe.2016.02.004