University of California
Woody Biomass Utilization
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Woody biomass comprises residues of the wood processing industry, post-consumer woody waste materials and agricultural residues in addition to material arising from forest management or fuels reduction activities.
Forest biomass consists of small-diameter woody material, damaged or low-valued trees, the branches (slash) and diseased or insect infested wood. This material represents a huge untapped biomass resource and it's removal could improve forest health and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
Much of the forest biomass resource is not currently utilized due to it's poor physical properties and therefore relatively low value. The expense of removal and transportation further reduces it's appeal as a raw material. Developing more markets and processing technologies to use this material would help to recover some of the cost of ecosystem restoration and fuels reduction projects.
The challenges for using woody biomass are many and the economic opportunities limited. Although there is a long list of products that could be produced from woody biomass there are often competing raw materials to make these products that are of higher quality and lower cost. The solutions to providing more opportunities for woody biomass are to encourage the use in efficient energy conversion facilities (power plants, heat and power systems, etc.), use small diameter trees in their round form instead of trying to produce lumber, support the research and development needed to encourage investment in higher value fiber uses for composite materials (such as composite panels and wood fiber/plastic products), and continue the search for cost-effective chemical processing to biofuels and other organic chemicals.
For further information see The Resource and Technology. Further pages on technologies coming soon!
Publications (pdf files) are available below on a range of topics.
Over stocked forest
Woody biomass from fire salvage on Eldorado National Forest
Slash bundler processing biomass after thinning, Sefton Coast, UK
Woody Biomass Resources
Information from the Forest Service and others. All files are in PDF format.
| Title | Content | Type | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woody Biomass Feedstock Yard Business Development Guide | A resource and business guide to developing a woody biomass collection yard. USDA Forest Service, 2010 | 3/14/10 | |
| Woody Biomass Utilization Desk Guide | USDA Forest Service, August 2007 | 3/14/10 | |
| A Planning Guide for Small and Medium Size Wood Products Companies | USDA Forest Service NE Area, 2nd Edition, July 2005 | 3/14/10 |
InfoGuides
Simple, concise information on a range of utilization options and processes. All files are in PDF format.
| Title | Content | Type | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyrolysis Fact Sheet | Woody Biomass Utilization - Draft fact sheet on pyrolysis technologies |
5/8/12 | |
| Densified Wood Fuels Fact Sheet | Woody Biomass Utilization - Draft fact sheet on densified wood fuels (pellets, presto logs, bricks etc) |
5/29/12 | |
| Electricity from Biomass Fact Sheet | Woody Biomass Utilization - Draft fact sheet on electricity from biomass |
5/29/12 | |
| Introduction to Woody Biomass | Woody Biomass Utilization - Draft introduction to woody biomass as a feedstock |
5/29/12 | |
| 2008 Farm Bill Renewable Energy Provisions | USDA factsheet on Title IX of the 2008 Farm Bill which focuses on the Renewable Energy Provisions | 10/16/08 | |
| Wood Heat Solutions (low res for on screen - 2MB) | A Community Guide to Biomass Thermal Projects: produced by Resource Innovations at the University of Oregon. | 4/2/10 | |
| Wood Heat Solutions (high res for printing - 13MB) | A Community Guide to Biomass Thermal Projects: produced by Resource Innovations at the University of Oregon. | 4/2/10 | |
| IG003 - Woody Biomass Definitions and Conversions Factors | A simple glossary of terms, units used and conversion factors relating to woody biomass | 12/13/07 | |
| IG002 - Use of Wood as a Media for Odor Control | The results of a brief literature and internet search for information relating to the use of wood chips as an air filtration media | 7/17/08 | |
| IG001 - Formaldehyde Use in Wood Based Panels | A look at the new formaldehyde standards adopted by the California Air Resource Board (CARB) in April 2007 and their potential impacts on the panel board industry | 7/31/08 |
Woody Biomass Utilization Biomass Energy California grant power electricity forest products biomass wood pellets pyrolysis