1 Sponsored by:Biomass Implementation Workshop 29 March 2011

Matthew WoodcockForestry Commission England

www.woodheatsolutions.eu

Renewable Heat IncentiveBiomass Implementation

Workshop29 March 2011

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WoodfuelStandards

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Why do we need standards?

• To encourage the best use of a sustainable resource:

– To harvest it sustainably;

– To use it most efficiently,

• in both carbon and financial terms;– To reduce negative impacts.

• To make life easier for buyers and suppliers by:

– Ensuring the fuel is suited to the boiler;

– Helping fuel buyers specify their requirements clearly;

– Helping suppliers know what is needed and how to check that their product meets the requirements;

– Helping identify problems; and

– Providing confidence in a growing market.

To strengthen trust in wood as a fuel to facilitate trade between consumers and producers

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So what’s the problem?

• Perceptions:– Bureaucracy;– Complexity;– We know how to do this already!– What’s the benefit to me?

• Language:– Moisture Content – water content vs wood humidity– Weight – wet vs seasoned (30%, 20%?) vs oven dry – Volume – solid m3, stacked m3, loose m3 (logs or chips)– Calorific value – Kilowatt hours, kilojoules, BTU’s?– Carbon – or CO2

– Competition – litres, tonnes, kilowatt hours– Price - Weight, volume or kilowatt hrs?

• Cost:– Time and money

• Scale:– Industrial, local or somewhere between?

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So how could we address these problems and turn

theory into reality?

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Make it simple:

• Focus on the direct benefits

• Bite size pieces

• Critical elements first

• ‘Flick and dip’

• Pictures, diagrams, examples

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Main issues:

• Source: Tree, roots, waste?• Moisture content: • Particle size:• Ash• Also:

– Nitrogen– Chlorine– Energy value by weight– Energy value by loose cubic metre– Bulk Density– Ash melting point

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Main points:

1. Origin:Specified to show where the raw wood has been sourced.• 1.1.3.1 Woody biomass, from forest or plantation, stemwood, broadleaf• 1.1.3.2 stemwood, coniferous • 1.1.3.3 stemwood, mixture of broadleaf and conifer • 1.1.1.1 whole trees (without roots), broadleaf• 1.1.1.2 whole trees (without roots), coniferous• 1.1.1.3 Short rotation coppice (without roots)• 1.1.1.5 Mixture of broadleaf, softwood and/or SRC (without roots)• 1.1.7 Woodchips derived from arboriculture

2. Traded form: woodchips, pellets, briquettes or firewood

3. Properties:– Particle size distribution e.g. P45– Moisture e.g. M40– Ash e.g. A1.5

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So how can WhS help?

• WhS Newsletter• ‘Dummies Guide’• Woodheat Solutions: Approximate determination of moisture content of woodfuel using a domestic oven

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Thank youwww.woodheatsolutions.eu