Properties of Forest Tree Branches as an Energy Feedstock in North-Eastern Poland

Mariusz Jerzy Stolarski (), Natalia Wojciechowska, Mateusz Seliwiak and Tomasz Krzysztof Dobrzański
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Mariusz Jerzy Stolarski: Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Bioresource Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-724 Olsztyn, Poland
Natalia Wojciechowska: Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Bioresource Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-724 Olsztyn, Poland
Mateusz Seliwiak: Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Bioresource Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-724 Olsztyn, Poland
Tomasz Krzysztof Dobrzański: Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Bioresource Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-724 Olsztyn, Poland

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: Tree branches from forest tree harvesting for the timber industry are an important energy feedstock. Solid biofuel in the form of wood chips, produced from branches, is an excellent renewable energy source for generating heat and electricity. However, the properties of wood chips as a solid biofuel produced from forest tree branches can vary greatly depending on the species from which they have been produced. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the thermophysical properties and elemental composition of fresh branches harvested from nine tree species (pedunculate oak, silver birch, European ash, common aspen, grey alder, Norway maple, Scots pine, European larch and Norway spruce) over three consecutive years (2020–2022). The branches of the tree species most commonly found in Polish forests (Scots pine) were characterized by the highest heating value (an average of 20.74 GJ Mg −1 DM), the highest carbon content (an average of 55.03% DM), the lowest ash (an average of 0.60% DM) and nitrogen contents (an average of 0.32% DM), and low sulfur (an average of 0.017% DM) and chlorine contents (an average of 0.014% DM). A cluster analysis showed that the branches of all three coniferous tree species (Scots pine, Norway spruce and European larch) formed one common cluster, indicating similar properties. The branches of the European ash were characterized by the lowest wood moisture content (an average of 37.19% DM) and thus the highest lower heating value (an average of 10.50 GJ Mg −1 ). During the three years of the study, the chlorine and ash contents of the branches of the tree species under study exhibited the highest variability.

Keywords: forest solid biofuel; wood chips; branches; Scots pine; Norway spruce; European larch; pedunculate oak; European ash; silver birch; common aspen; grey alder; Norway maple; ash content; lower heating value; sulfur content; nitrogen content (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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