Industrial End-Users’ Preferred Characteristics for Wood Biomass Feedstocks

Kalvis Kons, Boško Blagojević, Blas Mola-Yudego, Robert Prinz, Johanna Routa, Biljana Kulisic, Bruno Gagnon and Dan Bergström
Additional contact information
Kalvis Kons: Skogforsk, The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden, Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden
Boško Blagojević: Department of Water Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg. D. Obradovica 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Blas Mola-Yudego: School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland (UEF), F-80101 Joensuu, Finland
Robert Prinz: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Yliopistokatu 6 B, F-80100 Joensuu, Finland
Johanna Routa: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Yliopistokatu 6 B, F-80100 Joensuu, Finland
Biljana Kulisic: Department for Renewable Energy Sources, Climate and Environmental Protection, Energy Institute Hrvoje Pozar (EIHP), Savska c.163, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Bruno Gagnon: Economic Analysis Division, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0E4, Canada
Dan Bergström: Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-22

Abstract: The use of sustainably sourced biomass is an important tool for mitigating the effects of climate change; but biomass is far from being a homogeneous resource. The aim of this study was to examine the decision-making process of industrial end-users considering biomass procurement. An online, two-part survey generated responses from 27 experienced professionals, representing a portfolio of facilities varying in size, technology, and biomass types, across Australia, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. A PAPRIKA conjoint analysis approach was used to analyze the data so that the attributes that influenced procurement decisions could be weighted and ranked. The results provided an insight into end-users’ views on factors including facility location, size, and biomass storage, handling, and procurement for different wood-based industrial services. The most important decision-making attribute appeared to be the type of biomass assortment, at individual, national, and aggregated levels. Of seven sub-categories of biomass assortments, sawdust (35%) was the most preferred type followed by stem wood chips (20%) and energy wood (15%). We concluded that, from the end-user’s perspective, a pre-defined biomass assortment is the most important factor when deciding on feedstock procurement at a bioenergy facility. These results help us better understand end-users’ perceptions of biomass properties in relation to their conversion processes and supply preferences and can inform product development and the securement of new niches in alternative business environments by existing and future biohubs.

Keywords: biohubs; expert analysis; conjoint analysis; PAPRIKA method; bioenergy (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: 2022
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