Traceability System for Improved Utilization of Solid Biofuel from Agricultural Prunings

Techane Bosona, Girma Gebresenbet and Sven-Olof Olsson
Additional contact information
Techane Bosona: Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 75651 Uppsala, Sweden
Girma Gebresenbet: Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 75651 Uppsala, Sweden
Sven-Olof Olsson: Mobitron AB, P.O. Box 56146 Huskvarna, Sweden

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: Biomass production and supply for renewable energy generation should be managed well and carried out in a sustainable manner. An effective traceability system (TS) is required to provide sufficient information and assure the quality of the biomass. The objective of this study is to define and develop a TS to assure the pruning biomass quality for the production of solid biofuels and to provide guarantee to the final user that the biomass is in good condition according to recommended quality criteria. It is designed for an agricultural pruning supply chain in which farmers, biomass traders, transporters, and end users are major actors. It is based on the biofuel quality requirements required by final users and other standards such as the new European standards EN 14961-1, EN15234:1-2011, and EN14961-1:2010, which describe solid fuel quality parameters. Traceable quality parameters include origin and source of product, traded form, bale dimension, chips size distribution, moisture content, ash content, and density of biomass. In this TS, a unique product label is introduced and integrated into a smart logistics system (SLS). The TS uses information captured at different stages of the product supply chain. It enables the management of the whole pruning biomass supply chain with the support of a centralized web-based information platform, an integral part of the SLS.

Keywords: pruning biomass; solid biofuel; traceability system; smart logistics system; information flow (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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