Schatz Energy Research Center
A stack of three briquettes; different colors represent combinations of temperature and time.
Forest residues were converted into torrefied briquettes in the demonstration-scale torrefaction plant. The perceptible differences in color and density reflect combinations of reaction temperature and residence time.

Evaluation of biomass conversion technologies: new publication released

We recently completed work on the Waste to Wisdom project that examined the entire supply chain of converting forest waste residues into bioenergy and wood products. The Center’s role was to evaluate equipment that produces biochar, torrefied biomass, electricity, or densified wood briquettes using forest residues as the input feedstock. Collaborators from Humboldt State’s Forestry Department analyzed the upstream collection of forest biomass, and experts from the U.S. Forest Service conducted a lifecycle assessment and economic analysis of the supply chain.

SEM biochar image
SEM biochar image (taken at the HSU CNRS Core Facility)

Data collected by the Schatz Center during field tests of biomass conversion equipment were used to:

  • identify optimal process conditions,
  • specify feedstock limitations,
  • measure emissions,
  • evaluate product quality, and
  • recommend design improvements to equipment manufacturers.

Results and conclusions from the entire project are presented in a special issue of Applied Engineering for Agriculture, published in February 2018. Four principal investigators, including Schatz Center Director Arne Jacobson, summarized the project’s objectives and major conclusions in the introduction article to the special issue. Engineers from Schatz authored four papers, on biochar production, torrefaction and briquetting, and gasification of forest residues:

Collaborators at the U.S. Forest Service and the Consortium for Research and Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM) used the results collected from testing activities to conduct economic and environmental life cycle analyses of biomass conversion technologies. Field measurements from the Waste to Wisdom project will also be included in our current California Biopower Impacts project, which is evaluating the environmental impacts associated with utilization of forest-derived woody biomass for electricity generation.

This work could not have been completed without close collaboration between our primary industry partners: Biochar Solutions, Inc., Norris Thermal Technologies, and Pellet Fuels Institute, who provided the testing equipment. Other partners that provided key support include the Green Diamond Resource Company, the Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc. (RFFI), All Power Labs, Bear Mountain Forest Products, Colorado Biochar Resources, Pueblo Wood Products, California Redwood Company, North Coast Air Quality Management District, RUF Briquetting Systems, and OMNI Test Labs.

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