Comments on: Woody Biomass Resources

By: Jason San Souci, GISP

Jason San Souci, GISP — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:35:23 +0000

Hi Bill,

The number of bone dry tons (BDT) of biomass available in a single acre of forest varies by region, forest type and density. In the southwest, there are 27 BDT per acre in a medium density mixed conifer forest and upwards of 44 BDT per acre in a high density pinon-juniper woodland. Obviously, not every acre is clear-cut to create hog fuel feedstock, but forest residues as a result of restoring forests and woodlands to healthy stocking levels is a viable source of woody biomass. I hope this helps.

By: christopher

christopher — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:54:06 +0000

I like your article i am currently a forestry student at HSU and am writing a paper on woody biomass energy and although your article is a good overview i think your estimate of how much energy is produced from woody biomass should include heating energy from wood stoves and other wood burning heat sources which are becoming more popular especially as programs like fuels for schools (http://www.fuelsforschools.info/pdf/business_outlook.pdf) are starting in state’s with timber lands. The main problem with biomass is getting it from where it is grown to a processing faculty because of its bulkiness many times it cant pay its own way out of the woods or field at least not yet.

PS if anyone has any links to sites that are about the energy potential of woody biomass on a MW per acre terms especially pertaining to CA they would be appreciated

By: Bubba

Bubba — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 04:07:09 +0000

Biomass – Hmmmmmm

Back in my day they used to call it something else,…firewood.

I like wood pellets. Easier to handle than cordwood.

I’d like to see more pellets made from stuff like grass, goldenrod or hemp. Burning goldenrod will not support foreign terrorists.

By: bill west

bill west — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:35:54 +0000

How many tons of biomass is there in a typical acre of woods if you were to utilize everything available in that acre?

By: bhupendra

bhupendra — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:24:33 +0000

Pl. take a note that biomass gasifier is of great use, but biomass storage, drying and transportation is one of the problem for larger gasifiers.

Pl. send details for storage of biomass woody biomass for 15 days and drying from 40% moisture to less than 20% and then storage and conveying to gasifier of 1.5 MWe plant. The biomass required 1200 kg/hr, bulk density is 445 kg/m3.

Awaiting for reply.

By: Eero

Eero — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:35:25 +0000

In North America (US)is company what have begin to retrofit wood pellet burners in to oil boilers. Even price of the oil is now low , there is lot of interest of the wood pellet burner technology. Pellergy LLC VT.

By: Hipnology

Hipnology — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:17:53 +0000

The use of woody biomass will be a key ingredient in helping managing the health of our forests. Just look a Finland and other European countries. The amount of fiber that could be utilized on a renewable basis is outstanding. Lets just hope the state and federal agencies will buy in to this type of harves. I agree with all.

By: Salman

Salman — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:26:31 +0000

I agree with your views, Prof Tenta. Biomass as an energy source can solve our energy problems as well as waste management headaches.
Thanks for your comments.
Salman

By: Prof. Tenta

Prof. Tenta — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:18:59 +0000

Biomass is an excellent energy source, what with ti being renewable and all!! It is a fantastic way for Australia to use rubbish etc. in a useful way, because if not that rubbish would have added dramatically to the amount of rubbish clogging up our country that we are running out of room to store!!

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:43:08 +0000

Salman and Cook,

I am a member of VictoryGasworks.com an online community for alternative energy utilizing biomass gasification or wood gasification.

http://VictoryGasworks.com is a cool social network where we take (like Salman writes) biomass from nonagricultural crops, yard waste, wood waste, any kind of biowaste and convert it into energy through gasification. The site really explores biomass gasification as an alternative energy source and the pros and cons of current gasifiers. People share their findings, thoughts, inventions etc…

Your article Salman is good and it’s nice to see a good article on biomass and how it can be turned into clean renewable energy.

By: Salman

Salman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:44:26 +0000

Dear Menon Saheb
Many thanks for your kind words. Food residuals from hotels, restaurants, institutions and homes have very good biogas potential due to high percentage of organic matter, As per your wishes, I will write an article soon on this topic.
CDM has become a tool to outsource pollution to the developing world. There should be an equal responsibility on industrialized and developing world to mitigate climate change.
Thanks again
Warm regards
Salman

By: M.R.Menon

M.R.Menon — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:54:05 +0000

Dear Salman:

You wrote an excellent article. I suggest you to please do a study on kitchen waste from 3-5 star hotels and large educational and technical institutions. My friend Mr. B.J.Britto, the MD of Britto Energy Engineers in Mumbai have installed a bio-mass plant at Larsen & Toubro’s canteen in Powai. This plant not only gets rid of the kitchen waste but also produces bio-gas for cooking purposes.

When the crude oil price hit the roof with US $145 per barrel, I thought renewable energy projects will be given priority. Alas, now the price crashed down to US $62 per barrel and is likely to hit the bottom price of US $45 per barrel very soon. This will make the players in the Clean Development Mechanism more richer.

With best wishes,

Solarically yours,
M.R.Menon
Sub-Editor, Energy Manager and
Editor, Sun Power, India

By: Salman

Salman — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:39:51 +0000

I agree with you, Jim. If agriculture is modernized up to reasonable standards in various regions of the world, several billions of hectares may be available for biomass energy production. This land would comprise degraded and unproductive lands or excess cropland, and preserve the world’s nature areas and quality cropland.
Biofuels are one way to ensure adequate fuel supplies at a time when yields from existing oil fields are declining and new fields are not yet up and running. Biofuels can do much to help fill the gap between limited fuel supplies and increasing worldwide demand—a gap that is almost sure to widen in the coming years.

By: Jim Cook

Jim Cook — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:11:19 +0000

I have to agree with Salman. Anyone who has followed even the timber industry alone, should realize that it is one of the perfect renewable resources, and one of the reasons why the use of wood and wood products have endured so long. My wise grandfather talked with me about the importance of this 40 years ago, and he was just a poor country farmer that did not even finish high school. The use of vegetative/woody products and other natural energy sources of this planet (and perhaps eventually others), particularly when they are so easily renewable (such as planted forests, algae, and crop by-products) should be the primary focus of a planned, sustainable, renewable, low-impact initiative to reduce dependence of fossil fuels. The use of planted forests and ag by-products in North America is a stellar example of how this could be done on a larger scale than it already is. And a healthier planet will be the result…

By: Salman

Salman — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:22:26 +0000

Thanks for your kind words, Mr. Johnson
(1) The author has no wish to cut down forests to produce energy. You should have read the full article before jumping to such a conclusion. The author is talking about biomass residues and the crops that can grown on non-arable land.
(2) The depletion of the topsoil would be much less than that caused by other human activities, if biomass wastes can be collected and utilized for energy production.
(3) Engineers, like the author, are not challenging the Creator. Infact, they are are trying to produce energy from different wastes to satiate the ever-increasing energy appetite of the mankind.

With due respect to you
Salman

By: Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:31:56 +0000

1. Why does the author wish to further deforest our already ailing planet?

2. How much would topsoil be depleted by collection and consumption of natural grasses rather than leaving them to decompose?

3. Why do engineers think they’re smarter than the Creator (your choice) who put the tremendously complex, intricately interrelated ecosystems in place? It appears they are interested primarily in profit, not serving as stewards of our bounty.