Current use of bioenergy from forests in Finland and ... · Juha Laitila 15.12.2006 3 Use of wood fuels in Finland-Wood fuels are 20 % of primary energy production-Black liquor from

Metsäntutkimuslaitos Skogsforskningsinstitutet Finnish Forest Research Institute www.metla.fi

CurrentCurrent useuse of of bioenergybioenergy fromfrom forestsforestsin Finland and in Finland and futurefuture prospectsprospects

NSFP- seminar: Forest regeneration and bioenergy15.12.2006, Vantaa

M.Sc. Juha Laitila Joensuu Research Unit

Juha Laitila 15.12.2006 2

SixSix K of K of forestforest energyenergy fromfrom the the forestforesttechnologytechnology pointpoint of of viewview

• Korjuuketjut (supply chains)

• Kone- ja laitekehitys (machine & device development)

• Kertymät (Availability & accumulation of forest chips)

• Kustannukset (Costs)

• Klapi (Chopped firewood)

• Kansainvälisyys (Internationality, technology & know-how transfer)


Use of wood fuels in FinlandUse of wood fuels in Finland- Wood fuels are 20 % of primary energy production- Black liquor from pulp mills is the major source of

wood fuels, 50 %- Major resources of solid wood fuels are debarking

residues, forest chips and sawdust (process residues)- Forest chips are quite modest source of fuel, but is has growth potential.

Current level 3,0 Mm³-2,6 Mm³ in large scale use and 0,4 Mm³ in small scale use

Consumption of solid wood fuels 2005, Mm3

Sawdust 1.7

Bark 7.6

Forest chips 3.0

Chopped firewood 5.7Pellets

etc. 0.7

Industrial chips 1.0

0

2

4

6

8

Mm

3 pe

r ye

ar Goal 5 Mm³ by 2010

NOTE: Level of annual roundwood cuttings in Finland is 54 Mm³ & 15 Mm³ impoterted wood (2004)

+

in households


BorderBorder of the of the largelarge scalescale and and smallsmall scalescale useuse

Large scale50 - 500 MW

Municipality scale1 - 50 MW

Small scale20 - 1000 kW

Fireplace scale5 - 20 kW

15%15%70%70% 10%10% 5%5%

Large scale50 - 500 MW

Municipality scale1 - 50 MW

Small scale20 - 1000 kW

Fireplace scale5 - 20 kW

Quality requirements for the forest fuelsLOW

HIGHDry and homogenous raw material =

stem wood chips, pellets

2,6 Mm³ per year 0,4 Mm³ + about 5,7 Mm³ per year


Logging residues from final fellingsStumps from final fellings

- A side product of final cuttings- Accumulation easy to estimate and locate- Integration with roundwood harvesting and regeneration- Harvesting costs are quite low- Selected stands are spruce dominanted

Small diameter trees from early thinnings- Harvesting costs are high- Cost difference to logging residue chips is about 10 - 15 €/m³- Resources difficult to locate, measure and get to market- State subsidies enables harvesting activities (10-11 €/m³)

78 % = 1,66 + 0,38 Mm³

22 % = 0,57 Mm³

ThreeThree main main sourcessources of of forestforest fuelsfuels in the in the largelarge scalescale useuse


Stumpage price of logs 44-53 €/m³(birch, spruce & pine).

Minimum top diameter 15 cm.Lenght of bolts 3,1 - 5,5 meters

Stumpage price of pulpwood13-23 €/m³(birch,aspen,pine

& spruce). Minimum top diameter 6-8 cm.

Lenght of bolts between 3-5 meters

Stump & root wood30 -125 €/ha + savings in the

site preparation 75-150 €/ha

Logging residues30 - 125 €/ha

Small trees from precommercial thinnings

Stumpage price 0-(4) €/m³ (Pulpwood compensation)

30-60 m³/ha

45-85 m³/ha

50-75 m³/ha

BorderBorder of of industrialindustrial roundwoodroundwood and and energywoodenergywood in Finlandin Finland


HarvestingHarvesting of of logginglogging residuesresidues and and stumpsstumpsfromfrom sprucespruce dominateddominated clearclear cutcut areasareas

- Spruce stumps have a high wood content and stumpis loosely in the ground

- Stump harvesting is often combined with mounding(excavator & uprooting rake with mounding blade)

- Dry and homogenous raw material. Storing improves the quality. Excellent control fuel in wintertime.

- Stones & sand cause problems in comminution and in combustion

- High investment costs to heavy crushers limits the use of stump wood = “large scale fuel”

- Spruce stands, since the yield of logging residues is more than twice compared to pine and birch stands

-The recovery rate is about 70 % when the biomass is harvested as fresh with needles (green chips) and 60 % after summer seasoning at stand (brown chips)

- Logging residues consist of crown mass and stem wood loss

- Short storage life. One year is maximumAnnual harvested area 25 000 ha – an estimation

Annual harvested area 6000 ha – an estimation


-Due to the small stem volume (15 - 45 dm³) felling bunching costs are high

-Energy wood accumulation per hectare is small

-Number of remaining trees limits the productivity of the work

The typical logging sites are overstockedhardwood or pine stands

HarvestingHarvesting of of smallsmall diameterdiameter treestrees fromfromearlyearly thinningsthinnings

+ Annual availability of small-sized energy wood is independent of harvesting of industrial roundwood

+ Young forests is the largest unutilized source of forest energy. Annualpotential depending on stand selection criterias 8.4 – 1.4 Mm³per year

+ Thinning of young stands has silvicultural benefits.

+ Chips quality is high. Excelent fuel for small plants. Long storage life

? Harvesting is based on state subsidies


Logging residue procurement

- Slash piling to heaps is integrated into roundwood cutting

- Piling cost to the heaps is 0,3 €/m³

Stump & root wood procurement

- Splitting & uprooting + site preparation time per stump is 1 minute(on average 6-9 + 2-3 h/ha)

- Stump volume in final fellings is 150 -200 dm³(spruce)

- Cost of stump pulling is 4 – 6 €/m³

Small trees from pre-commercial thinnings

- Due to the small stem volume felling bunching costs are 12-15 €/m³

- Delimbing decreases productivity by 10 – 40 % compared to the harvesting with branches(mechanized cutting)

CostsCosts of of slashslash pilingpiling, , stumpsstumps uprootinguprooting & & fellingfelling--bunchingbunching of of thinningthinning woodwood ??

In the other phases of the procurement chain cost differences are rather small


CostCost of chips at of chips at plantplant –– ExampleExample calculationcalculation

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Trees from early thinnings Stumps Logging residues

Cost

at

the

powe

r plan

t, €

/m³


FutureFuture prospectsprospects……

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

2500000

3000000

Trees from earlythinnings

Logging residues Stumps Total

Use

of

fore

st c

hips

in la

rge

scal

e, m

³

Year 2000Year 2001Year 2002Year 2003Year 2004Year 2005

-The use of forest fuels has been growing fast during the last years.

- To promote the trend and use of forest energy we need more large, medium and small scale customers.

- Forest energy is a local energy and plants should be located nearresoursces.

- The significance of stumps in energy production will increase in the future.

Source: Metla/Ylitalo 2001-2006


-In Finland the forest biomass is number one fuel in renewable energy production

- “Normal” forest industries is not threatened by forest energy, on the contrary, it can give remarkable possibilities in the future

- Integration of energy wood harvesting with roundwood harvesting in thinnings is a great challenge —> Line between fibre and energy use will soften

- Large scale biomass refineries, liquid fuels and wood gas are probable future technologies in forest fuel business

FutureFuture prospectsprospects……


ThankThank youyou for for youryourattentionattention

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Current use of bioenergy from forests in Finland and ... · Juha Laitila 15.12.2006 3 Use of wood fuels in Finland-Wood fuels are 20 % of primary energy production-Black liquor from