Harvesting biomass from fast-growing trees

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $2 million in funding to help develop a solution for collecting renewable biomass from fast-growing trees. The funds will support research and development business Biosystems Engineering in its further developing, building and testing an innovative woody biomass harvester.

ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the harvester’s design could significantly lower the cost of producing wood chips for biomass, with prototype trials indicating “the system’s potential to process more trees per hour than existing technology”.

“It simultaneously cuts down trees and converts them to woodchips in a single pass,” he noted.

According to Frischknecht, Biosystems Engineering plans to collect biomass from species of eucalyptus trees that can be harvested every three to five years. Short-rotation tree species such as Mallee have adapted to low-rainfall, high-evaporation environments with periodic wildfires, making them a suitable source for renewable biomass.

“These species are complementary to food production and are already being used on Australian farms as wind screens and to tackle salinity and boost biodiversity,” he said.

Over 33 days, the project aims to collect 15,000 tonnes of chipped Mallee at a plantation near Casino, NSW, to supplement feedstock to the 30 MW bioenergy power plant at the Broadwater sugar mill.

“The harvesting process is designed to integrate with in-field haulout vehicles and roadside collection, similar to the current supply chain model for sugar cane,” Frischknecht said.

“Biosystems Engineering plans to increase the size of the harvester and upgrade the design to enable it to operate under full-scale commercial conditions.

“The harvester also has potential as an Australian technology export, should it be successfully developed and perform to expectations.”

The project is scheduled for completion in 2017.