Woody biomass (WB) can be used for the generation of heat, electricity, and biofuels. Bioenergy production from WB has not been widely adopted because the price of WB energy has not been competitive with traditional fossil fuels. However, current projections of future energy use, renewable energy and climate change legislation suggest increased use of both WB and agr. biomass energy. This report provides a summary of the knowledge related to the production of WB from bioenergy with a focus on the econ. perspective. The most common WB feedstocks are described along with results of econ. modeling studies related to the provision of biomass from short-rotation woody crops, harvest residues, and haz.-fuel reduction efforts.

Woody biomass is most widely used for energy production. In the United States, roughly 2% of the energy consumed annually is generated from wood and wood-derived fuels. Woody biomass needs to be preprocessed and pretreated before it is used for energy production. Preprocessing and pretreatments improve the physical, chemical, and rheological properties, making them more suitable for feeding, handling, storage transportation, and conversion. Mechanical preprocessing technologies such as size reduction and densification, help improve particle size distribution and density. Thermal pretreatment can reduce grinding energy and torrefied ground biomass has improved sphericity, particle surface area, and particle size distribution. This book focuses on several specific topics, such as understanding how forest biomass for biofuels impacts greenhouse gas emissions; mechanical preprocessing, such as densification of forest residue biomass, to improve physical properties such as size, shape, and density; the impact of thermal pretreatment temperatures on woody biomass chemical composition, physical properties, and microstructure for thermochemical conversions such as pyrolysis and gasification; the grindability of torrefied pellets; use of wood for gasification and as a filter for tar removal; and understanding the pyrolysis kinetics of biomass using thermogravimetric analyzers.

Woody biomass can be used for the generation of heat, electricity, and biofuels. In many cases, the technology for converting woody biomass into energy has been established for decades, but because the price of woody biomass energy has not been competitive with traditional fossil fuels, bioenergy production from woody biomass has not been widely adopted. However, current projections of future energy use and renewable energy and climate change legislation under consideration suggest increased use of both forest and agriculture biomass energy in the coming decades. This report provides a summary of some of the existing knowledge and literature related to the production of woody biomass from bioenergy with a particular focus on the economic perspective. The most commonly discussed woody biomass feedstocks are described along with results of existing economic modeling studies related to the provision of biomass from short-rotation woody crops, harvest residues, and hazardous-fuel reduction efforts. Additionally, the existing social science literature is used to highlight some challenges to widespread production of biomass energy.

Woody biomass is most widely used for energy production. In the United States, roughly 2% of the energy consumed annually is generated from wood and wood-derived fuels. Woody biomass needs to be preprocessed and pretreated before it is used for energy production. Preprocessing and pretreatments improve the physical, chemical, and rheological properties, making them more suitable for feeding, handling, storage transportation, and conversion. Mechanical preprocessing technologies such as size reduction and densification, help improve particle size distribution and density. Thermal pretreatment can reduce grinding energy and torrefied ground biomass has improved sphericity, particle surface area, and particle size distribution. This book focuses on several specific topics, such as understanding how forest biomass for biofuels impacts greenhouse gas emissions; mechanical preprocessing, such as densification of forest residue biomass, to improve physical properties such as size, shape, and density; the impact of thermal pretreatment temperatures on woody biomass chemical composition, physical properties, and microstructure for thermochemical conversions such as pyrolysis and gasification; the grindability of torrefied pellets; use of wood for gasification and as a filter for tar removal; and understanding the pyrolysis kinetics of biomass using thermogravimetric analyzers.

This book is written for scientists and practitioners interested in deepening their knowledge of the sustainable production of bioenergy from wood in tropical and sub-tropical countries. Utilising the value chain concept, this book outlines the necessary aspects for managing sustainable bioenergy production. A wide range of topics is covered including biomass localization, modelling and upscaling, production management in woodlands and plantations, and transport and logistics. Biomass quality and conversion pathways are examined in order to match the conversion technology with the available biomass. A section is dedicated to issues surrounding sustainability. The issues, covered in a life-cycle assessment of the bioenergy system, include socio-economic challenges, local effects on water, biodiversity, nutrient-sustainability and global impacts. Through this holistic approach and supporting examples from tropical and sub-tropical countries, the reader is guided in designing and implementing a value chain as the main management instrument for sustainable wood.

Woody biomass can be used for the generation of heat, electricity, and biofuels. In many cases, the technology for converting woody biomass into energy has been established for decades, but because the price of woody biomass energy has not been competitive with traditional fossil fuels, bioenergy production from woody biomass has not been widely adopted. However, current projections of future energy use and renewable energy and climate change legislation under consideration suggest increased use of both forest and agriculture biomass energy in the coming decades. This report provides a summary of some of the existing knowledge and literature related to the production of woody biomass from bioenergy with a particular focus on the economic perspective. The most commonly discussed woody biomass feedstocks are described along with results of existing economic modeling studies related to the provision of biomass from short-rotation woody crops, harvest residues, and hazardous fuel-reduction efforts. Additionally, the existing social science literature is used to highlight some challenges to widespread production of biomass energy.

For thousands of years, forest biomass or wood has been among the main energy sources of humans around the world. Since the industrial revolution, fossil fuels have replaced wood and become the dominant source of energy. The use of fossil fuels has the disadvantage of increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs), especially carbon dioxide (CO2), with the consequent warming of global climate and changes in precipitation. In this context, the substitution of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources like forest biomass is among the ways to mitigate climate change. This book summarizes recent experiences on how to manage forest land to produce woody biomass for energy use and what are the potentials to mitigate climate change by substituting fossil fuels in energy production. In this context, the book addresses how management can affect the supply of energy biomass using short-rotation forestry and the conventional forestry applying long rotations. Furthermore, the book outlines the close interaction between the ecological systems and industrial systems, which controls the carbon cycle between the atmosphere and biosphere. In this context, sustainable forest management is a key to understand and control indirect carbon emissions due to the utilization of forest biomass (e.g. from management, harvesting and logistics, and ecosystem processes), which are often omitted in assessing the carbon neutrality of energy systems based on forest biomass. The focus in this book is on forests and forestry in the boreal and temperate zones, particularly in Northern Europe, where the woody biomass is widely used in the energy industry for producing energy.