INFRES

Innovative and effective technology and logistics for forest residual biomass supply in the EU

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'INFRES aims to accelerate the technological development and open new paths to EU’s renewable targets by producing research based knowledge, technological solutions and service innovations for forest residue feedstock supply. INFRES aims at high efficiency and precise deliveries of woody feedstock to heat, power and biorefining industries by: Producing technological and logistic innovations for developing new harvesting, transport and storage technology for forest fuel procurement, Demonstrating new solutions in full supply chains from harvesting to transport and storage in real operational environment Spotting the technological, economic, regulatory and other bottlenecks in the innovation structures for the forest energy sector, Assessing the environmental, economical and social sustainability for the developed logistics including scenarios for different fuel sources, methods, technologies and transport distances and Disseminating the outcomes of research and demonstrations to the practices. Project consortium has 23 partners including 9 leading forest energy research organizations of accompanied with 14 SME along the biomass supply chain. SME’s include manufacturers of harvesting technology, chippers, feedstock supply enterprises, forest harvesting and transport providers, truck technology and IT service provider to manage fleet and storages. During the project INFRES develops and demonstrates technological and logistical solutions that decrease the fossil energy input in the biomass supply by 20% and reduces the raw material losses by 15%. The cost of supply can be reduced by 10-20% and precision of supply improves the economic outcome of CHP production by 10%. The CO2 emissions of feedstock supply will diminish by 10%. With the novel technologies and efficient transfer of best practices between the countries in the consortium and other countries with similar natural conditions the volume of forest energy supply in EU27 by 2015 will be 30% higher than today.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An EU-funded project is working on providing machinery, transport and information technology solutions to enhance the woody feedstock supply chain in Europe.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The EU 2020 climate and energy strategy partly relies on increasing the use of forest biomass for providing a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. The project 'Innovative and effective technology and logistics for forest residual biomass supply in the EU' (http://www.infres.eu/ (INFRES)) is opening new paths to EU renewable energy targets by offering solutions that increase the efficiency of biomass supply.

In particular, INFRES is developing innovative technological and logistics solutions for new harvesting, transport and storage technologies. Advances should benefit the heating, power generation and biorefining industries.

INFRES is seeking new fuel-efficient solutions e.g. for wood chippers to decrease fossil energy input by 20 % in the forest biomass supply chain. With its novel logistics management tools, it targets reduction of raw material losses in addition to carbon dioxide emissions of feedstock supply. Through use of larger chip trucks that can take up to 90 tonnes, the project is driving down biomass transport costs. Furthermore, hybrid technology in wood chippers is reducing fuel consumption.

Based on detailed technology assessments and logistics analysis, project partners have found that optimised drying of stored biomass leads to increased economic benefits. Findings enable optimal delivery timing, for example material chipping and transport when it is dry enough. Studies concerning the quality of the stump-derived woodchip showed that a great amount of sand and soil can be removed, thus enhancing transport efficiency.

Project machinery has been demonstrated in real working environments in different parts of Europe. Examples include chippers, energy wood felling heads, new harvesting patterns, residue forwarding and terminal chipping. To ensure sustainable development, INFRES has elaborated the ecological, economic and social impact of the new solutions. Scenarios for different fuel sources, methods, technologies and transport distances have been included.

Mobilising residual forest biomass for energy has been estimated as an efficient path to reach ambitious EU climate and energy goals. Sustainable and reliable supply of feedstock is thus a crucial factor for the long-term perspective of biomass-based technologies, also enhancing the European economy's competitiveness.