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Chipper Harvester for Small Trees

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Mallee Eucalypt production for bioenergy – research and

harvesting

Paul TurnbullWoody Crops Program Leader

The Future Farm Industries CRCDepartment of Primary Industries

Paul.Turnbull@dpi.vic.gov.auPh 0409 402 179

Presented atFarm Forestry and Firewood Machinery Expo

8 April 2011

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Harvest and Haulage is the major expense for the Delivered Cost of Biomass

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3 m

6 m

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Over 100 tonnes per hour Average 60 t/h (24/7) for 5 to 6 months

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Over 200 t/h with up to ~ 1000 hp

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Flexible crop stems for horizontal feedUses a chopper, not a chipper

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Products: 1. Biofuel or Bioenergy2. Biochar3. Cineole4. Co-products and biomaterials5. Sequestered carbon

Woody crop production

Processing

Harvest

Chip

Harvesting – supply chain to processing

Transport

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Surface run-off or water harvest

Perched or seasonal groundwater flow

Boundary to zone of permanently moist

subsoil

Leakage into root zone

~20m 7m ~20m

>10m

Water capture by mallee belts

Woody crop belt

Rainfall Open paddock under annual crop

Lateral root or competition zone

Deep permanent groundwater table

Groundwater influx to root zone??

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Biomass and Carbon from Harvested Mallees

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Cashflow of mallee belts growing carbon and biomassand the opportunity cost of land in agriculture

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Case 1-Canola Case 2 - Mustard Case 3 - Mustard Corn Mallee

En

erg

y R

aio

(O

utp

ut/

Inp

ut,

MJ/M

J)

33.5 GJ/ha 46.4 GJ/ha 25.8 GJ/ha 141.9 GJ/ha 206.3 GJ/ha

Energy ratio – the advantage of woody biomass

Energy productivity

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Assumptions

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Harvest and Haulage – Biomass Cost

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Woody Crop Research – part of a network seeking a future mallee biomass industry