Radio frequency identification and composite container technology demonstration for transporting logistics of wood biomass

Abstract

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology is widely used in industry but thus far has almost no applications for energy biomass logistics. A demonstration study was performed to build a real-time Web-based tracking system, denoted as RfIDER that uses RFID to manage energy biomass logistics. In the demonstration study, the functionality of this system was evaluated and further developed. The demonstration involved trucks carrying both composite and metal interchangeable containers with RFID tags mounted on them. Also, the productivity of all work phases in the transportation chain was examined and the readability of the RFID tags was evaluated. The demonstration study revealed that the RfIDER system enables following containers in real time through the supply chain and both storing and reading information on individual containers reliably, such as biomass owner, origin, destination, content, and quality. The RFID tags' readability was better with composite than metal containers. Potential benefits of the system demonstrated are real-time nature and accuracy of the data gathered and an opportunity to allocate and classify said data on the basis of customer needs. Possible logistical advantages include greater efficiency of unloading operations at the energy plant via use of existing information stored in the system.