The use of conservation biomass feedstocks as potential bioenergy resources in the United Kingdom

D Phillips,E.J.S Mitchell,A.R Lea-Langton,K.R Parmar,J.M Jones,A Williams

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2016.04.057

D Phillips, E.J.S Mitchell + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2016.04.057

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Abstract

A number of countries have introduced energy policies to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide which, in the case of bio-heat, has resulted in increased use of small wood burning stoves and boilers, particularly in Europe. There are issues surrounding the supply of sustainable wood feedstock, prompting a desire to utilise local biomass resources. This includes biomass generated through the management of natural woodlands in nature reserves and conservation areas. These management practices can also extend to other areas, such as raised bog wildernesses and estuary Reed beds. We term the biomass from this resource as conservation biomass. This study is concerned with the viability of this resource as a fuel within the United Kingdom, and combustion tests were carried out using a small domestic stove. It was concluded that there is as much as 500kty−1 that could be used in this way.

Highlights

European policies and targets for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide have led to an increase in the use of biomass in stoves and boilers throughout Europe
Compared to the raw fuel, the briquetted Reed showed a lower volatile content and a higher ash content which is probably due to the processing conditions
The carbonisation process increases the higher heating value (HHV) of the conservation biomass feedstocks, as shown in Table 3, producing results comparable to bituminous coal

Summary

Introduction

European policies and targets for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide have led to an increase in the use of biomass in stoves and boilers throughout Europe. There are potential problems surrounding the availability of sustainable supplies of wood feedstock in Europe. With the requirement of large quantities of imported biomass for electricity generation in the UK (DUKES, 2015), coupled with the desire to achieve security of supply, there is a growing necessity to use local biomass resources. Sustainable bio-heat remains a challenge in many European countries. Small-scale combustion applications may have to be increasingly used, with appropriate attention to environmental and sustainability issues (Gerssen-Gondelach et al, 2014). In 2014, the UK used approximately 4.9 Mt of fuel wood (DUKES, 2015) of which 354 kt of wood pellets and briquettes were

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