Woody biomass for local use: Short rotation coppice

Bio-energy production Europe BEPE project 19 maart 2012 Pieter Verdonckt, Inagro

Initiatief in het kader van het Interreg IVB Project ARBOR, met steun van de Europese gemeenschap, de Vlaamse Overheid en de provincie West-Vlaanderen.

- What is short rotation coppice and why?

- Technical aspects

- Productivity and rentability

- Examples

- Multifunctional aspects

What is Short rotation coppice (SRC)?

Cultivation of fast growing woody plants of which the aboveground biomass is harvested in its entirity periodically for up to 8 years after planting or after the previous harvest.
SRC forest Condition: planted outside vulnerable areas.

Potential renewable energy by 2020

g g

SRC in EUROPE
SWEDEN: 20.000 ha POLAND: 6800 ha ITALY: 6000ha (mainly poplar) ENGLAND: 3000ha IRELAND: 1000 ha GERMANY: <1000 ha FRANCE: several 100 ha DENMARK: several 100 ha BELGIUM
1996: 2004: 2006: 2007: 2008: 2009: 2010: 2011:

Boom 0,55 ha Bruges 1 ha Lommel 4 ha Doornik 20 ha Wervik 1 ha; Beitem 0,5 ha Wervik 1 ha Zedelgem 2 ha; Bruges 0,5 ha; Lochristi 18 ha Ursel 6 ha

TOTAL: 54,55 ha

2 different planting systems

Five-year cropping system with Poplar

Advantages: - Less problems with weed control - Lower risk of damage by drought - Higher quality of wood (less bark) - Machines for harvest are available (cfr forestry)

Desadvantages: - Shorter life span; more expensive - No machines for mechanical planting

3-jarig systeem met wilg Zweeds systeem

Advantages: - Weed control is more intensive - Risk of damage by drought - More bark - Only one machine for harvest is available in Flanders (corn harvester)

Desadvantages: - Longer life span, less expensive - Machines for planting and management are available

Technichal aspects

Site Selection - Site preparation

When? - early spring; February/March (lower risk of water stress)

Where? - rectangular plot => minimal headlands - Rich loamy soils, good aeration and water retention. - pH in the range 5,5 7

Pre-planting
- Pre-ploughing herbicide application if necessary (glyphosate 4 - 5l/ha) - ploughing (plowed and power harrowed, prepare seedbed in mid march (6 weeks before planting) spray off germinated weeds) - harrowed as close as possible to planting

Planting
Swedish planting system with short cuttings, using a leek planter double row system at a distance of 0,75m and 1,50m between every double row Headlands of at least 12m planting distance in the row is 0,60m or planting density of 15.000 cuttings per ha 2 ha/day

Management
Less intensive than classic arable cultures

Weed control
Chemical pre-emergent herbicide: in de poten van 180cm ( 5-jarige teelt ) Terano ( 60% Flufenacet + 2,5% Metosulam ) aan 0,5 tot 1kg/ha

in stekken 21cm ( 2-jarige teelt )

Mengsel van : - Linuron 500SC ( Linuron 500g/l) 2L/ha - Kerb 400SC ( Propyzamide 400g/L) 1,5L/ha - AZ 500 ( Isoxaben 500g/L ) 0,5l/ha

AND
Mechanical with weeder or line cultivator

Pests in SRC
Phratora vulgatissima

Pests in SRC

Olof

Raamberger Tora

Tordis Inger

Diseases in SRC
Roest (Melamsora spp.)
- Most important fungal pathogen of SRC Willow

- mild winters favour development of the disease

- first seen in late spring, underside of leaf - Lead to premature defoliation with implications for yield - Can cause significant levels of damage to shoots and stools and even cause death.

Pests and diseases in SRC

Control could be achieved using fungicides or insecticides, however this is not considered a solution for a number of reasons; - Economics - use of pesticides is not compatible with the idea of willow as an environmentally acceptable crop. - Practically difficult to apply chemical disease and pest control.

Only solution! Right choice of plant material;

Varities
L 78183 (ref.)

Relative Yield
100

Leaf rust
100

Insects*
100

Leaf beetle
100

Frost damage (schaal 0-5)

4

TORA TORHILD SVEN OLOF GUDRUN TORDIS INGER KARIN KLARA

155 (74)*** 123 (41) 136 (45) 143 (41) 138 (20) 131 (28) 141 (9) 107 (9) 125 (2)

0,2 2 0,3 12 0,6 0 9 6 4

43 87 116 44 25 57 64 81 33

112 107 104 106 29 86 89 104 85

3 5 5 5 0 5 5 1 0

Harvest
- Harvest when trees are at rest (nov-maart) - every 3 year , 30-60 tons DM/ 3 year (10-20 tons DM/ha/year)

Four different types of harvesters were tested and demonstrated this winter:
Aangepaste mashakselaar Belgium Stemster MKIII (Nordic Biomass) Denmark Energy harvester (Ny Vraa) Denmark BioBaler (Anderson Group Co.) Canada

Drying wood chips

Moisture content fresh wood chips 50%
Drying by natural convection (concrete floor, roofed and well ventilated) or using active ventilation (cf. grain drying)
60 50 40 30 20 10 0 13/Nov

% humidity

3/Dec

23/Dec

12/Jan

1/Feb

21/Feb

Short rotation coppice to diversify agriculture

Yield test plots

Yield OF SRC on test plot 0,5 ha

Average yield DM incl. Raamberger = 16,71 ton Yield DM (ton/ha/year) Average yield DM excl. Raamberger = 18,39 ton

Estimation profitability
=> 12 ton DM (0% M)/ha/year => 15,6 ton dry wood chips (30% M)/ha/year Equivalent to 5000l oil/ha/year => Every 3 year 46,8 ton dry wood can be harvested per ha

3,5 m/ ton dry wood chips

Estimation profitability 2ha SRC for own use

Farmer with a fuel consumption of 10.000l per year (0,749/l) = 7490/year => equivalent to 30 ton wood chips per year (M30%) All prices are excl VAT Cost (excl. VAT) Investment Year 1 Pre- planting 270

Chemichal weed control 80

Plowing and harrowing 140 Amount of cuttings (15000/ha)

Price cuttings (0,08) 1200

Planting with leek planter 900 Mechanical weed control Subtotal 1 ha 500 2808

Total 2 ha

5.616

Investments 2 ha SRC Drying accomodation 300m3 (concrete floor + concrete walls and plastic greenhouse) Price biomass installation Wood boiler 100kW Supply system and stock Subsidies on investment (28%) Buffer 5.000l Total investment wood boiler

Price (excl VAT) 5.616 11000

20000 5500 -7140 6500 24.860

Total investment for self sufficiency

44.300

Yearly cost Managemet plantation Year 1, 2, 3 (cycle 1) harvest fertilizing

Cost

(excl VAT)

/ha 1300 0

Cycle 2

Etc.

1300

=> 1300 per cycle (3 year) or 433 per year/ha Yearly maintenance and service of wood boiler Cost Remove plantation after 21 year 300

(excl VAT)

2500

=> Assuming a production of 12 tons / year / ha, or 15.6 tons of wood chips (M30%) equivalent to 93.6 tons of wood chips (M30%) when harvesting every 3 years 2ha Fuel Oil Price 0.7490 / l (average 5000l) (excl. VAT and excise)

Farmers uses its own produced wood chips coming from SRC

Production price per ton

104,04

= ((depreciation 2ha en drying space) + management cost 2ha + depreciation and maintenance of heating) / 31,2 ton

Gross revenu per ton dry wood chips

Profit per ton

243

139

Annual net revenu per ha

2437

= (saved cost 10000l oil + selling surplus wood chips) (depreciation 2 ha, drying space and heating + management cost 2ha + maintenance heating)/2

Static pay back (years)

6,28

Estimation profitability 2ha SRC for own use

Farmer plants 2 ha SRC and dries wood chips (<30%) to be able to use them for heating on his own farm. => Financingcost 6% => refinancing yield 3% => Discount rate 4% => Taking into account a price increase of 5%/year for energy.
13 ton/ha
(=10 ton DS)

15,6 ton /ha

(=12 ton DS)

18,2 ton /ha

(=14 ton DS)

20,8 ton /ha

(=16 ton DS)

23,4 ton /ha

(=18 ton DS)

26 ton/ha

(=20 ton DS)

Net present Vlaue Modified internal rate of return (MIRR) Dynamic payback time (year) Net annual income/ha

117.702 13 %

126.466 13 %

135.229 14 %

143.062 14 %

151.408 15 %

159.754 15 %

2802

3011

3220

3406

3605

3804

Compare net annual income/ ha with arable cultures => Short rotation coppice => min. 2802 /ha => Wheat- potatoes - corn suga rbeet =>average 1500 /ha

Preconditions and comments

- Yields are variable and depend on soil conditions and type - All costs for construction and management fee calculated on contract work - There was no account of agricultural subsidies (/ha) in the calculations. (typical for Flanders 460 / ha) - Not include lease costs of ground (average rent of arable land in Belgium = 229 )

- If oil prices continue to rise, the profitability of the crops will further increase

Examples

Farmer Dirk Talpe, Wervik (2ha)

- heating installation on wood 100kW (2007) - SRC since 2008 - 2000m greenhouse (floriculture)

- 30 tons dry wood chips/year (= 10 000l oil)

- investment: 28 253

- 30% Vlif-steun (subsidies received)

-First harvest in nov 2011 after 4 years (average yearly yield = 10 ton)

Dairy farm with own cheese production (2,5ha SRC) (Fr)

- Dairy farm -Since 2001 2,5 ha SRC - used as biofilter for; -dung juices from 60 cows - cleaning water from stables - wastewater from the dairy and cheese production - total investment 65.000 - yearly saved cost = 5000 - 8m3/day, drip irrigation - upto 300 N-units/ha

Ursel (6ha poplar )

Multifunctional applications of SRC

SRC and industry gounds

Extra income Buffer against dust or odour Landscape integration Biodiversity on industrial sites New plantation spring 2012 (2,5 ha)

www.xylempor.eu

Chickens and chips?

Extra income Improvement of animal well being Drainage Buffer for odour Landscape integration spring 2012: 1 ha will be planted

Biodiversity
Why does SRC has potential? - Perennial low input culture, no use of pesticides and low fertilization - More stable and natural environment than intensively managed annual energy crops - Willow is a host plant to a lot of insects - Development of a herbacious vegetation below SRC and rich soil, higher natural equilibrium (insecten en hun predatoren) - Large headlands without negative effects from pesticides where insects, butterflies and plants can occur. spring 2012: 2,5 ha will be planted

Thanks for your attention!

For more information, contact pieter.verdonckt@inagro.be or go to;

WWW.

.be