The Experts below are selected from a list of 1110 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
R Ceulemans - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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operational short rotation Woody Crop plantations manual or mechanised harvesting
Biomass & Bioenergy, 2015Co-Authors: Stefan P P Vanbeveren, Janine Schweier, G Berhongaray, R CeulemansAbstract:Abstract Harvesting is the most expensive, but the least investigated process in the cultivation of short rotation Woody Crops (SRWC). To get a better idea of the harvesting process (in terms of its performance, productivity, cost, soil compaction, cutting height and quality as well as biomass losses), we closely monitored the second harvest of a SRWC culture in Flanders (Belgium). We compared our results to the harvests of other, small European parcels. The trees at our site were harvested with both a manual and a mechanised (Stemster harvester) cut-and-store system, while the cut-and-chip system was analysed from an extensive literature survey. The production cost (to the edge of the field) at our site reached 426 (manual) and 94 (mechanised) € t −1 , while the average values found in the literature are respectively 104 and 78 € t −1 , versus 17 € t −1 for the cut-and-chip harvesting system. The productivity at our site reached 14 (manual) and 22 (mechanised) oven-dry tonnes per scheduled machine hour, while the average values found in the literature are respectively 15 and 23 t h −1 . Based on the good performance (ha h −1 ) and productivity (t h −1 ) of the cut-and-chip system as well as its lower costs, this harvesting system is recommended for operational SRWC.
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comparative analysis of harvesting machines on an operational high density short rotation Woody Crop srwc culture one process versus two process harvest operation
Biomass & Bioenergy, 2013Co-Authors: G Berhongaray, El O Kasmioui, R CeulemansAbstract:Abstract Short rotation Woody Crops (SRWCs) are being studied and cultivated because of their potential for bioenergy production. The harvest operation represents the highest input cost for these short rotation Woody Crops. We evaluated three different harvesting machines representing two harvesting systems at one operational large-scale SRWC plantation. On average, 8 ton ha −1 of biomass was harvested. The cut-and-chip harvesters were faster than the whole stem harvester; and the self-propelled harvester was faster than the tractor-pulled. Harvesting costs differed among the harvesting machines used and ranged from 388 € ha −1 to 541 € ha −1 . The realized stem cutting heights were 15.46 cm and 16.00 cm for the tractor-pulled stem harvester and the self-propelled cut-and-chip harvester respectively, although a cutting height of 10 cm was requested in advance. From the potential harvestable biomass, only 77.4% was harvested by the self-propelled cut-and-chip harvester, while 94.5% was harvested by the tractor-pulled stem harvester. An increase of the machinery use efficiency (i.e. harvest losses, cost) is necessary to reduce costs and increase the competitiveness of biomass with other energy sources.
G Berhongaray - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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operational short rotation Woody Crop plantations manual or mechanised harvesting
Biomass & Bioenergy, 2015Co-Authors: Stefan P P Vanbeveren, Janine Schweier, G Berhongaray, R CeulemansAbstract:Abstract Harvesting is the most expensive, but the least investigated process in the cultivation of short rotation Woody Crops (SRWC). To get a better idea of the harvesting process (in terms of its performance, productivity, cost, soil compaction, cutting height and quality as well as biomass losses), we closely monitored the second harvest of a SRWC culture in Flanders (Belgium). We compared our results to the harvests of other, small European parcels. The trees at our site were harvested with both a manual and a mechanised (Stemster harvester) cut-and-store system, while the cut-and-chip system was analysed from an extensive literature survey. The production cost (to the edge of the field) at our site reached 426 (manual) and 94 (mechanised) € t −1 , while the average values found in the literature are respectively 104 and 78 € t −1 , versus 17 € t −1 for the cut-and-chip harvesting system. The productivity at our site reached 14 (manual) and 22 (mechanised) oven-dry tonnes per scheduled machine hour, while the average values found in the literature are respectively 15 and 23 t h −1 . Based on the good performance (ha h −1 ) and productivity (t h −1 ) of the cut-and-chip system as well as its lower costs, this harvesting system is recommended for operational SRWC.
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comparative analysis of harvesting machines on an operational high density short rotation Woody Crop srwc culture one process versus two process harvest operation
Biomass & Bioenergy, 2013Co-Authors: G Berhongaray, El O Kasmioui, R CeulemansAbstract:Abstract Short rotation Woody Crops (SRWCs) are being studied and cultivated because of their potential for bioenergy production. The harvest operation represents the highest input cost for these short rotation Woody Crops. We evaluated three different harvesting machines representing two harvesting systems at one operational large-scale SRWC plantation. On average, 8 ton ha −1 of biomass was harvested. The cut-and-chip harvesters were faster than the whole stem harvester; and the self-propelled harvester was faster than the tractor-pulled. Harvesting costs differed among the harvesting machines used and ranged from 388 € ha −1 to 541 € ha −1 . The realized stem cutting heights were 15.46 cm and 16.00 cm for the tractor-pulled stem harvester and the self-propelled cut-and-chip harvester respectively, although a cutting height of 10 cm was requested in advance. From the potential harvestable biomass, only 77.4% was harvested by the self-propelled cut-and-chip harvester, while 94.5% was harvested by the tractor-pulled stem harvester. An increase of the machinery use efficiency (i.e. harvest losses, cost) is necessary to reduce costs and increase the competitiveness of biomass with other energy sources.
Theodor D Leininger - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Evaluating growth effects from an imidacloprid treatment in black willow and eastern cottonwood cuttings
2015Co-Authors: Luciano De Sene Fernandes, Ray A. Souter, Theodor D LeiningerAbstract:Black willow (Salix nigra Marsh.) and eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartram ex Marsh.), two species native in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, have importance in short rotation Woody Crop (SRWC) systems for biomass production (Ruark 2006).
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A STELLA Model to Estimate Water and Nitrogen Dynamics in a Short-Rotation Woody Crop Plantation.
Journal of Environmental Quality, 2015Co-Authors: Ying Ouyang, Theodor D Leininger, Jiaen Zhang, Brent R. FreyAbstract:Although Short-Rotation Woody Crop biomass production technology has demonstrated a promising potential to supply feedstocks for bioenergy production, the water and nutrient processes in the Woody Crop planation ecosystem are poorly understood. In this study, a computer model was developed to estimate the dynamics of water and nitrogen (N) species (e.g., NH4–N, NO3–N, particulate organic N, and soluble organic N [SON]) in a Woody Crop plantation using STELLA (Structural Thinking and Experiential Learning Laboratory with Animation) software. A scenario was performed to estimate diurnal and monthly water and N variations of a 1-ha mature cottonwood plantation over a 1-yr simulation period. A typical monthly variation pattern was found for soil water evaporation, leaf water transpiration, and root water uptake, with an increase from winter to summer and a decrease from summer to the following winter. Simulations further revealed that the rate of soil water evaporation was one order of magnitude lower than that of leaf water transpiration. In most cases, the relative monthly water loss rates could be expressed as evapotranspiration > root uptake > percolation > runoff. Leaching of NO 3–N and SON depended not only on soil N content but also on rainfall rate and duration. Leaching of NO3–N from the cottonwood plantation was about two times higher than that of SON. The relative monthly rate of N leaching was NO3–N > SON > NH4–N. This study suggests that the STELLA model developed is a useful tool for estimating water and N dynamics from a Woody Crop plantation.
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Measuring and partitioning soil respiration in sharkey shrink-swell clays under plantation grown Short-Rotation Woody Crops
2015Co-Authors: Wilson G. Hood, Michael C. Tyree, Dylan N. Dillaway, Theodor D LeiningerAbstract:The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) offers an ecological niche for Short-Rotation Woody Crop (SRWC) production by mating marginal agricultural land with optimal growing conditions. Approximately 1.7 million ha within the LMAV consist of Sharkey shrink-swell clays. They are considered marginal in terms of traditional agricultural productivity due to their hydric characteristics (Vepraskas and Richardson 1997). However, these soils are ideal for SRWC production using native, welladapted species.
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a stella model to estimate soil co 2 emissions from a short rotation Woody Crop
Water Air and Soil Pollution, 2013Co-Authors: Ying Ouyang, Theodor D Leininger, Jeff A Hatten, Prem B ParajuliAbstract:The potential for climatic factors as well as soil–plant–climate interactions to change as a result of rising levels of atmospheric CO2 concentration is an issue of increasing international environmental concern. Agricultural and forest practices and managements may be important contributors to mitigating elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. A computer model was developed using the Structural Thinking and Experiential Learning Laboratory with Animation (STELLA) software for soil CO2 emissions from a Short-Rotation Woody Crop as affected by soil water and temperature regimes, root and microbial respiration, and surficial processes such as rainfall, irrigation, and evapotranspiration. The resulting model was validated with good agreement between the model predictions and the experimental measurements prior to its applications. Two scenarios were then chosen to estimate both diurnal and annual soil CO2 emissions from a 1-ha mature cottonwood plantation as affected by soil temperature, soil (i.e., root and microbial) respiration, and irrigation. The simulation resulted in typical diurnal soil respiration and CO2 emission patterns, with increases from morning to early afternoon and decreases from early afternoon to midnight. This pattern was driven by diurnal soil temperature variations, indicating that soil temperature was the main influence on soil respiration and CO2 efflux into the atmosphere. Our simulations further revealed that the average seasonal soil respiration rate in summer was 1.6 times larger than in winter, whereas the average seasonal CO2 emission rate in summer was 1.77 times larger than in winter. Characteristic annual variation patterns for soil respiration and CO2 emission also were modeled, with both increasing from January 1 through June 30 followed by steady declines from September 1 through December 31. These results suggest that the STELLA model developed is a useful tool for estimating soil CO2 emission from a Short-Rotation Woody Crop plantation.
Godfrey J Ofezu - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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assessment of canopy structure light interception and light use efficiency of first year regrowth of shrub willow salix sp
Bioenergy Research, 2008Co-Authors: Pradeep J Tharakan, Christopher A Nowak, Timothy A Volk, Godfrey J OfezuAbstract:According to the light-use efficiency model, differential biomass production among willow varieties may be attributed either to differences in the amount of light intercepted, the efficiency with which the intercepted light is converted to aboveground biomass, or both. In this study, variation in aboveground biomass production (AGBP) was analyzed in relation to fraction of incoming radiation intercepted (IPARF) and light-use efficiency (LUE) for five willow varieties. The plants were grown in a Short-Rotation Woody Crop (SRWC) system and were in their first year of regrowth on a 5 year old root system. The study was conducted during a two-month period (June 15th–August 15th, 2001) when growing conditions were deemed most favorable. The objectives were: (1) to assess the relative importance of IPARF in explaining variation in AGBP, and (2) to identify the key drivers of variation in LUE from a suite of measured leaf and canopy-level traits. Aboveground biomass production varied nearly three-fold among genotypes (3.55–10.02 Mg ha−1), while LUE spanned a two-fold range (1.21–2.52 g MJ−1). At peak leaf area index (LAI), IPARF ranged from 66%–92%. Nonetheless, both IPARF and LUE contributed to AGBP. An additive model combining photosynthesis on leaf area basis (Aarea), leaf mass per unit area (LMA), and light extinction coefficient (k) produced the most compelling predictors of LUE. In a post-coppice willow Crop, the ability to maximize IPARF and LUE early in the growing season is advantageous for maximizing biomass production.
Timothy A Volk - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Hot Water Extraction Improves the Characteristics of Willow and Sugar Maple Biomass With Different Amount of Bark
Frontiers Media S.A., 2018Co-Authors: Obste Therasme, Timothy A Volk, Mark H. Eisenbies, Antonio M. Cabrera, Thomas E. AmidonAbstract:Shrub willows are being developed as a short rotation Woody Crop (SRWC) that can grow on marginal agricultural land. Willow has a high net energy ratio (energy produced/ fossil fuel energy consumed), low greenhouse gas footprint and high carbohydrate production potential. Willow biomass can be combined with forest biomass, but willow often has a higher proportion of bark that creates challenges because it increases the ash content and decreases the melting point. Hot water extraction is a pretreatment that has been shown to improve the quality of chipped material while producing a marketable stream of byproducts. This study evaluated how the amount of bark (0, 33, 66, and 100%) on three willow cultivars and sugar maple impact the output of hot water extraction in terms of mass removal and extract composition, as well as its influence on the heating value, ash and elemental content. The hot water extraction process resulted in ash content up to 50% for sugar maple and willow, but there was variation among the willow varieties. The heating value after hot water extraction was about 5% higher because of the removal of mostly hemicelluloses, which have relatively low heating value. HWE led to significant reductions of calcium, potassium, magnesium and sulfur contents. The hot water extraction provides a fermentable sugar stream and other coproducts after multiple separation and treatment steps, and improves the characteristics of willow and sugar maple biomass for combined heat and power. This paper demonstrates how biomass with higher bark content can generate a useable sugar stream while improving the quality of the biomass for combined heat and power by managing its ash content while simultaneously producing other valuable products
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GIS based agricultural land availability assessment for the establishment of short rotation Woody Crops in Latvia.
Biomass and Bioenergy, 2015Co-Authors: E. Āboliņa, Timothy A Volk, Dagnija LazdinaAbstract:Abstract This study provides a country level estimate of geographically available agricultural land area which has been out of production for more than two years and has not been converted into forest or urban area, and is suitable for short rotation Woody Crop (SRWC) production to meet EU 2020 renewable energy targets in Latvia. Geographic information system (GIS) was used to estimate the total amount and location of agricultural land suitable for SRWC. Several criteria of restrictions were applied in the assessment process, such as agricultural land use status, soil and slope restrictions, designated territories of protection, minimum size of agricultural land within each tax parcel and minimum tax parcel distance from the roads. A total estimated amount of agricultural land that meets the minimum criteria is 261,710 ha. Most (42%) of the suitable agricultural land for SRWC is in the range from 10 to 50 ha. The greatest proportion (29%) of that land is located in the Latgale region. If only 5% (13,085 ha) of the estimated agricultural land were used for SRWC with yields of 7–10 Mg dry ha −1 yr −1 , it could produce 485,475–693,532 MWh of biomass energy annually, which is roughly 412,653–589,502 MWh of delivered energy if the heating systems are 85% energy efficient. It would result in 13–18% of the total heat energy produced by heating plants in Latvia in 2012.
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Development and Deployment of a Short Rotation Woody Crops Harvesting System Based on a Case New Holland Forage Harvester and SRC Woody Crop Header
2014Co-Authors: Mark H. Eisenbies, Timothy A Volk, Brian J. Stanton, Lawrence P. Abrahamson, Rich Shuren, John H. Posselius, Matt Mcardle, Samvel Karapetyan, Aayushi Patel, Shun ShiAbstract:Demand for bioenergy sourced from Woody biomass is projected to increase; however, the expansion and rapid deployment of short rotation Woody Crop systems in the United States has been constrained by high production costs and sluggish market acceptance due to problems with quality and consistency from first-generation harvesting systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Crop conditions on the performance of a single-pass, cut and chip harvester based on a standard New Holland FR-9000 series forage harvester with a dedicated 130FB short rotation coppice header, and the quality of chipped material. A time motion analysis was conducted to track the movement of machine and chipped material through the system for 153 separate loads over 10 days on a 54-ha harvest. Harvester performance was regulated by either ground conditions, or standing biomass on 153 loads. Material capacities increased linearly with standing biomass up to 40 Mgwet ha-1 and plateaued between 70 and 90 Mgwet hr-1. Moisture contents ranged from 39 to 51% with the majority of samples between 43 and 45%. Loads produced in freezing weather (average temperature over 10 hours preceding load production) had 4% more chips greater than 25.4 mm (P < 0.0119). Over more » 1.5 Mgdry ha-1 of potentially harvested material (6-9% of a load) was left on site, of which half was commercially undesirable meristematic pieces. The New Holland harvesting system is a reliable and predictable platform for harvesting material over a wide range of standing biomass; performance was consistent overall in 14 willow cultivars. « less
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assessment of canopy structure light interception and light use efficiency of first year regrowth of shrub willow salix sp
Bioenergy Research, 2008Co-Authors: Pradeep J Tharakan, Christopher A Nowak, Timothy A Volk, Godfrey J OfezuAbstract:According to the light-use efficiency model, differential biomass production among willow varieties may be attributed either to differences in the amount of light intercepted, the efficiency with which the intercepted light is converted to aboveground biomass, or both. In this study, variation in aboveground biomass production (AGBP) was analyzed in relation to fraction of incoming radiation intercepted (IPARF) and light-use efficiency (LUE) for five willow varieties. The plants were grown in a Short-Rotation Woody Crop (SRWC) system and were in their first year of regrowth on a 5 year old root system. The study was conducted during a two-month period (June 15th–August 15th, 2001) when growing conditions were deemed most favorable. The objectives were: (1) to assess the relative importance of IPARF in explaining variation in AGBP, and (2) to identify the key drivers of variation in LUE from a suite of measured leaf and canopy-level traits. Aboveground biomass production varied nearly three-fold among genotypes (3.55–10.02 Mg ha−1), while LUE spanned a two-fold range (1.21–2.52 g MJ−1). At peak leaf area index (LAI), IPARF ranged from 66%–92%. Nonetheless, both IPARF and LUE contributed to AGBP. An additive model combining photosynthesis on leaf area basis (Aarea), leaf mass per unit area (LMA), and light extinction coefficient (k) produced the most compelling predictors of LUE. In a post-coppice willow Crop, the ability to maximize IPARF and LUE early in the growing season is advantageous for maximizing biomass production.