Is there a new biofuel classification system on the way?
A proposed biofuel product classification system from Swedish Skogforsk hopes to simplify the trading and use of solid biofuels. Based on existing EU ISO standards, it covers both fragmented and solid wood-based fuels.
Please send me 200 tons of TRB-10 and 50 tons of TRDB-2. By the way, the 60 tons of TRB-1 I bought last week was just what I needed! Do you have any more?
In the near future, this might be a typical conversation between a fuel buyer and a supplier. Instead of saying that you want to buy wood chips with a moisture level grade of M25, A1.0 ash content, and a P16 fragmentation, you would just say “TRB-1” and everyone would know exactly what you’re talking about.
Lars Fridh, Researcher at Skogforsk.
The proposal’s author, Lars Fridh, a biofuel researcher at Skogforsk, has identified many benefits with the new system. Classified wood-based solid biofuels would be easier to trade, and maybe even more importantly, they could help optimize fuel usage:
- Clear and unambiguous ordering of forest fuel.
- Clear and unambiguous targets of what should be produced and delivered.
- Continuous monitoring of production with respect to fuel properties.
- Fast and precise forecasts and feedback on ordered/delivered fuel.
- Ability to increase the proportion of transport optimization through swapping of fuel products.
A fully implemented fuel classification system, like the one proposed by Skogforsk, would have an impact on the whole biofuel chain, from harvesting to incineration. It would reduce existing uncertainties in fuel quality (avoiding inferior fuel or fuel that might even be too good), and help lay the foundation for a quality assessment system for the whole industry.
Visit the project on the web
If you’d like to read more about Skogforsk’s project you can visit the project’s webpage. Once there you’ll also be able to download the full report Produktifiera – för att kommunicera. Förslag till standardiserade sortiment för skogsbränsle (in Swedish).
If you’d like to talk to Lars Fridh directly, he can be reached at lars.fridh@skogforsk.se or +46 (72) 53 31 066.