Measure biofuel quality

A new way to analyze biomass and wood chips

As more bioenergy is used for heating our homes and generating electricity, there’s an increased demand to find the actual properties of the biomass. In particular, what is the true energy content and what are the physical properties as they pertain to the incineration process. With our Biomass Analyzer it’s possible to do just that, quickly and easily.

Get a correct biomass valuation

Both buyers and sellers of biomass need to know the true energy content of the mass they’re handling. Today this is approximated using lengthy tests and reference models, but now it can be easily assessed in under 2 minutes.

Mix biomass for optimum performance

Most wood-based biomass vary greatly in terms of moisture content, something that can directly impact the efficiency of the incineration process. Analyzing the amount of water in the biomass allows you to mix biomass for optimum incinerator performance.

Avoid high levels of ash

The amount of inert materia in the biomass has a direct effect on the incinerators performance. Too much unwanted ash could lead to incinerator clogging and expensive ash management.

A more transparent biomass market

The Biomass Analyzer is set to radically improve the wood-based biofuel market. The high variation of biomass quality, coupled with less-than-perfect quality certification systems, makes it a tough market for both sellers and buyers. Unlike strictly regulated fossil fuels, biomass are more difficult to quantify and they also suffer from higher variations over shorter periods of time.

bio power plant with storage of wooden fuel (biomass)

Technology like the Biomass Analyzer can now help all participants, in the biofuel value chain, make better, more informed decisions. The increased knowledge of the biomass’ actual energy content will help with valuation, and knowledge about moisture and ash content will improve power plant performance.

Benefits for buyers

If you are a buyer of biofuel there are several advantages to gaining more in-depth knowledge of what you’re buying through a Biomass Analyzer.

Benefits for sellers

Sellers of wood-based biomass will also benefit from knowing more about their product.

Verify biomass quality. Quickly check your shipment to make sure that you’re getting the biomass your paying for. It will also help you reject biomass with sub-par quality.

Maximise use of cheaper biomass. Buying cheaper biomass can be tricky since you may not know exactly what you’re getting. However, with the Biomass Analyzer you can blend your biomass with confidence and stay within you incinerator’s safety margins.

Optimise blending. With the Biomass Analyzer you can optimise your fuel blending processes to make sure that you always take advantage of the best possible mix.

Avoid high ash concentrations. High levels of ash can lead to many unwanted effects, including incinerator clogging and standstills. The Biomass Analyzer will help you avoid this by letting you know the exact ash content of your biomass.

Track supplier performance. Consistent data gathering of fuel quality data will help you track your suppliers’ performance and quality of service.

Correct payment. By analysing the quality of the biomass you sell, you can make sure that you receive the correct payment for the quality you deliver.

Customer service. With increased biomass quality information, you can improve your service to your customers. Better biomass information leads to happier customers.

Biofuel unloading cogeneration plants fuel storage

Meet the Biomass Analyzer

The Biomass Analyzer uses improved X-ray-based qDXA technology to quickly analyse a sample of wood-based biomass. With a quick cycle time of around 120 seconds it will tell you the sample’s energy, moisture, and ash content. This information will allow you to assess the biomass’ value and how it should be managed (stored, used, mixed).

Biomass Analyzer

Fast and easy to use

The Biomass Analyzer is incredible easy to use; load a sample container into the machine, press an icon on the touch screen and wait for approximately 2 minutes.

The result will include the sample’s:

energy content (MJ/kg)
moisture content (%)
ash content (%)

If you use the optional RFID-tagging feature, the machine will automatically store the information in your ERP system.

Biomass quality control