1. Biomass to Bioenergy Life Cycle Analysis -
Feedstocks
Elaine Oneil, University of Washington
Leonard R Johnson, University of Idaho
Bruce Lippke, University of Washington
CORRIM

2. CORRIM Biofuels Research
• Pyrolysis Pyrolysis Oil
• Gasification
Ethanol
• Bioconversion

3. Research objectives
 Identify the most common harvest systems
used for biomass recovery
 Identify costs for those systems
 Conduct the LCI of the most common
systems by feedstock type
 Use the LCI data as input into models for
fermentation, pyrolysis, and gasification
processing options

4. Scope of Study – Feedstocks & Locations
 Residues from Conventional Logging
Operations (Inland Northwest)
 Material from Early Thinning of
Forest Stands (South
East)
 Short Rotation Woody Crop (SRWC)
(willow in North East)

5. Most Common Scenarios in Two Regions
 Grinding Landing Residue in
the Inland West
 Whole Tree Chipping Thinned
Material in the Southeast

6. ASSUMPTIONS

7. Inland West Case Study: Recovery of
Landing Residues after Harvest on --
 Moist-Cold Forests on State or Private Land
 Gentle Slopes
Primary Product Total Residue
Residue Recovered
Harvested Generated
Cu Ft / Acre Bone Dry Ton / Acre Bone Dry Ton / Acre
3732 32.17 14.48

8. Chip Van Access to the Landing is a Major
Issue
Many Logging Roads do
not Support the Turning
Radius needed by Trucks
with Chip Vans

9. Three Recovery Options
 Grind and Haul Residue from Log
Landing
 Grind Residue at Log Landing,
Shuttle to Reload Point, and Haul
 Haul Loose Landing Residue to
Central Landing for Grinding and
Hauling

10. Shuttling Loose Residue:
Impacted by Solid Volume Factor of
Residue Materials
Roundwood 0.68
Chips and Hog Fuel 0.44
Loose Residue 0.18

11. Southeast Harvest Scenario
 Phase I of CORRIM developed three management intensities for
Southeast pine forests
 The Mid Intensity, Mid site index option included one thinning at
stand age 17
 The thinned material was chipped into biomass rather than
allocated to pulpwood

12. SE Whole Tree Chipping with 90 mile haul
Merchantable Residue Stem Total Potential
Crown Volume
Stem Volume Volume Volume
896 198 400 1572
Cubic Feet / Acre
Recovered
Total Residue
Residue
37.38 Bone Dry Ton / Acre 19.25
Cost to Landing Cost with Hauling
$ 17.23 Dollars / Bone Dry Ton $ 44.17
Fuel to Landing Fuel with Hauling
1.069 Gallons / Bone Dry Ton 3.889

13. RESULTS

14. Cost Comparison of Three Recovery Options with 90 mile haul
Recovery of Landing Residue
Grind at Grind and Shuttle Loose
Landing Shuttle Residue
Sawlog Volume 3,732 3,732 3,732 Cubic Feet / Acre
Total Residue 32.17 32.17 32.17 Bone Dry Ton / Acre
Recovered Residue 14.48 14.48 14.48 Bone Dry Ton / Acre
% Residue Recovered 45.0% 45.0% 45.0%
System Costs
Stump to $ 231.10 $ 436.30 $ 465.09 Dollars per Acre
Long Haul Truck $ 15.96 $ 30.13 $ 32.12 Dollars / BDT
Hauling - Long Haul Tk 90 88 88 Miles
Truck to $ 308.02 $ 248.71 $ 247.86 Dollars per Acre
Mill $ 21.27 $ 17.18 $ 17.12 Dollars / BDT
Total Cost $ 539.12 $ 685.01 $ 712.95 Dollars per Acre
$ 37.24 $ 47.31 $ 49.24 Dollars / BDT

15. Carbon Removed and Retained
Carbon Removed and Retained on Site
Pounds / Acre for Inland Moist Forests
40,000
35,000
Pounds per Acre of Carbon
30,000
25,000
20,000 Roots, Inland
Crown, Inland
15,000 Stem + Bark, Inland
10,000
5,000
-
Removed Through Removed Through Residual Left on Site
Primary Product Harvest Biomass Recovery

16. Carbon Removed and Retained
Carbon Removed and Retained on Site
Pounds / Acre for Southeast Site
30,000
25,000
Pounds per Acre of Carbon
20,000
15,000 Roots, Southeast
Crown, Southeast
Stem + Bark, Southeast
10,000
5,000
0
Removed Through Removed Through Residual Left on Site
Primary Product Harvest Biomass Recovery

17. Emissions to the Air: Fossil Based CO and CO2
Emissions in Pounds per Bone Dry Ton
of Fossil Based CO and CO2 to the Air from Residue Recovery
Operations and Pile Burning
Emissions in Pounds per Bone Dry Ton of Recovered Residue
1.80E+02
1.60E+02
1.40E+02
1.20E+02 CO, fossil
1.00E+02 CO2, fossil
8.00E+01
6.00E+01
4.00E+01
2.00E+01
0.00E+00
Southeast Whole Grind at Landing Grind and Shuttle Shuttle Loose Piling and
Tree Removal Residue Burning Slash

18. Emissions to the Air: Biogenic CO and CO2
Emissions in Pounds per Bone Dry Ton of Biogenic CO and CO2 to the
Air from Residue Recovery Operations and Pile Burning
3.50E+03
3.00E+03
Pounds per Bone Dry Ton Recovered Residue
CO2, biogenic, 3138
2.50E+03
2.00E+03
1.50E+03
1.00E+03
5.00E+02
CO, biogenic, 66
0.00E+00
Southeast Whole Grind at Landing Grind and Shuttle Shuttle Loose Piling and Burning
Tree Removal Residue Slash

19. Selected Air Emissions including Piling and
Burning Slash
Emissions per Bone Dry Ton of Selected Elements to the Air from
Residue Recovery Operations and Pile Burning
1.60E+01
Pounds per Bone Dry Ton of Recovered Residue
1.40E+01
1.20E+01
Southeast Whole Tree Removal
1.00E+01
Grind at Landing
8.00E+00 Grind and Shuttle
6.00E+00 Shuttle Loose Residue
Piling and Burning Slash
4.00E+00
2.00E+00
0.00E+00

20. Conclusions
 While the feedstock footprint is small compared to processing
emissions, costs and accessibility will be a significant factor in
determining supply
 The choice of recovery system has a significant impact on emissions
 The option of burning residues in-situ generates more emissions
than recovery
 Sensitivity analysis is needed to determine recovery volumes as a
function of economic, ecological, and technological limits

21. Acknowledgement
Financial Support from USFS-FPL is greatly appreciated; the Department of Energy is
funding extensions to many more alternatives with regional stratification
www.corrim.org

22. Thank you!