Timber harvesting can cause both short- and long-term changes in forest ecosystem functions, and scientists from USDA Forest Service (USDA FS) have been studying these processes for many years. Biomass and bioenergy markets alter the amount, type, and frequency at which material is harvested, which in turn has similar yet specific impacts on sustainable productivity. The nature of some biomass energy operations provides opportunities to ameliorate or amend forest soils to sustain or improve their productive capacity, and USDA FS scientists are leading the research into these applications. Research efforts to sustain productive soils need to be verified at regional, national, and international scope, and USDA FS scientists work to advance methods for soil quality monitoring and to inform international criteria and indicators. Current and future USDA FS research ranges from detailed soil process studies to regionally important applied research and to broad scale indicator monitoring and trend analysis, all of which will enable the USA to lead in the sustainable production of woody biomass for bioenergy.
LEARN MORE: DEVELOPING A TOOL TO EVALUATE THE VALUE OF BIOCHAR
Recently I read about “PRODUCTION OF HIGH QUALITY FEED STOCKS THROUGH COMMINUTION”
Some comments:
1) Bio means life. Primary production of biomass takes place during photosynthesis when the sun’s energy is bound biochemically by at least 16 chemical elements that are essential for plant growth and development.
2) Microbiologist Brian J. Ford wrote: What can be done with the help of microorganisms (their enzymes), we can never make cheaper with the help of technology.
3) Effective production of biogas and bio-fertilizer requires the right balance between wet, dry nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials. Knowledge-based development of anaerobic digestion using high-tech is still missing.
Amazing that you want to use forest residues in a sustainable way and that through comminution achieve more efficient use of bioenergy.
Why not produce various types of tree pellets that can balance the wet and nitrogen rich materials and can be supplied to the biogas plants which use Dry Anaerobic Digestion? The comminution consumes energy but when microorganisms in bioreactor have better access to particle surface the bioconversion will be faster and give higher yield.
In the right designed high-tech biogas plants produced biogas is used for electricity and heat. The other valuable product is bio-fertilizer containing humic substances, microorganisms and chemical elements known as plant nutrient.
Biological conversion will have no negative impact on the environment and health and thus maximize profit. Bioeconomy is needed for circular economy and for wealth of coming generations.
On the website (http://box2343.temp.domains/~wastetow//////12-key-tasks/) are mentioned three techniques for converting biomass (biochar production systems, torrefier and briquetter). They and even combustion, gasification and pyrolysis, are not sustainable practices. They kill everything living, cause loss of several plant nutrients and pollutants from these processes are harmful both to the environment and human health.
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Who conducts research on dry fermentation of food and toilet waste (without water), green waste, wood pellets and manure in local high-tech biogas plants (small or big)?