What have wood industry by-products and chicken droppings got in common? The serious answer is that they are both the subjects of experiments to turn them into so-called bio-oil.

The progress of these trials, and investigations into the use of sugarcane, bagasse and elephant grass to the same end, were the subject of discussion at the 12th European Biomass Conference in Amsterdam.

To date progress on bio-oil development has been chequered. Shell was involved more than 20 years ago but dropped out as the costs of the process soared (and the ‘real’ oil markets recovered).

Netherlands project

Today one of the most advanced programmes into the development of wood based bio-oil is under way at a plant in the Netherlands. Backed by an EU grant, it is scheduled to be in production next year and commercially viable two years later, with a target of producing 1,500 litres of bio-oil fuel from 2,000kg of wood every hour. The finished product will be used in power stations – and will be cheaper than fossil fuel as it will be exempt from the Dutch government’s energy tax.

In broad terms, bio-oil is made by mixing wood particles with sand and heating to 500OC. Around 75% of the mass converts to the glutinous oil, with the remainder turning to gas and charcoal. The oil has the drawback of being smelly and acid, but Dutch power generators believe they have the technology to overcome these problems and are committed to using it to replace 15% of their fossil fuel consumption.

The Dutch approach is one of many that the timber sector is trying to deal profitably with its by-products. Innovative methods (with some of those in the UK detailed in the following articles) are being evaluated for turning woodwaste into compost and old sheet materials into new. New technologies are also being trialled to make wood dust and shavings into fuel pellets and briquettes for power plant and domestic use. And combustion systems for companies to turn by-products into heat and power are becoming increasingly sophisticated and suited even to smaller businesses.

&#8220The pressure is on the timber industry to push back the co-product utilisation barriers. It’s coming from environmental legislation, the increasing need for fossil fuel replacements and rising harvests of softwood”

Pressure on industry

The pressure is on the timber industry to push back the co-product utilisation barriers. It’s coming from environmental legislation, the increasing need for fossil fuel replacements and rising harvests of softwood.

In the UK, of course, the pressures are as intense as anywhere. The increased softwood production, or ‘wall of wood’, scheduled to come out of Scotland will generate a mountain of sawdust and wood chips. Tighter regulations on packaging waste will also impact on wood and the wood industry and,

of course, the rising cost of landfill is adding urgency to the situation. In his latest budget review, chancellor Gordon Brown announced a further £3 per tonne increase in landfill from 2005/06, with a longer-term target of £35 per tonne.

Information sources

The good news for the timber industry is that there are increasing sources of information on how companies can minimise production of waste and by-products, get the material off their hands or use it profitably themselves.

The government’s ‘Envirowise‘ programme offers waste and by-products advice on its ‘energy and environment helpline’ (0800 585794) and also carries latest information on its website (www.envirowise.org.uk). It organises ‘waste minimisation clubs’ to encourage co-operation and networking on the subject and runs seminars, undertakes advisory site visits and provides literature, including case studies.

Another comprehensive information resource is WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme), a not-for-profit body funded by the DTI and DEFRA. Its role is to promote sustainable waste management and to create stable markets for recycled materials. The latest projects in its dedicated wood programme include a report on separating wood products at landfill to boost recycling levels (p6) and the creation of an online map for the timber sector providing information on companies involved in the collection, processing and recycling of post consumer woodwaste. The latter will allow wood by-product generators to identify collection services, processing and recycling facilities in their area, while these service providers will be able to find sources of woodwaste and potential users and markets for the material. It is due to launch late spring, and any woodwaste collection, processing or recycling companies interested in participating should contact Liz Morrish at WRAP on 01295 819925, e-mail liz.morrish@wrap.org.uk.