Preharvest drying of logging residues
Logging residues are being utilized or being considered for fuel throughout the United States. Their use will increase substantially as oil, coal, and natural gas costs rise. To make logging residues economically competitive, maximum fuel energies need to be recovered during utilization. This can be done by correctly preparing the fuelwood prior to combustion. One potentially attractive fuel preparation technique is to allow these residues to dry in the field before harvest. Delaying the harvest of logging residues for 3 months in the winter allowed their moisture content (MC) to decrease. This enhanced the fuel value of loblolly pine, white oak, and sweetgum trees to varying degrees. The study was done in eastern Texas. Heartwood MCs of loblolly pine, white oak, and sweetgum decreased 50.1, 7.0, and 11.5 percent, respectively. Comparatively, sapwood MCs decreased 60.1, 23.8, and 28.5 percent, respectively, for the same species. Net fuel values increased 72.5 and 32.9 percent for loblolly pine sapwood and heartwood, 14.1 and 3.8 percent for white oak sapwood and heartwood, and 24.5 and 9.2 percent for sweetgum sapwood and heartwood. (Refs. 2).
- Research Organization:
- Texas Forest Prod Lab, Texas Forest Serv, PO Box 310, Lufkin, TX 75901
- OSTI ID:
- 6748416
- Journal Information:
- For. Prod. J.; (United States), Vol. 31:12
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
FOREST LITTER
DRYING
WOOD FUELS
WOOD WASTES
CALORIFIC VALUE
FORESTRY
HARVESTING
MOISTURE
OAKS
PINES
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
TREES
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
CONIFERS
ENERGY SOURCES
FUELS
MATERIALS
PLANTS
SOLID WASTES
VARIATIONS
WASTES
090400* - Solid Waste & Wood Fuels- (-1989)
140504 - Solar Energy Conversion- Biomass Production & Conversion- (-1989)
320305 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Industrial Waste Management