Àrea d'Aprofitaments Fusters i Biomassa (AFIB) del Centre Tecnològic Forestal de Catalunya (CTFC)

1. Fostering bioenergy from
forests in Catalonia
Pere Navarro, Judit Rodríguez, Ignacio López
Department of Wood Mobilization and Biomass
Forest Technology Center of Catalonia
www.ctfc.cat

2. Who we are?
CTFC is a public consortium with private management
Government of Catalonia
Lerida University (UdL)
Solsona County Council
Lerida Province Council
Center for the Integral Rural Development of
Catalonia
Research and innovation catalan Foundation
(FCRI)
www.ctfc.cat

3. How is forestry in Catalonia structured?
www.ctfc.cat

4. Area (ha)*
Catalonia total area 3,199,011
Forest & other
wooded land (Forests + Shrubland +
Other) 1,938,281
% 60.59
Forests 1,214,664
Shrubland 525,917
Other
(grasslands,
barren land, etc.) 197,699
Aproximately the 80% are private forest land
*Centre for ecological research and forestry aplications
www.ctfc.cat

5. Estimating the resources’ availability
How much is it there, in the forests? Standing
volume estimation
•Spanish Forest National Inventory + in detail
inventory
•Data available per diameter class:
–Stem volume o. and u. bark
–Firewood volume
–Stem weight
–Crown weight
–Leaves/needles weight
www.ctfc.cat

6. Estimating the resources’ availability
How much are the forests growing?
Which is the maximum potential?
Growth values from the Spanish Forest
Inventory:
-Annual increment of volume o. and u. bark
-Basic wood density of the species
www.ctfc.cat

7. Estimating the resources’ availability
How is the wood extracted
sustainably?
-Continuous Cover Forestry (ideal curve)
-Planification with even-aged stands (ideal curve at
whole-stand level)
Estimating the ideal curve – Q of Liocourt
All the species (Catalunya)
500
450 Corba ideal
400 Corba real
350 Excess
Densitat (peus/ha)
300
250
200
150
Deficit
100
50
Jordi Vayreda 0
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 www.ctfc.cat
(CREAF) Diàmetre normal (cm)

8. Estimating the resources’ availability
All the species (Catalunya)
500
450 Corba ideal
400 Corba real
350 Excess
Densitat (peus/ha)
300
250
200
150
Deficit
100
50
0
10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Diàmetre normal (cm)
-The ideal curve: combinate growth and
exploitation periodicity (15-20 years) to
estimate the annual sustainable potential
-The wood overload at forest sites must be
extracted, but this will mean more extractions
at the beginning (risk of overestimation)
www.ctfc.cat

9. Estimating the resources’ availability
Who will work at the forests?
“Inventory” of forest companies
How do they work currently?
How are they organized?
Which means do they have to work?
www.ctfc.cat

10. Estimating the resources’ availability
Are there limitations to forest
work?
Weather Protected Accessibility Forest
areas dynamics
Snow: limits forest Regulated or Forest road network Pests
works up to 7 impeded forestry
Rockyness Protected species
months in some activity
Slopes cycle
cases
Forest fires risk: no
works in summer
www.ctfc.cat
David Pérez

11. Factor Included excluding
Surface Areas protected Outside forest protected (EIN- area
of natural interest)
Accessibility slope < 30%: max 400 m Surface track farther to
slope 30-60 %: max 150 m the distances
slope 60-100%: max 75 m mentioned.
Surface with > 100%
slope.
Edafology and Capitalitation: FCC≥ 70%
ecology Erosion: slope < 100 %
Amount Sustainability down from the ideal
that it exceeds the ideal curve
curve
Market Quercus: Dn ≤ 35 cm. timber with the largest
Conífers and deciduous: Dn ≤ 15 cm
diameter
Management leave trees of large diameters, bird --
habitat improvement
Timing Wildlife presence of protected species: The rest of the year
August/September, december
/moments
Pests Pests: April-July The rest of the year
www.ctfc.cat

12. Mapping
accessibility
Forest area
accessible in
county Osona
www.ctfc.cat

13. Transport costs
to storage areas
Estimation of transport
time to three storage
areas in Pallars Sobirà
county
www.ctfc.cat

14. Restrictions on final uses
Factors
Contamination and
Type and tree part Size & homogeneity Moisture
composition
Final user Solid biofuel Expected/Required features
Firewood Traditional without restrictions
Household use Wood pellets Wood pellets without additives nor straw
Wood chips Dry and very homogeneous chips without branches
Wood pellets Wood pellets wihout additives nor straw
Facilities and buildings
Wood chips Dry and homogeneous chips
Chips, chunk, powder/milled wood (depending on
Industries Wood chips
tech.)
Wood chips
Agriindustries Dry and homogeneous chips
(pellets)
Gasification
Wood chips Very dry and very homogeneous chips
up/downdraft
Gasification fluid bed Wood chips Very dry and homogeneous chips
(Organic) Rankine Wood chips, chunk, powder/milled wood
Wood chips
Cycle (depending on boiler tech.)
www.ctfc.cat
Bakeries Firewood Traditional

15. Influence of final use on logistics
Type and tree Size & Contamination
Moisture
part homogeneity and composition
Felling Independent (when possible)
Loss of productivity in delimbing –
Processing – afections to soil in haulage
haulage
Minerals incorporation
Roundwood Dependent on pests and need of dry
storage chipping
Differences among slash, whole trees
Transport
and stems
Comminution/ Dependent on later use (storage,
chipping/ industrial/household use, etc). Low
sieving productivity with slash
Wood chip Very dependent on utility size,
storage owned means, final use, etc.
Dependencies on distance, facility’s
Delivery www.ctfc.cat
ease of access, silo location, etc.

16. Estimation of demand potential
User Estimation
Household heating and hot water –
Standarized demand according to
isolated houses/aggregated
climate, house structure, etc.
(villages/towns)
Fattening farms Modulated values
Type of industry and overall
Industries
activity
Current consumption or
Public facilities and buildings
extrapolations
Current consumption,
Other services’ buildings extrapolations, theoretical
assessment
www.ctfc.cat

17. Industries’ needs
Agriindustries
Heating (60º-70ºC) Hot water (90 – 180 ºC)
and steam
Animal fattening (i.e. poultry) Slaughterhouses
Greenhouses (also CO2) Food industries (tinned food,
Offices baking, bottleing, fodder,
wax/honey, milk and derivates,
sterilization)
Other indusries
Ceramic factories (pre-firing treatments, drying, casts
preheating, etc.)
Laundries (hot water)
Textile industries (hot water, steam)
Hospitals (hot water and traditionally good for cogeneration)
Tanning factories (hot water/steam)
www.ctfc.cat
Etc.

18. Demand mapping -
heat
Distribution of
heat demand.
Example of
county Osona
DISSEMINAT
Isolated
AGLOMERATS
Aggregated
SERVEIS_1
Services
COLúLECTIU
Collective buildings
COMER€
Commerce
INDUSTRI_1
Industries
RAMADERIA
Farms
www.ctfc.cat

19. Demand mapping -
cogeneration
Potential for small
combined heat and power
plants at industries.
Example of County Osona
www.ctfc.cat

20. Strengths
Weaknesses
Manageable energy resource
Higher costs than other
SWOT Analisys – biomasses Lower cost than petroleum
Strategies design products
Variable moisture content
Clean energy
Limited availability
Creates jobs at rural areas
Threats
Strong competence of Survival strategy
Natural Gas Detection of areas with high Defensive strategy
Lack of awareness availability not covered by NG Strong dissemination actions
Lack of legislation for networks
thermic uses
Opportunities
European directives
The need of forest Reorientation strategy
Offensive strategy
management Ensure quality and
Public buildings installations
A more sustainable traceability
energy model
New buildings www.ctfc.cat

21. Strategies implementation
Decision makers
•Diffusion of knowledge among decision makers
•Improve coordination among different
governmental departments and decision
makers
•Include in any new building project a central
heating based on wood (Integrated Plan of
Works and Services of Catalonia)
•Concentrate in areas with high potential
•Investment grants
www.ctfc.cat

22. Strategies implementation
Focusing on potential industrial users
Agriindustries and other industries
•Diffusion of advantages General diffusion action
Actions •Installers and engineers training General diffusion action
•Identification of areas where
bioenergy offer and heat demand meet
Selling price per MWh of diverse energy sources
80,0 71,68 €/MWh 72,59 €/MWh
70,0 68,87 €/MWh
60,0 57,17 €/MWh
49,36 €/MWh
50,0 45,00 €/MWh
€/MWh
40,0 32,87 €/MWh
30,0
20,0
10,0
0,0
Heating oil SFM wood chips Natural gas - household
Natural gas - industries
Bottled propan
Wood pellets Piped propan
www.ctfc.cat

23. Strategies implementation
Quality and traceability - CTFC
•Biomass analysis laboratory
•Participation in the spanish standarization committee
(AENOR)
–Quality standards
–Traceability standard
•Creation of a quality control label
•Dissemination of quality standards and procedures
www.ctfc.cat

24. Other activities of diffusion
Diffusion bulletin
“infobiomassa”
www.ctfc.cat

25. Other activities of diffusion
www.ctfc.cat

26. Projects in Europe
•Intelligent Energy Europe-encourage the use
of renewable energy sources in Europe
Others with CTFC participation:
•Woode3-logistic
•Prospects market in fragmented forest
ownership- wood mobilization
•Rok-For- Agenda research for wood products
(green chemistry)
www.ctfc.cat

27. Thanks for your attention
Any question?
Pere Navarro, Judit Rodríguez, Ignacio López
Wood mibilisation and biomass Department
Forest Technology Center of Catalonia
pere.navarro@ctfc.cat
judit.rodriguez@ctfc.cat
ignacio.lopez@ctfc.cat
Photographs: J. Rodríguez, M. Codina, A. Marques, D. Pérez, I. López
www.ctfc.cat