LAPSE:2023.24852
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.24852
Wood Fuel Procurement to Bioenergy Facilities: Analysis of Moisture Content Variability and Optimal Sampling Strategy
Elena Leoni, Manuela Mancini, Giovanni Aminti, Gianni Picchi
March 28, 2023
Moisture content is the most relevant quality parameter for wood fuels. Effective and fast determination of moisture of incoming feedstock is essential in the management of bioenergy facilities. The availability of fast and reliable moisture meters based on innovative technologies simplifies this task. However, in Mediterranean conditions the inherent variability of wood fuels calls for a careful sampling strategy if representative results are required while facing acceptable analytic costs. The present study is aimed at measuring the fuel heterogeneity and defining accordingly the appropriate number of samples to be analyzed in order to get reliable moisture-content results. A total of 70 truckloads (about 2270 t of woodchips) were sampled during commercial operations in two different seasons. Five samples were collected from each load and measured with standard method and magnetic resonance gauge. Results show that the variability of moisture content is influenced by mixing of species and storage of biomass. Heterogeneity can vary greatly also within single truckloads, to the point that three samples are needed to achieve about 90% of estimates within the desired precision limits. In the case of larger lots, such as barge or ship loads, 20 samples can provide sufficient precision in most scenarios.
Keywords
Biomass, fuel, heterogeneity, moisture content, quality, sampling
Suggested Citation
Leoni E, Mancini M, Aminti G, Picchi G. Wood Fuel Procurement to Bioenergy Facilities: Analysis of Moisture Content Variability and Optimal Sampling Strategy. (2023). LAPSE:2023.24852
Author Affiliations
Leoni E: Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Mancini M: Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, DK-1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Aminti G: CNR-IBE (Institute of Bioeconomy of the National Research Council), via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Picchi G: CNR-IBE (Institute of Bioeconomy of the National Research Council), via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy [ORCID]
Journal Name
Processes
Volume
9
Issue
2
First Page
359
Year
2021
Publication Date
2021-02-15
Published Version
ISSN
2227-9717
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Original Submission
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PII: pr9020359, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2023.24852
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doi:10.3390/pr9020359
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Mar 28, 2023
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