BACKGROUND The development of affordable woody biomass feedstocks represents a significant opportunity in the development of cellulosic biofuels. Primary woodchips produced by forest mills are considered an ideal feedstock, but the prices they command on the market are currently too expensive for biorefineries. In comparison, forestry residues represent a potential low-cost input but are consid...

In the bacterial processes involved in the mitigation of nitrogen pollution, an adequately high carbon-to-nitrogen (C : N) ratio is key to sustain denitrification. We evaluated three natural materials (woodchips, barley grains, and peanut shells) as carbon sources for low C : N wastewater. The amount of organic matter released from these materials to aqueous media was evaluated, as well as thei...

The feasibility of enhancing the efficiency of the kraft pulping operations while at the same time evolving the process into a biorefinery, and thus producing hemicelluloses together with paper products, was studied. Hardwood chips (Eucalyptus grandis) were pre-treated with green liquor prior to pulp production. At optimal pre-treatment conditions, the pH of the resulting extract was 7.8, the w...

Among the various types of agricultural waste, significant amounts of energy can be obtained from woodchips derived from comminuted pruning residues. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of using kiwi orchard clear-cut biomass for energy production. The field trial was conducted in a commercial kiwi (Actinidia chinensis) orchard located in Northwest Italy. We evaluated the biomass yield, ...

Microorganisms play a vital role in the degradation of organic matters such as Sawdust and woodchips. In this study, Serial dilution method pour plate techniques were used according to microbiological standards. The media nutrient agar, sabouraud dextrose cellulolytic medium identify microorganisms inoculated them into woodchips kept for 30 days at 37oC 25oC. total viable bacterial count ranged...

To reveal potential impacts to environment and human health quantitatively, co-composting and utilization of sludge and woodchips were investigated using a life-cycle-based model, EASETECH. Three scenarios were assessed through experiments using different material ratios. Emission amounts during co-composting were determined by monitoring data and mass balance. With 100t sludge treatment, co-co...

Biomass samples (pine, black poplar and chestnut woodchips) were torrefied to improve their grindability before being combusted in blends with coal. Torrefaction temperatures between 240 and 300 °C and residence times between 11 and 43 min were studied. The grindability of the torrefied biomass, evaluated from the particle size distribution of the ground sample, significantly improved compared ...

As urbanization continues, water pollution is of increasing concern for human health and the environment. Water contaminants common in urban stormwater include nutrients, metals, suspended solids, pesticides, pathogens. The search an inexpensive readily available material that can effectively remove ongoing. Studies have shown woodchips are a promising many different contaminants, including the...