Biomass feedstock and quality from removal orchads for energy purposes

The woody biomass resulting from pruning and replacement operations of different orchards can become fuel in biomass-fired power plants. The technologies currently used, borrowed from not agricultural specific solutions and often derived from the forestry sector, offer benefits on machine performance but, on the other hand, do not allow the product obtained to meet the quality and cleanliness requirements of biopower plants. The present work aims to examine and match the types of orchards and management with the available explant and biomass management technologies, highlighting advantages and limitations under the various aspects of the complete logistic chain: harvesting, transporting and chipping. The main novelty is the possibility of applying specific technologies to optimize the costs and the quality of the end product. The data obtained show specific correlations between the mandatory compliance of the end product quality and commercial cleanliness standards, the type of orchard, and the used technique. Furthermore, the working times of the different collection lines do not differ significantly, opening issues on the possibility of setting up targeted interventions for fruit tree explantation and the subsequent woody biomass management.