Opportunities and challenges associated with development of wood biomass energy production in Louisiana

Wood residue produced by forest products industry has been recognized as a potential fuel that can generate energy to run the industry. A survey was done among forest products industry to get a general idea about energy produced from woody biomass created from forest industry in Louisiana, USA. The industry was classified into primary and secondary forest products industry. The study provided information regarding utilization and wastage of wood residue. Survey response rate was 25 percent. It addressed problems faced by wood residue energy development and came up with solution to solve them. When survey results were compared to previous survey, done in 1994, it clearly showed an increase in production and utilization of wood residue. One more thing worth noting was the reduction in number of secondary forest products industry. The study estimated a production 15,076,937 tons of wood residue by the forest product industry. Results showed that majority of wood being produced in the industry went un-utilized. In primary forest products industry most respondent used their residue in energy production. But in secondary sector, residue was not utilized. Residue of secondary forest product industry such as wood chips and shavings were used in various sectors. Some of them were bedding for horse farms, mulching, for erosion control in canals and as fuel in furnaces. But nearly ninety percent of residue went to landfills. By contrast, there were industries which had a great demand for wood residue as a fuel. We discovered a need for better communication between producers and utilizers. This study also produced an interactive online directory, from which industry needing wood residue can contact producers. One major reason for non-utilization of wood residue in secondary sector was due to comparatively small production that was distributed widely across the state. Cost of transportation restricted them from being a viable option. Lack of information about producers and consumers also played a role

Biomass energy production in Louisiana: a GIS study on the supply chain

One major drawback of biomass fuel is its bulky nature and the resulting high cost of transporting the fuel to the facility where the energy is being produced. Hence, supply chain of biomass residues plays a crucial role in determining the financial viability of bioenergy production. Transporting biomass for energy purposes more than 50 miles (80 km) is not considered economically feasible in most conditions. In the wood energy scenario, the maximum distance is more often restricted to distances of less than 200 km between production and consumption (via road). A study was done to determine logging residues and agricultural residues production for the 64 parishes in Louisiana and to compare the three different modes of transportation (freight) for wood biomass, namely rail, road and water. The average annual production for logging residues in the state from 2000 to 2010 was estimated around 3,073,978 bone dry tons (BDT) and for agricultural crop residue it was approximately 6,773,985 BDT annually (2005- 2011). The greatest production of logging residues was in the western and northern parishes of Louisiana, away from the population centers. The road network was the most extensive means of transportation. For long distances (greater than about 150 km), the Mississippi/Red River complexes could provide a very cheap source of transportation, followed by rail, but they had their own set of logistical problems. The river or rail networks were limited for the major logging residues producers (such as Winn, Vernon, Bienville, Union, etc.) and utilizing parishes. For agricultural residues, north-eastern and central parishes like Morehouse, Madison, Franklin, East Carroll and Pointe Coupee were the major producers. Soybean, rice, corn and sugarcane constituted the majority of the agricultural residue production. All the major agricultural parishes were in close proximity to ports in the state, which opened them to the waterway system