Progress 07/23/07 to 07/23/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Outputs completed in this reporting period (FY2012) that contributed to project research objectives included one publication, two oral presentations, and a poster presentation. Two oral presentations were given: 1. Bilek, E.M. (Ted). 2012. The economics and politics of using underutilized wood, especially for building products. Presentation to the Western Wood Utilization Workshop. March 29 - 30, 2012. Salt Lake City, UT. 2. Bilek, E.M. (Ted); Sue LeVan-Green. 2012. Woody biomass utilization grant program. Presentation to the Partners in Action Conference. June 26 ⿿ 28, 2012. Mount Pleasant, MI. One poster was offered: 1. Bergman, Richard D.; E.M. (Ted) Bilek. 2012. ⿿Using the KilnCostCalculator to evaluate cost and feasibility of a small solar kiln in southwestern New Mexico. May 1⿿ May 3, 2012. SmallWood 2012. Flagstaff, Arizona. Termination Report--FY08: Found that biofuel production efficiencies are likely to be considerably higher for the integrated biorefinery (located at a pulp mill) than for ⿿stand-alone biorefineries, due to process synergies. FY09: An integrated economic model of log sort yards indicates that handling small-diameter logs may be economically feasible depending on the log mix and the yard⿿s efficiency. FY10: the extraction of hemicellulose prior to thermomechanical pulping looks to be a financially-worthwhile undertaking with the technology on its own promising to return over 30 percent. FY11: the production of Fischer-Tropsch liquid from wood gasified at a Kraft pulp mill looks to be technically feasible with potential internal rates of return attractive enough so that it appears worth investigating in more detail for a mill⿿s specific circumstances. FY12: a medium-sized solar kiln in New Mexico that was constructed of structural insulated panels is technically feasible, but its drying performance could have been improved by better siting and its degrade losses could have been reduced by improved loading procedures. This problem area will be continued in the new Research Work Unit Description.
Impacts
The solar kiln work was a follow-on from a line of research into solar kilns that began at the Forest Products Laboratory in 1971. The research was conducted on a kiln that was in part funded by the Forest Service. Our study results show that this kiln that was built using structural insulated panels (SIPs), while effective, could have been more effective if it had been better placed with respect to the sun. The study also highlighted the need for training for the kiln loaders since much of the drying degrade that occurred could be attributed to poor stacking techniques. The spreadsheet costing model that we developed in conjunction with this work is both flexible and powerful and could be used to evaluate the costs and economics of any dry kiln. This is important for creating value-added wood products from low-value green timber. A number of participants at SmallWood were quite interested in this model as a result of the poster session. The first oral presentation highlighted the economic potential for cross-laminated timber (CLT). The presentation resulted in an invitation for me to help co-author the first chapter in a new CLT handbook. The second presentation focused on a grant program that may provide opportunities for tribal entities to utilize their small-diameter timber and woody biomass.
Publications
- Becker,Peter; Bilek, E.M.(Ted); Cunningham, Terry; Bill, Michael; Calvert, Marty; Jensen, Jason; Norris, Michael; Thompson, Terry. 2011. Economics of coharvesting smallwood by chainsaw and skidder for crop tree management in Missouri. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 28(4): 214-218.
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Progress 07/23/07 to 07/23/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: This project is complete. PARTICIPANTS: This project is complete. TARGET AUDIENCES: This project is complete. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: This project is complete.
Impacts
This project is complete.
Publications
- Ince, Peter; Akim, Eduard; Lombard, Bernard; Parik, Tomas; Tolmatsova, Anastasia; 2011. Paper, paperboard and woodpulp markets, 2010-2011. In: Forest products annual market review, 2010-2011: Chapter 8. Geneva timber and forest study papers ; 27. Geneva, Switzerland : United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2011: p. 71-84: ISBN: 978211170504: 9211170508.
- Skog, K. 2011. Carbon sequestration in harvested wood products. In: Inventory of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and sinks: 1990-2009: Chapter 7. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011: p. 7-12 to 7-20, A254-A278; EPA 430-R-11-005.
- Skog, K.E.; Stanturf, J.A. 2011. Forest biomass sustainability and availability. In: Sustainable production of fuels, chemicals, and fibers from forest biomass: Chapter 1. ACS symposium series ; 1067. Washington, DC : American Chemical Society, c2011: p. 3-25: ISBN: 9780841226432 (alk. paper): 0841226431 (alk. paper)
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Progress 10/01/10 to 09/30/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Outputs completed in this reporting period (FY11) that contributed to project research objectives included co-authorship (with other FPL scientists) of a journal article on the feasibility of extracting hemicellulose from woodchips prior to pulping them in a thermomechanical pulp mill and then using the extraction to produce cellulosic ethanol A second co-authorship (also with other FPL scientists) was reported on the feasibility of setting up a wood gasifier at a Kraft pulp mill to produce power for the mill and Fischer-Tropsch liquid, which could be further processed into syn-fuels and used in the transportation sector. Both these reports fall under the FPL umbrella objective of ⿿Advancing the Forest Biorefinery. A third output was a journal article with FPL and outside co-authors looking at the feasibility of a log sort yard that handles small-diameter logs among its co-products. One presentation was given; related to the Value Prior to Pulping effort: 1. Ted Bilek, Carl Houtman, and Peter Ince. Feasibility of hemicellulose extraction from wood used to make thermomechanical pulp. AF&PA/TAPPI Spring Meeting, Madison. May 11.
Impacts
The value prior to pulping (VPP) study found that the extraction of hemicellulose prior to TMP looks to be a financially-worthwhile undertaking. With the assumptions we used, a mill utilizing this process could improve its overall return by roughly 10 percent. The VPP technology on its own looks to return over 30 percent. Part of this benefit is from ethanol and acetic acid production. Part of the benefit is from reduced energy required for the pulping and improved strength in the TMP pulp as a result of the pre-treatment process that allows reduced purchased kraft in the final pulp mix. The VPP work was done with FPL scientists Peter Ince and Carl Houtman and was reported in a Tappi Journal article. The gasification project found a nominal after-tax internal rate of return of over 20%, based on a gasifier processing 1,600 green tons/day that was sized for a 1,725 tons/day pulp mill. The resulting publication includes a computer engineering/economic model based on materials and energy balances that can be user-customized. With it an analyst can determine on a pre-feasibility basis if the benefits and of gasification appear to be worth investigating in more detail for a mill⿿s specific circumstances. The gasification work was done with FPL scientists Mark Dietenberger and Peter Ince. The log sort yard study was an application of previous work. The outside co-authors were in the process of undertaking a sort yard study and required some economic analysis. They decided that building on the previous sort-yard work by John (Rusty) Dramm (the other FPL co-author) and Ted Bilek would be better than trying to create an entirely new framework. In this study we found that it is possible that a log yard handling small-diameter logs can be successful. However the yard must have some large logs in its mix and must have sufficiently different product markets and margins in order for it to succeed. The resulting article in the Western Journal of Applied Forestry will be important for the possible processing of the large amounts of beetle-killed timber in the western United States.
Publications
- Bilek, E. M.; Houtman, Carl; Ince, Peter. 2011. Evaluation of a value prior to pulping-thermomechanical pulp business concept. Part 2. Tappi Journal 10(5): 31-38.
- Ince, Peter J.; Bilek, Edward M. (Ted); Dietenberger, Mark A. 2011. Modeling integrated biomass gasification business concepts. Research paper FPL-RP-660. Madison, WI : U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2011: 36 p.
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Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Outputs completed in this reporting period (FY10) that contributed to project research objectives included co-authorship (with other FPL scientists) of a report on the feasibility of extracting hemicellulose from woodchips prior to pulping them in a thermomechanical pulp mill and then using the extraction to produce cellulosic ethanol. An additional output was the publication of the writeup of a technical assistance visit to Wyoming and Colorado conducted in 2009. Two trips were taken in 2010 as a part of this problem. These included a jump team visit to firms in Colorado and Washington to help determine their eligibility for USDA Rural Development grants and work with a team to evaluate the stumpage valuation methodology used by the Yakama Tribal Council in Washington. Both these activities resulted in internal agency reports. Two presentations were given, both related to the Value Prior to Pulping effort: 1. Houtman, Carl, Ted Bilek, and Peter Ince. Feasibility of hemicellulose extraction from wood used to make thermomechanical pulp. International Biopulping Conference. France. Spring 2010. 2. E.M. (Ted) Bilek, Carl Houtman, and Peter Ince. The economics of hemicellulose extraction from wood used to make thermomechanical pulp. Value Prior to Pulping Final Meeting. September 15-16, 2010.
Impacts
The value prior to pulping (VPP) study found that the extraction of hemicellulose prior to TMP looks to be a financially-worthwhile undertaking. With the assumptions we used, a mill utilizing this process could improve its overall return by roughly 10 percent. The VPP technology on its own looks to return over 30 percent. Part of this benefit is from ethanol and acetic acid production. Part of the benefit is from reduced energy required for the pulping and improved strength in the TMP pulp as a result of the pretreatment process that allows reduced purchased kraft in the final pulp mix. The economic methodology developed for the VPP-TMP analysis was incorporated into an analysis of the potential of incorporating VPP into the kraft pulping process. Unfortunately, in the kraft process the economics do not come out as favorable. This is largely because, with kraft pulp, there are not the synergistic benefits that are realized by using the VPP pretreatment as with thermomechanical pulp. Much of the VPP work done with Peter Ince and Carl Houtman was included in a report to the Department of Energy (DE-FG36-06GO16108, M001). The jump team visit was part of a joint Forest Service-Rural Development team. The visit resulted in considerable followup technical assistance with two of the firms visited regarding the feasibility of new products as well as a report to the Washington Office. While the report to the Yakama Tribal Council will not result in new wood products, we believe that it will help keep Yakama Forest Products, a wholly-owned tribal enterprise, viable until demand for lumber rebounds and in a good condition to prosper once this happens.
Publications
- Dramm, John; Bilek, E.M. (Ted); Zerbe, John 2010. Wyoming-Colorado technical assistance visit trip report. Gen. Tech. Rept. FPL-GTR-192. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 24 p.
- Han, Han-Sup; Bilek, Ted; Dramm, Rusty; Loeffler, Dan; Calkin, David. 2009. Financial feasibility of a log sort yard handling small-diameter logs. In: Proceedings, 2009 COFE conference: Environmentally sound forest operations, 32d annual meeting of the council on forest engineering. 2009 June 15-18: Lake Tahoe. 7 p. Website: http://cofe.org/.
- Heath, Linda S.; Maltby, Van; Miner, Reid; Skog, Kenneth E.; Smith, James E.; Unwin, Jay; Upton, Brad. 2010. Greenhouse gas and carbon profile of the U.S. forest products industry value chain. Environmental Science & Technology 44(10): 3999-4005.
- Olsson, O. ; Hillring, B. ; Hartkamp, R.; Skog, K. ; Spelter, H.; Aguilar, F.; Mabee, W.; Gaston, C.; Wahl, A. 2010. Government policies increasingly promote renewable energy sources: Wood energy markets in the UNECE region, 2009-2010. In: Forest products annual market review, 2009-2010. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Geneva, Switzerland. Chapter 9. 166 p.
- Parker, Nathan; Tittmann, Peter; Hart, Quinn; Nelson, Richard; Skog, Ken; Schmidt, Anneliese; Gray, Edward; Jenkins, Bryan 2010. Development of a biorefinery optimized biofuel supply curve for the western United States. Biomass and Bioenergy 34: 1597-1607.
- Puettmann, M.; Bergman, R.; Hubbard, S.; Johnson, L.; Lippke, B.; Oneil, E.; Wagner, F. 2010. Cradle-to-gate life-cycle inventory of U.S. wood products production: CORRIM phase I and phase II products. Wood and Fiber Science 42 (special CORRIM issue): 15-28.
- Ryan, Michael G.; Harmon, Mark E.; Birdsey, Richard A.; Giardina, Christian P.; Heath, Linda S.; Houghton, Richard A.; Jackson, Robert B.; McKinley, Duncan C.; Morrison, James F.; Murray, Brian C.; Pataki, Diane E.; Skog, Kenneth E. 2010. A synthesis of the science on forests and carbon for U.S. Forests. Ecological Society of America: Issues In Ecology. 13: 1-16.
- Wang, X.; Bergman, R.D.; Mace, T. 2010. Heat sterilization of ash (Fraxinus spp.) firewood: Heat-treating options, temperature monitoring and thermal verification. Wood Material Science and Engineering 5: 104-109.
- Bergman, Richard ; Ibach, Rebecca; LaPasha, Constantine; Denig, Joseph 2010. Evaluating physical property changes for small-diameter, plantation-grown southern pine after in situ polymerization of an acrylic monomer. Forest Products Journal 59(10: 64-71.
- Bilek, E. M. (Ted). 2009. Machine cost analysis using the traditional machine-rate method and chargeout! In: Proceedings, 2009 COFE Conference: Environmentally sound forest operations, 32d annual meeting of the council on forest engineering. 2009 June 15-18: Lake Tahoe. 12 p. Website: http://cofe.org/.
- Wegner, Theodore; Skog, Kenneth E.; Ince, Peter J.; Michler, Charles H 2010. Uses and desirable properties of wood in the 21st century. Journal of Forestry 108(4):165-173
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Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Outputs completed in this reporting period (FY09) that contributed to project research objectives included co-authorship (with university and other Forest Service partners) and presentation of a feasibility study of a log sort yard handling small-diameter logs. In related research, a cash flow model developed in the group to evaluate the owning and operating costs of logging equipment was compared with traditional machine rate methods. Two related papers were produced and one was presented at the 2009 Council on Forest Engineering Conference. An additional output was a poster presentation at the Biomass conference on the modeling of a business concept involving a biorefinery focusing on gasification of wood biomass with syngas-to-liquids. There were also invited presentations at several other meetings. An old wood product that is one of the newest ones to be considered is sequestered carbon. A spreadsheet tool was produced with outside collaborators to evaluate the direct benefits and costs of carbon sequestration on managed forests. A webinar was given on the use of the tool.
Impacts
Results from the sort yard study indicate that a sort yard handling small-diameter logs may be economically feasible. However, much will depend on the log mix and the ability of the yard manager to configure its layout and equipment to handle the logs efficiently. There must be a variety of grades in the log input mix that must contain some higher-valued logs. Some species and grades can only be processed at a loss and should, if possible, be left in the forest. When compared with traditional machine-rate analysis, the discounted cash flow method that was developed is more flexible, and produces cash flows and costings that are more accurate. The methodology has now been incorporated into a university forest engineering course. Preliminary analysis indicates that favorable economic opportunities for integrated production of synthetic chemicals and biofuels via biomass gasification and catalytic synthesis at existing forest product facilities (e.g., pulp mills) may be possible. A key result is that biofuel production efficiencies are likely to be considerably higher and the economic feasibility looks better for the integrated biorefinery (located at a pulp mill) than for ⿿stand-alone biorefineries, due to process synergies. Whether or not it will be beneficial for forest owners to manage their forests for carbon sequestration will depend on the benefits and costs of that sequestration. Initial inventory, monitoring, and management costs must be balanced against accumulated carbon and projected returns. A decision tool to help evaluate these decisions determined that the initial costs, the area to be enrolled, the length of the contract, and future carbon prices will be the key factors affecting the profitability of these management decisions. The tool was featured in the May 2009 issue of The Forestry Source.
Publications
- Bilek, E. M. (Ted). 2009. Machine cost analysis using the traditional machine-rate method and chargeout! In: Proceedings, 2009 COFE Conference: Environmentally sound forest operations, 32d annual meeting of the council on forest engineering. 2009 June 15-18: Lake Tahoe. 12 p. Website: http://cofe.org/.
- Bilek, E. M. Ted. 2008. ChargeOut! Discounted cash flow compared with traditional machine-rate analysis. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-178. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 15 p.
- Bilek, E.M. (Ted); Becker, Peter; McAbee, Tim. 2009. CVal: a spreadsheet tool to evaluate the direct benefits and costs of carbon sequestration contracts for managed forests. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-180. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 27 p.
- Han, Han-Sup; Bilek, Ted; Dramm, Rusty; Loeffler, Dan; Calkin, David. 2009. Financial feasibility of a log sort yard handling small-diameter logs. In: Proceedings, 2009 COFE conference: Environmentally sound forest operations, 32d annual meeting of the council on forest engineering. 2009 June 15-18: Lake Tahoe. 7 p. Website: http://cofe.org/.
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Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Outputs completed in this reporting period (FY08) that contributed to project research objectives included co-authorship (with an industry working group) of a two-part refereed journal article on adding biofuel/bioproduct capacity to existing U.S. pulp mills, and also authorship of an appendix to a refereed journal article describing a vision of the U.S. biofuel future ⿿ the case for hydrogen-enriched biomass gasification. Other research outputs and results were disseminated to communities of interest via an invited presentation at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Boston (February 2008), and invited presentations at several other meetings.
Impacts
Findings and results indicate favorable economic opportunities for integrated production of synthetic chemicals and biofuels via biomass gasification and catalytic synthesis at existing forest product facilities (e.g., pulp mills). A key result is that biofuel production efficiencies are likely to be considerably higher for the integrated biorefinery (located at a pulp mill) than for ⿿stand-alone biorefineries due to process synergies. In particular, the pulp mill associated with an integrated forest biorefinery can utilize excess tail gases and excess heat from biomass gasification to replace fossil fuels and obtain effectively higher yields of biofuel from the portion of biomass used for biofuel than could be obtained at a stand-alone biorefining facility (not integrated to a pulp mill). Research at FPL is now focused on developing a generic set of process and cash flow models to evaluate the biomass gasification business concept at pulp mills, and to evaluate another integrated biorefining concept, the value-prior-to-pulping hemicellulose extraction concept. In related research, a cash flow model developed in the group was the primary tool used in a joint venture study submitted to the Forestry Sciences Laboratory (Missoula) evaluating the economic feasibility of a possible centralized log sort yard to merchandise logs primarily sourced from forest health treatments.
Publications
- Belin, Tom; Brown, Craig; Connor, Eric; Frederick, Jim; Ince, Peter; Katofsky, Ryan; Closset, Gerard (AF&PA Agenda 2020 CTO Committee Working Group). 2008. Adding biofuel/bioproduct capacity to existing U.S. mills, Part 1: Options. Paper 360 (TAPPI/PIMA) 3(4): 33-37.
- Belin, Tom; Brown, Craig; Connor, Erick; Frederick, Jim; Ince, Peter; Katofsky, Ryan; Closset, Gerard (AF&PA Agenda 2020 CTO Committee Working Group). 2008. Adding biofuel/bioproduct capacity to existing U.S. mills, Part 2: The business case. Paper 360 (TAPPI/PIMA) 3(6): 24-28.
- Dietenberger, Mark; Anderson, Mark. 2008. Vision of the U.S. biofuel future: A case for hydrogen-enriched biomass gasification. American Chemical Society [Appendix by P. Ince]. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 46(26): 8863-8874.
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Progress 10/01/06 to 09/30/07
Outputs
Current research topics continue to focus on economic utilization of thinnings from forest health treatments. Two studies involving the utilization of small-diameter timber include evaluation of the economic feasibility of using small diameter trees in the U.S. West: 1) to make laminated lumber products; and 2) to make structural products from pulp fiber. The third study area 3) involves the economic evaluation of the Forest Service Woody Biomass Grants Program. A fourth, and new study area 4) involves the economic feasibility of energy generation utilizing biomass in both thermochemical and biochemical processes. Accomplishments include: 1) a draft "How to" guide to complement the laminated lumber products model that was published last year; (2) an integrated spreadsheet model to evaluate the feasibility of structural pulp fiber products; and (3) a status report to the Chief regarding the Woody Biomass Utilization Grant Program, publication of a users' guide for a
spreadsheet model that calculates charge-out rates and profitability for logging equipment. In addition, a user's guide to a program that calculates charge out rates for logging equipment was published.
Impacts
The laminated lumber spreadsheet model is being used by a cooperating company to help evaluate the feasibility and profitability of different products. A professor at Oregon State University will be visiting the Forest Products Laboratory in December to discuss the possibility of incorporating the logging equipment costing model into his wood engineering course. The Woody Biomass Grants Program continues to be funded and is helping to provide solutions to the nation's forest health problems.
Publications
- LeVan, Susan; Bilek, Ted; Kramp, Andrew. 2007. Woody biomass utilization 2005 grant program: Status report. USDA Forest Service, S&PF Technology Marketing Unit. Madison, WI.
- Bilek, E.M. 2007. ChargeOut! Determining machine and capital equipment charge-out rates using discounted cash-flow analysis. General Technical Report GTR-171. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 33 p.
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