Chips with lower costs:

Stump processing

Today, stumps are one of the important biomass sources for energy chip production. For example in Finland stumps form 11% of the overall energy chip production.

There are clear benefits but also some disadvantages in using stumps in energy chip production. Stumps have high dry solids content and low purchasing price but they also hold significant amount of inorganic material and have cost challenges in supply chain.

It is shown that a stationary crusher is the most feasible choice for stump processing even with relatively low annual production level of the energy chips. This is because the lower operating costs of a stationary crusher offset the higher investment costs compared to mobile chipper.

As a result, after amortizations, the stationary stump processing costs are 0,52 € / MWh compared to the  1,96 € / MWh costs of mobile stump processing. Saalasti published an article relating to the cost differences between stationary and mobile processing of stumps just in time for the Bioenergy 2015 conference in Jyväskylä, Finland. The article can be downloaded from the link below.

>> Download the article STATIONARY BIOMASS PROCESSORS - CRUSHING STUMPS WITH LOWER COSTS (PDF)

Main argument:

For 10 MWe and larger biomass users economical benefits of stationary crushing are obvious and even in smaller scale similar benefits are obtainable.

- Juha Kettunen, Sales Director, Saalasti Oy