In the next plant generation, synthetic biofuels from Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (BTL) will be produced in large scale facilities of 200,000 – 300,000 tons per year BTL output. Therefore, an amount of around 1 million tons of dry biomass is needed as chipped or pelletized wood or straw for CHOREN’s Carbo-V® process. To supply this huge stream of matter, a detailed supply chain management concept has to be established starting from forestry and short rotation coppice plantations to logistics and processing (chipping, drying) of wood up to storage management. CHOREN’s Carbo-V® gasification concept is optimized for biomass feedstock with a water content of around 15 % w/w. By these circumstances, the following topics have to be dealt with:
• Sources: all kinds of wood can be used technologically (short rotation coppice, round wood, fresh wood, forest energy wood, waste wood, wood chips) and to a certain extent straw
• Transport and storage of untreated material (rail, road, ship)
• Elimination of contaminants
• Chipping of wood and pelletizing of straw and small wood particles
• Drying of chipped biomass particles
• Biomass storage and storage policy
• On-site biomass transport
We will present a biomass sourcing concept and the results of a supply chain management analysis and engineering study performed to gain insight into designing a specific site to manage a flow of 1 million tons of dry biomass per year from sustainable sources. This first of its kind sourcing and logistic study for large scale biomass gasification in Germany/Europe is proving to be extremely helpful to further understanding of supply concepts.