Objective
To collect for energy purposes the biomass resulting from scrub clearance of Mediterranean forestry areas. The scrub clearance is carried out by use of a specially designed machine. The project involves total scrub clearance of 120 ha in the Departements du Gard and du Var. The goal is the scrub clearance of 1 ha/d which would yield +/- 20 T/d of fresh biomass collected.
The project has shown, on the basis of the two 120 ha works done in the Departements du Gard and du Var, that, with some minor improvements done during the project, the equipment is very efficient. However, the yield is very dependent on the working conditions.
The influence of different parameters such as weather conditions, vegetation characteristics, plot topography and soil nature have been highlighted.
The hilly and stony nature of the Mediterranean relief has only allowed the harvesting of the cut biomass for one third of the areas cleared. For these areas, the biomass recovery yield was very satisfactory and amounted to
56 m3/ha while 1.15 ha/day was cleared. Under these later circumstances and taking into account the income resulting from scrub clearance, the production cost per energy unit is well below the (November 1988) fuel oil price.
However, the wood chips produced must also find a final user which is located close enough to the production site. In the present project, it was only possible to sell 15 % of the biomass recovered.
Generally speaking, one may say that positive economic results for biomass recovery and use will only normally be achieved provided that the following conditions are fulfilled: soil not too stony and not too hilly, vegetation dense enough and transport distance to the final user not too high.
The machine used called "Scorpion" and developed from a prototype, carries out the functions of cutting, harvesting, grinding, storage and transport of the biomass.
It was specially designed to work in the difficult vegetation and relief conditions of the Mediterranean forestry.
The machine is 7m long, 3m high and 2,16m wide. It is able to cut trees with a maximum diameter of 25 cm soft wood. The storage capacity is about 7 m3 and the power is 240 hp.
The biomass collected is to be used for heating purposes. The harvesting of biomass allows also the reduction in the cost of scrub clearance which is in several cases necessary to reduce the fire risks.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project has not yet been classified with EuroSciVoc.
Be the first one to suggest relevant scientific fields and help us improve our classification service
You need to log in or register to use this function
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Data not available
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
51310 ESTERNAY
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.