Analysis of Coppices, Cellulose Content of Coppices, Lignin Content of Coppices

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Background on Coppices

These energy crops, often referred to as short rotation coppices (SRCs), include the hardwoods willow, poplar, and robina, and are currently the most abundantly used energy crop feedstock worldwide for biomass fuelled electricity and energy generation. It is well established as an energy crop due to its relatively high yields, ability to grow in various climates, and the relatively low maintenance costs/times required once the crop is established.

Coppice plantations are currently established from 20-25 cm long un-rooted stem cuttings vertically planted in a seed-bed. Immediately after planting, a pre-emergent herbicide is usually applied to prevent germination of annual weeds. By the end of the first growing season, usually in November, the trees will have reached a height of approximately one to two and a half metres and usually have one to four stems.

Coppicing the stems at a height of 2-5 cm promotes multiple sprout formation, which results in rapid canopy closure in the second growing season.

After the second growing season little maintenance is required, apart from disease/insect monitoring. The number of years between harvests is defined as the cutting cycle. SRCs generally have cutting cycles of between two and five years. Conventionally, it has been recommended that harvesting should occur in the winter, when the plants are dormant and their leaves have fallen, and be completed by bud swell. This period would usually be approximately four months - between late November and mid March. Due to the heavy nature of the harvesting machinery, operations are not considered possible when the soil is wet. Some studies indicate that year-long harvesting is possible, although there are yield losses associated with summer harvesting. These losses need to be weighed against dry matter losses experienced in storage.

The harvesters used tend to either cut and chip the coppice in one operation, or harvest the whole stems for later comminution.

Analysis of Coppices at Celignis

Celignis Analytical can determine the following properties of Coppices samples:

Sugars (Monosaccharides)

Disaccharides and Oligosaccharides

Polysaccharides

Adjusted-Cellulose-Content

Starch

Pectin

Sugar Alcohols and Uronic Acids

4-O-Methyl-D-Glucuronic Acid

Lignin and Extractives

Lignin (Klason)

Lignin (Klason - Protein Corrected)

Lignin (Acid Soluble)

Acid Insoluble Residue

Extractives (Ethanol-Soluble)

Extractives (Water-Soluble)

Extractives (Exhaustive - Water then Ethanol)

Lignin S/G Ratio

Extractives (Water-Insoluble, Ethanol Soluble)

Protein Content of Acid Insoluble Residue

Carbon Content of Acid Insoluble Residue

Hydrogen Content of Acid Insoluble Residue

Nitrogen Content of Acid Insoluble Residue

Sulphur Content of Acid Insoluble Residue

Amino Acids

Fatty Acids

Vitamins

Thiamine (Vitamin B1)

Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)

Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)

Niacin (Vitamin B3)

Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)

Cobalamin (Vitamin B12)

Folate (Vitamin B9)

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

Retinol (Vitamin A)

Retinol Acetate (Vitamin A Acetate)

Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3)

Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2)

Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate)

Phylloquinone (Vitamin K1)

Major and Minor Elements

Physical Properties

Pellet Length and Diameter

Plant Pigments

Polyamines

Polyphenols

Terpenes

Lignocellulosic Properties of Coppices

Cellulose Content of Coppices

Coppices are hardwoods and have a good cellulose content. The whole-plant cellulose content will depend on: the productivity of the tree; the mass ratio of stem biomass to foliage; the cutting cycle; and the particular coppice variety.

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Hemicellulose Content of Coppices

Coppices are hardwoods and will typically have a lower hemicellulose content than herbaceous energy crops (e.g. Miscanthus). The principal hemicellulose sugar is xylose with small amounts of galactose, mannose,arabinose, and rhamnose present.

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Lignin Content of Coppices

As hardwoods coppices will have a good lignin content. The whole-plant lignin content will depend on: the productivity of the tree; the mass ratio of stem biomass to foliage; the cutting cycle; and the particular coppice variety.

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Starch Content of Coppices

The starch content of coppices varies between the different anatomical components of the plant. Typically it is highest in the leaves, where photosynthesis takes place, and lower in the stems. The starch content can also vary according to the maturity of the plant.

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Uronic Acid Content of Coppices

The uronic acids glucuronic acid and galacturonic acid are present in the hemicelluloses of coppices.

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Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Coppices

We can undertake tests involving the enzymatic hydrolysis of Coppices. In these experiments we can either use a commercial enzyme mix or you can supply your own enzymes. We also offer analysis packages that compare the enzymatic hydrolysis of a pre-treated sample with that of the native original material.

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Bioenergy Properties of Coppices

Ash Content of Coppices

The ash content of coppices is typically reasonably low although this will be dependent on the variety and the amount of foliage present on the standing crop.

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Heating (Calorific) Value of Coppices

Coppices have good heating values, meaning that they are suitable for utilisation in boilers for the production of heat and/or electricity. However the effective heating value will depend greatly on the moisture content of the crop.

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Ash Melting Behaviour of Coppices

Ash melting, also known as ash fusion and ash softening, can lead to slagging, fouling and corrosion in boilers which may reduce conversion efficiency. We can determine the ash melting behaviour of Coppices using our Carbolite CAF G5 BIO ash melting furnace. It can record the following temperatures:

Ash Shrinkage Starting Temperature (SST) - This occurs when the area of the test piece of Coppices ash falls below 95% of the original test piece area.

Ash Deformation Temperature (DT) - The temperature at which the first signs of rounding of the edges of the test piece occurs due to melting.

Ash Hemisphere Temperature (HT) - When the test piece of Coppices ash forms a hemisphere (i.e. the height becomes equal to half the base diameter).

Ash Flow Temperature (FT) - The temperature at which the Coppices ash is spread out over the supporting tile in a layer, the height of which is half of the test piece at the hemisphere temperature.

Click here to see the Celignis Analysis Packages that determine Ash Melting Behaviour

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Major and Minor Elements in Coppices

Examples of major elements that may be present in Coppices include potassium and sodium which are present in biomass ash in the forms of oxides. These can lead to fouling, ash deposition in the convective section of the boiler. Alkali chlorides can also lead to slagging, the fusion and sintering of ash particles which can lead to deposits on boiler tubes and walls.

We can also determine the levels of 13 different minor elements (such as arsenic, copper, and zinc) that may be present in Coppices.

Click here to see the Celignis Analysis Packages that determine Major and Minor Elements

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Analysis of Coppices for Anaerobic Digestion

Biomethane potential (BMP) of Coppices

At Celignis we can provide you with crucial data on feedstock suitability for AD as well as on the composition of process residues. For example, we can determine the biomethane potential (BMP) of Coppices. The BMP can be considered to be the experimental theoretical maximum amount of methane produced from a feedstock. We moniotor the volume of biogas produced allowing for a cumulative plot over time, accessed via the Celignis Database. Our BMP packages also involve routine analysis of biogas composition (biomethane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, oxygen). We also provide detailed analysis of the digestate, the residue that remains after a sample has been digested. Our expertise in lignocellulosic analysis can allow for detailed insight regarding the fate of the different biogenic polymers during digestion.

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Physical Properties of Coppices

Bulk Density of Coppices

At Celignis we can determine the bulk density of biomass samples, including Coppices, according to ISO standard 17828 (2015). This method requires the biomass to be in an appropriate form (chips or powder) for density determination.

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Particle Size of Coppices

Our lab is equipped with a Retsch AS 400 sieve shaker. It can accommodate sieves of up to 40 cm diameter, corresponding to a surface area of 1256 square centimetres. This allows us to determine the particle size distribution of a range of samples, including Coppices, by following European Standard methods EN 15149- 1:2010 and EN 15149-2:2010.

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Outside Publications on Coppices Including Celignis Data

Grams, J., Kwapinska, M., Jedrzejczyk, M., Rzeznicka, I., Leahy, J.J. and Ruppert, A.M. (2019) Surface characterization of Miscanthus x giganteus and Willow subjected to torrefaction, Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis 138: 231-241

Click to read abstract

Link

The main goal of this work was to determine the differences in the composition of the surface and bulk of lignocellulosic feedstock subjected to torrefaction. Miscanthus x giganteus and Willow were used as widely available types of second generation of biomass. The surface of the samples was primarily characterized by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The bulk of the investigated biomass was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and classical chemical methods. The results obtained show that the destruction of the surface of both Miscanthus x giganteus and Willow begin at lower temperature than that observed for the bulk. Moreover, in the case of Miscanthus x giganteus the possibility of the partial surface decomposition of not only the hemicellulose and cellulose but also lignin structure is pointed out. The observed differences between the behavior of the uppermost and deeper layers of the studied biomass samples indicate that the efficiency of their thermal degradation is different and should be taken into account when discussing the torrefaction process.

Rockwood, D.L., Ellis, M.F., Liu, R., Zhao, F., Ji, P., Zhu, Z., Fabbro, K.W., He, Z. and Cave, R.D. (2019) Short rotation eucalypts: opportunities for biochar, Forests 10(4): 314

Click to read abstract

Link

Eucalypts can be very productive when intensively grown as short rotation woody crops (SRWC) for bioproducts. In Florida, USA, a fertilized, herbicided, and irrigated cultivar planted at 2471 trees/ha could produce over 58 green mt/ha/year in 3.7 years, and at 2071 trees/ha, its net present value (NPV) exceeded $750/ha at a 6% discount rate and stumpage price of $11.02/green mt. The same cultivar grown less intensively at three planting densities had the highest stand basal area at the highest density through 41 months, although individual tree diameter at breast height (DBH) was the smallest. In combination with an organic fertilizer, biochar improved soil properties, tree leaf nutrients, and tree growth within 11 months of application. Biochar produced from Eucalyptus and other species is a useful soil amendment that, especially in combination with an organic fertilizer, could improve soil physical and chemical properties and increase nutrient availability to enhance Eucalyptus tree nutrition and growth on soils. Eucalypts produce numerous naturally occurring bioproducts and are suitable feedstocks for many other biochemically or thermochemically derived bioproducts that could enhance the value of SRWCs.