Assessment of environmental effects of novel technologies for wood ash utilisation
Abstract
There was an increase of utilization of wooden biomass for energy recovery in heating plants and combined heat and power plants in Austria during the last years. In these heating plants a big amount of wooden ash is accumulated. Thus it gains in importance to use the ahs in a cost efficient and ecologically and technically worthwhile way. Currently most of the accrued ash is dumped. This solution is unsatisfying because of the fact that wooden ash is a valuable secondary raw material that can be used as a fertilizer and has positive mechanical characteristics as well. Objective of this project is to investigate possibilities for utilizing wooden ash in a technical and ecological feasible way. On the basis of previous research activities the usage of wooden ash in a cost efficient manner shall be optimized. In detail the utilization of wooden ash for fertilizing energy wood stands, composting, forest road construction and applying it in forests will be examined. On the one hand laboratory tests will be conducted; on the other hand field studies for all alternatives using ash will be arranged that will investigate the whole process (ash output, conditioning, manipulation, storage, transport and utilization). These alternatives will be evaluated and assessed with a view to its ecological and economic aspects. In succession new process techniques, frameworks and guidelines will be developed.
Publikationen
Project staff
Walter Wenzel
Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Walter Wenzel
walter.wenzel@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91143, 91161
BOKU Project Leader
01.12.2009 - 28.02.2014
BOKU partners
External partners
Chamber of Agriculture, Styria
none
partner
BIOS Bioenergiesysteme GmbH
none
partner
Österreichische Bundesforste AG, Unternehmensleitung
none
partner
Fachverband der Holzindustrie Österreichs
none
coordinator