Dry matter losses in combination with gaseous emissions during the storage of forest residues

Past published research on the storage of fresh woody biomass has rarely presented observations of gaseous emissions in combination with the related dry matter losses. The objectives of this study are to determine dry matter losses and gaseous emissions from stored logging residues. Lab-scale vessels were set up to study the concentration of off gases at 15 °C and 35 °C. Results showed that the maximum concentrations of CO2, CO and CH4 were 13.8%, 0.16%, and 0.15%, respectively over a period of 35 days. The oxygen level decreased to 0% at the end of storage. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were qualitatively detected by GC/MS technique. The major chemical compounds identified were alcohols, terpenes, aldehydes, acids, acetone, benzene, ethers and esters. The total VOC concentration reached 85 ppm at 35 °C storage temperature at the end of the storage period. Dry matter loss ranged from 0.78% to 2.0% increasing with storage temperature.