Investigating gas emissions and dry matter loss from stored biomass residues

Biomass is considered a renewable and eco-friendly source for conversion into bioenergy. The objective of this paper is to investigate the gas emissions and dry matter loss during storage for better management and handling of biomass. Experiments were conducted using Douglas fir residues for a range of temperatures under non-aerobic and aerobic conditions. Results showed that the CO2 emission from the mixed chips and greens was an order of magnitude greater than the wood chips. CO2 emissions from the aerobic reactors exhibited similar trends as the non-aerobic reactors with respect to the effect of temperature. Similar types of volatile organic compounds were detected from the chips and the mixed materials. Total gas emissions from the aerobic reactors were higher than the non-aerobic reactors. Dry matter loss and gas emissions was found to be positively correlated, reaffirming that gas emission is an important factor leading to dry matter loss of stored biomass residues.