BIOMASS TRANSPORTATION

Extensive utilisation of logging residues, straw, and energy crops wil l lead to short transportation distances and thus low transportation c osts. The average distance of transportation of biomass to a large-sca le conversion plant, suitable for electricity or methanol production u sing 300 000 dry tonne biomass yearly, will be about 30 km in Sweden, if the conversion plant is located at the centre of the biomass produc tion area The estimated Swedish biomass potential of 430 PJ/yr is base d on production conditions around 2015, assuming that 30% of the avail able arable land is used for energy crop production. With present prod uction conditions, resulting in a biomass potential of 220 PJ/yr, the transportation distance is about 42 km. The cost of transporting bioma ss 30-42 km will be equivalent to 20-25% of the total biomass cost. Th e total energy efficiency of biomass production and transportation wil l be 95-97%, where the energy losses from transportation are about 20% . Biomass transportation will contribute less than 10% to the total NO x, CO, and HC emissions from biomass production, transportation, and c onversion.