What could your forestry residues produce?

One tonne of woodchips: a relatable baseline

At 30% moisture, one tonne of woodchips contains about 12.5 GJ of fuel energy. [S4] At an illustrative 80% boiler efficiency, that is approximately 2,780 kWh of useful heat before distribution losses.

Choose a process that suits wood

Clean woody residues commonly require a thermal assessment, such as biomass heat or suitable gasification. They should not be shown as interchangeable with manure in a conventional digester. Gasification-derived hydrogen or synthetic methane requires its own conversion model.

A volume you can picture

At the reference bulk density, about four loose cubic metres of woodchips weigh one tonne. This is an international comparison at 30% moisture, not a truck-payload guarantee. Confirm delivered weight and moisture before estimating heat. [S4]

Check what is actually available

Record tonnes, moisture, particle size, contamination, seasonality and existing buyers. Separate clean residues from painted, treated or mixed waste wood.

Describe the fuel a receiving site would get

Record clean residue type, tonnes, moisture basis, particle size, contamination, source and delivery schedule. Separate untreated wood from painted, treated or mixed waste wood, and verify weight rather than relying on loose volume alone.

Show Available supply after existing product and fuel commitments, or specify Needed fuel against a proposed heat requirement. Record seasonal access and quality variation; a stockpile measurement is not an annual delivery commitment.

Start with a useful thermal customer

Assess the timing, temperature and scale of local heat demand alongside boiler suitability, moisture, handling and distribution losses. A fuel-energy figure is not the same as heat delivered to a customer's process.

Gasification, synthetic methane or wood-derived hydrogen require their own process evidence and mass-energy balances. The digestion planner's manure and food-waste outputs cannot establish those yields or economics.

Connect fuel supply to a practical heat catchment

A regional proposal needs consistent delivered fuel, a suitable site and real heat demand. Transport, storage and existing wood markets can change which sources are practical even when they appear nearby.

Save the resource or requirement privately and submit a signal for review only when you choose. Published interest does not establish lawful acceptance, fuel certification, an offtake contract or a formed hub.

Frequently asked questions

Can I convert truckloads into energy?

Use weighbridge tonnes or a verified payload and moisture measurement.

Why isn't a hydrogen quantity shown?

Wood-to-hydrogen involves a different process. A project-specific mass and energy balance is needed before presenting an output.

Sources and references

Forest Research (UK), typical calorific values of fuels

ARENA, Australia's Bioenergy Roadmap: resource availability appendix (2021)

Match my wood resource to a pathway

Save your quantities, location and evidence gaps privately. Nothing is published without your consent and Admin review.