Terminology
The following Bioenergy terminology is an extract from the Unified Bioenergy Terminology(UBET) prepared jointly among various institutions and discussed during a FAO expert meeting “A Unified Wood Energy Terminology”, held in Rome, Italy on 3-4 October 2001. The paper from which these definitions derive, aims at unifying and organizing currently used terminology and definition of woodfuels and other biofuels used in forest and energy statistics, bioenergy balances and commercial trading operations.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T | U | V |Y | Z |agricultural by-products, agricultural residues biomass by-products originating from production, harvesting, and processing in farm areas. NOTE See also animal by-products and crop production by-products
agrofuels biofuels obtained as a product of energy crops and/or agricultural by-products NOTE See also agricultural by-products, agro-industrial by-products and animal by-products
agro-industrial by-products Several kinds of biomass materials produced chiefly in food and fibre processing industries EXAMPLES sugarcane bagasse, rice/paddy husks and hulls, coconut shells, husks, fibre, and pith, olive pressing
animal by-products, animal residues agricultural by-products originating from livestock keeping. It includes among others solid excreta of animals.
ash residue obtained by combustion of a fuel NOTE 1 See also total ash and ash fusibility. NOTE 2 Depending on the combustion efficiency the ash may contain combustibles. NOTE 3 Adopted to ISO 1213-2:1992
ash fusibility; ash melting behaviour characteristic physical state of the ash obtained by heating under specific conditions. Ash fusibility is determined under either oxidizing or reducing conditions.
Bbaled biofuel, bale solid biofuels which has been compressed and bound to keep its shape and density EXAMPLE Straw bales, bales of energy grass, bales of treetops and branches
bark organic cellular tissue which is formed by taller plants (trees, bushes) on the outside of the growth zone (cambium) as a shell for the wooden body
basic density ratio of the mass on dry basis and the solid volume on green basis
bioenergy energy from biofuels
bioenergy balance quantitative summary data on biomass energy production and consumption represented in an energy balance table and diagram. A bioenergy balance represents an overview of production and consumption of primary and secondary biofuels for a specific area, country or region. All values must have the same units and the same prefix to indicate its magnitude (tera, peta, giga, etc.). NOTE Energy balances should cover all the primary and secondary energy sources, showing clearly the non-energy use of such sources. In the cases where biofuels are utilized for industrial processes, such as in the pig-iron industry, their use should be clearly indicated and consideration given to all the previous processes involved.
biofuel fuel produced directly or indirectly from biomass
biofuel blend biofuel resulting from intentionally mixing of different biofuels EXAMPLE Straw or energy grass with wood, dried biosludge with bark.
biofuel briquette densified biofuel made with or without pressing aids in the form of cubiform or cylindrical units, produced by compressing pulverised biomass. The raw material for briquettes can be woody biomass, herbaceous biomass, fruit biomass and biomass blends, and biomass mixtures. Biofuel briquettes are usually manufactured in a piston press. The total moisture of the biofuel briquette is usually less than 15 % of mass.
biofuel mixture biofuel resulting from natural or unintentional mixing of different biofuels and/or different types of biomass
biofuel pellet densified biofuel made from pulverised biomass with or without pressing aids usually with a cylindrical form, random length typically 5 to 30 mm, and broken ends. The raw material for biofuel pellets can be woody biomass, herbaceous biomass, fruit biomass, or biomass blends and mixtures. They are usually manufactured in a die. The total moisture of biofuel pellets is usually less than 10 % of mass.
biomass material of biological origin excluding material embedded in geological formations and transformed to fossil NOTE See also herbaceous biomass, fruit biomass, and woody biomass. biomass by-products, biomass residues biomass originating from well defined side-streams from agricultural, forestry and related industrial operations NOTE Adopted to the proposal within the Draft CEN Report Solid Recovered Fuels
biosludge sludge formed in the aeration basin during biological waste water treatment or biological treatment process and separated by sedimentation. The sludge can be dewatered and further processed into solid biofuel.
black liquor alkaline spent liquor obtained from digesters in the production of sulphate or soda pulp during the process of paper production, in which the energy content is mainly originating from the content of lignin removed from the wood in the pulping process
producer gas solid biofuel gasified/manufactured in a gasifier.
bulk density mass of a portion of a solid fuel divided by the volume of the container which is filled by that portion under specific conditions NOTE Adopted to ISO 1213-2:1992
bulk volume, loose volume volume of a material including space between the particles
bundled biofuel, bundle solid biofuels which has been bound together and where there is a lengthwise orientation of the material EXAMPLE Bundles of energy forest trees and logging by-products, small trees, or branches and tops.
Ccalorific value, heating value (Q) energy amount per unit mass or volume released on complete combustion NOTE See also gross calorific value, energy density, net calorific value, and net calorific value as received
cereal crops annual crops grown with the main purpose to use the seed for food production. Some cereal crops can be used as a solid biofuel. EXAMPLES barley, wheat, rye, oat
char solid partially or non-agglomerated carbonaceous material produced by pyrolysis of solid biofuels NOTE Adopted to ISO 1213-2:1992
charcoal solid residue derived from carbonization distillation, pyrolysis and torrefaction of fuelwood
chopped straw straw which has been cut into small pieces
chunkwood wood cut with sharp cutting devices in which most of the material has a typical particle length, substantially longer and more coarse than wood chips NOTE Chunkwood has a typical length of 50 to 150 mm.
complete tree harvested tree, including limbs and root system NOTE See also whole tree.
cork by-products, cork residues biomass by-products from cork production
crop production by-products , crop production residues agricultural by-products originating from crop production, harvesting, and processing in farm areas. It includes among others wood, straw, stalks, and husks.
cross-cut ends short pieces of woody biomass which occur when the ends of logs or sawn timber are cross cut off, with or without bark
cut biofuel solid biofuels cut into pieces NOTE See also chunkwood, firewood, chopped straw, and smallwood. cutter chips wood chips made as a by-product of the wood processing industry, with or without bark.
Ddemolition wood used wood arising from demolition of buildings or civil engineering installation NOTE Adopted to prEN 13965-1:2000
densified biofuel, compressed biofuel solid biofuel made by mechanically compressing biomass to increase its density and to mould the fuel into a specific size and shape such as cubes, pressed logs, biofuel pellets or biofuel briquettes NOTE See also biofuel briquette and biofuel pellets.
density ratio of mass to volume. It must always be stated whether the density refers to the density of individual particles or to the bulk density of the material and whether the mass of water in the material is included. NOTE See also basic density, bulk density and particle density.
dry ash free basis condition in which the solid biofuel is free from moisture and inorganic matter
dry basis condition in which the solid biofuel is free from moisture NOTE Adopted to ISO 1213-2:1992
dry matter material after removal of moisture under specific conditions
dry matter content portion of dry matter in the total material on mass basis
Eedgings parts of woody biomass which occur when trimming sawn timber and which show a remainder of the original rounded surface of the tree, with or without bark.
energy crops, fuel crops woody or herbaceous crops grown specifically for their fuel value NOTE See also energy forest trees, energy grass, energy plantation trees. energy density ratio of net energy content and bulk volume NOTE The energy density is calculated using the net calorific value determined and the bulk density.
energy forest trees woody biomass grown specifically for its fuel value in medium to long rotation forestry
energy grass; fuel grass herbaceous energy crop EXAMPLE Sugarcane, Miscanthus, Reed canary grass.
energy plantation trees woody biomass grown as short rotation trees specifically for its fuel value
extraneous ash total ash from contaminants entering the material at harvest, logging, treatment, transport, storage etc.
Ffibre board by-products, fibre board residues by-products from fibre board production. Fibre board is a panel product manufactured from low grade wood, wood residues, or similar lignocellulosic materials with primary bonding deriving from the arrangements of fibres and their natural adhesive properties.
fibre sludge sludge formed in the sedimentation basin as a part of the waste water treatment process in a pulp and paper mill. The main component is pieces of wood fibres. The sludge can be dewatered and further processed into a solid biofuel.
firewood cut and split oven-ready fuelwood used in household wood burning appliances like stoves, fireplaces and central heating systems. Firewood usually has a uniform length, typically in the range 150 mm to 500 mm.
fixed carbon remainder after the percentage of total moisture, total ash, and volatile matter are subtracted from 100 NOTE Adopted to ISO 1213-2:1992
food processing industry by-products , food processing industry residues biomass by-products originating from the food processing industry. It includes among others bone meal, press cake from juice production.
foreign material; impurities material other than claimed, which has contaminated the biofuel
forest chips forest wood in the form of wood chips
forest fuels woodfuel produced where the raw material has not previously had another use. Forest fuel is produced directly from forest wood by a mechanical process.
forest wood woody biomass from forests and/or tree plantations NOTE See also complete tree, energy forest trees, energy plantation trees, logging by-products, thinning by-products, tree section, and whole tree.
fruit biomass part of a plant which holds seeds EXAMPLE Nuts, olives
fuel energy carrier intended for energy conversion
fuel classification division of fuels into defined fuel classes. The aim of classification can be to describe the fuel and/or to physically separate certain particle types.
fuel dust pulverised biofuel with a typical particle size of 1 to 5 mm EXAMPLE Saw dust, straw dust
fuel powder; fuel flour pulverised biofuel with a typical particle size less than 1 mm EXAMPLE Wood powder, wood flour, straw powder
fuel specification description of fuel properties
fuelwood woodfuel where the original composition of the wood is preserved.
Ggreen basis condition based on fresh material at specific total moisture
green chips wood chips made of fresh logging and thinning by-products, including branches and tops
grinding dust dust-like wood residue formed in grinding timber and wood boards
gross calorific value (qgr) absolute value of the specific energy of combustion, in joules, for unit mass of a solid fuel burned in oxygen in calorimetric bomb under the conditions specified. The result of combustion are assumed to consist of gaseous, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide, of liquid water (in equilibrium with its vapour) saturated with carbon dioxide under conditions of the bomb reaction, and of solid ash, all at the reference temperature and at constant volume. Old term is higher heating value. NOTE Adopted to ISO1928:1995
gross density ratio of the mass of a wooden body and its volume, including all cavities (pores and vessels), based on specific total moisture
Hherbaceous biomass biomass from plants that has a non-woody stem and which dies back at the end of the growing season NOTE 1 See also energy grass. NOTE 2 Adopted to BioTech's Life Science Dictionary
herbaceous fuels all types of biofuels originating from herbaceous biomass
hog fuel fuelwood in the form of pieces of varying size and shape, produced by crushing with blunt tools such as rollers, hammers, or flails
horticultural by-products, horticultural residues biomass by-products originating from production, harvesting, and processing in horticulture including greenhouses
Iinorganic matter non-combustible fraction of dry matter
Llandscape management by-products , landscape management residues by-products of woody, herbaceous and fruit biomass originating from landscape, park, and cemetery management. It includes among others grass, hay, branches from landscape trees, road side green, and/or wood from shrubs.
log wood cut fuelwood in which most of the material has a length of 500 mm and above
logging by-products, logging residues woody biomass by-products which are created during harvest of merchantable timber NOTE Logging by-products include tree tops with branches and they can be salvaged fresh or after seasoning.
Mmass-reduction reduction of the mass of a sample or sub-sample mechanical strength , mechanical durability ability of densified biofuel units (e.g. briquettes, pellets) to remain intact during loading, unloading, feeding, and transport
moisture water in a fuel NOTE See also total moisture and moisture analysis sample.
Nnatural ash total ash of uncontaminated fuel
net calorific value (qnet) under such conditions that all the water of the reaction products remains as water vapour (at 0.1 MPa), the other products being as for the gross calorific value, all at the reference temperature. The net calorific value can be determined at constant pressure or at constant volume. Old term is lower heating value. Net calorific value as received (qnet,ar) is calculated by the net calorific value from dry matter (qnet,d) and the total moisture as received. NOTE Adopted to ISO 1928:1995
Oorganic matter combustible fraction of dry matter
oven dry wood wood free of moisture, produced by drying to constant weight under specific conditions
over size particles portion of particles exceeding a specific limit value
Pparticle board by-products, particle board residues by-products from particle board production, which is a panel product produced by densifying small particles of wood or similar lignocellulosic materials while simultaneously bonding with an adhesive
particle density density of a single particle
particle size size of the fuel particle as determined. Different methods of determination may give different results. NOTE See also particle size distribution, fine particles and over size particles. particle size distribution proportions of various particle sizes in a solid fuel NOTE Adopted to ISO 1213-2:1992
plywood by-products, plywood residues woody biomass by-products formed in plywood industry
pressing aid additive to the raw material used for enhancing the production of densified fuels
proximate analysis analysis of a solid biofuel reported in terms of total moisture, volatile matter, ash content and fixed carbon measured at specified conditions NOTE Adopted to ISO 1213-2:1992
pulverised biofuel solid biofuel in the form of dust and powder, produced by milling or grinding NOTE See also fuel dust and fuel powder.
Rrenewable energy consists of energy produced and/or derived from sources infinitely renovated (hydro, solar, wind) or generated by combustible renewables (sustainably produced biomass); usually expressed in energy units and, in the case of fuels, based on net calorific values. recovered construction wood used wood arising from construction of buildings or from civil engineering works NOTE Adopted to prEN 13965-1:2000
Ssample quantity of material, representative of a larger quantity for which the quality is to be determined
sawdust fine particles created when sawing wood NOTE Most of the material has a typical particle length of 1 to 5 mm.
short rotation trees woody biomass grown as a raw material and/or for its fuel value in short rotation forestry
shredded biofuel solid biofuels which has been mechanical treated into smaller pieces by blunt tools EXAMPLE Shredded straw, shredded bark, hog fuel.
slabs parts of woody biomass created when cuts are made into the edges of logs and whereby one side shows the original rounded surface of the tree, either completely or partially, with or without bark
smallwood fuelwood cut with sharp cutting devices and in which most of the material has a particle length typically 50 to 500 mm EXAMPLE Chunkwood, firewood.
solid biofuel solid fuels produced directly or indirectly from biomass
solid volume volume of individual particles NOTE Typically determined by a fluid displaced by a specific amount of material.
stacked volume volume of stacked wood including the space between the wood pieces
stemwood part of tree stem with the branches removed
stemwood chips wood chips made of stemwood, with or without bark
stump part of the tree stem below the felling cut. In total-tree utilisation the root system is included in the stump.
Tthinning by-products, thinning residues woody biomass by-products originating from thinning operations
total ash mass of inorganic residue remaining after combustion of a fuel under specified conditions, typically expressed as a percentage of the mass of dry matter in fuel NOTE See also extraneous ash and natural ash.
total carbon (C) sum of carbon in organic and inorganic matter as a portion of the fuel NOTE Adopted to ISO 1213-2:1992
total hydrogen (H) sum of hydrogen in organic and inorganic matter and in the moisture as a portion of the fuel NOTE Adopted to ISO 1213-2:1992
total moisture MT moisture in fuel removable under specific conditions NOTE 1 Indicate reference (dry matter / dry basis, or total mass / wet basis) to avoid confusion. NOTE 2 Old term is moisture content. NOTE 3 Adopted to ISO1928:1995
tree section part of a tree (with branches) which has been cut into suitable length but not processed. Tree sections can be processed to pulpwood and forest fuel.
Uused wood wood substances or objects which have performed their intended purpose NOTE 1 See also recovered construction wood and demolition wood. NOTE 2 Proposal within the Draft CEN Report Solid Recovered Fuels
Vviscose by-products, viscose residues by-products from viscose production and processing in which cellulose of wood pulp is treated with high concentrations of sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide and then dissolved in sodium hydroxide forming a thick solution called viscose
volatile matter mass loss, corrected for moisture, when a fuel is heated out of contact with air under specific conditions NOTE Adopted to ISO 1213-2:1992
volume amount of space that is enclosed within an object NOTE 1 It must always be stated whether the volume refers to the solid volume of individual particles, the bulk volume, or the stacked volume of the material and whether the mass of moisture in the material is included. NOTE 2 See also bulk volume, solid volume, and stacked volume.
Wwet basis condition in which the solid biofuel contains moisture
whole tree felled, undelimbed tree, excluding root system
whole-tree chips
wood chips made of whole trees EXAMPLE Wood chips containing stems with bark, branches, needles/leaves.
wood chips chipped woody biomass in the form of pieces with a defined particle size produced by mechanical treatment with sharp tools such as knives. Wood chips have a subrectangular shape with a typical length 5 to 50 mm and a low thickness compared to other dimensions. NOTE See also cutter chips, forest chips, green chips, stemwood chips, and whole-tree chips.
wood energy, forest energy energy derived from woodfuels corresponding to the net calorific value of the fuel
wood energy systems All the (steps and/or) unit processes and operations involved for the production, preparation, transportation, marketing, trade and conversion of
woodfuels into energy woodfuels, wood based fuels, wood-derived biofuels all types of biofuels originating directly or indirectly from woody biomass NOTE See also fuelwood, forest fuels, and black liquor.
wood processing industry by-products , wood processing industry residues woody biomass by-products originating from the wood processing as well as the pulp and paper industry NOTE See also bark, cork by-products, cross-cut ends, edgings, fibre board by-products, grinding dust, particle board by-products, plywood by-products, saw dust, slabs, and wood shavings
wood shavings; cutter shavings shavings from woody biomass created when planing wood
woody biomass biomass from trees, bushes and shrubs NOTE See also forest wood, wood processing industry by-products, fibre board by-products, particle board by-products, plywood by-products, and used wood.