NATIONAL INNOFINLAND PRIZE 2005

Biologistiikka Oy, Pello: System for the recovery of wood chips

Sakari Kulju, Managing Director of Biologistiikka Oy in Pello, has developed a wood chip gathering machine and method called Valmet 801 Combi BioEnergy. This new solution almost triples the current production figures for the harvesting in young forests. This innovation and the product developed from it are very topical. Since there are no rational methods, unfinished care and cutting operations in young forests are on the point of becoming a problem in Finland, Sweden and many other European countries. In the EU, the trading of carbon dioxide emissions is taking place at a much higher price level than expected. Therefore, wood chips, as a carbon-neutral source of energy, will become a sought-after fuel. In particular in Finland, peat is vital in the local production of heat and electricity, but, for many reasons, must be replaced by fresh wood chips. In brief, there are an enormous amount of cutting areas of young forests suitable for this method and an unlimited market for fresh wood chips in the field of energy production.

The Valmet 801 Combi BioEnergy machine thins a forest with a reach of 11 metres, gathers several trees into a load and moves them in an upright position from the forest to a chipper that chips the trunks and pushes the chips with an airflow to a tank in the rear of the machine. From there, the chips are moved to a forwarder as soon as the tank is full. The journey from the forest to the power plant begins. The same day, the harvested energy wood produces clean heat and electricity.

Besides cutting energy wood, the machine also produces traditional wood grades like a normal harvester. Thereby, the wood grades gathered from a stand marked for cutting can be directed to the sawmill, fibre or energy industry.

So far, Biologistiikka Oy has invested in one Valmet 801 BioEnergy harvesting chain with which the company recovers wood chips in the Rovaniemi region in co-operation with Suosiola power plant of Rovaniemi Energy Ltd and with the Bioenergy Project of the Forestry Centre of Lapland. In this connection, Sakari Kulju has also taken part in the drawing up of a new energy contracting concept which is based on the entrepreneur’s sovereign activity between the forest owner and the power plant receiving the wood chips. From now on, Biologistiikka Oy will concentrate on harvesting bioenergy but will also continue to test new machine and harvesting concepts and to improve the Valmet 801 Combi BioEnergy machine. The productised harvesting method gives new opportunities to directly expand the chipping method to cover other harvesting than that of energy wood. In the next two years, Sakari Kulju will concentrate on solving this matter.

Biologistiikka Oy, Museotie 8, FI-95700 Pello
Managing Director Sakari Kulju
Tel. +358 (0)400 543111
biologistiikka@biologistiikka.fi
www.biologistiikka.fi