Woodfuel Standards and Waste Wood Will Richardson RDIA/usewoodfuel Scotland

Solid woodfuel standards (and specifications)

•Specifications – Usually physical properties, these can be set by

anyone; a boiler manufacturer, Local Authority, your grandmother

•Standards – They have specifications but also include methods of

testing for the specifications. These are set by a recognised Standards body, e.g. BSI, CEN, ONORM… (THEY ARE NOT LAW)

•Quality Assurance – A method of ensuring and documenting that all

the standards are met

•Quality Assurance Scheme – An independent third party,

monitors and checks that quality assurance is being carried out.

What are the ISO standards for wood fuel?

BS-EN: Commissioned by the EU from CEN (Comite European de Nomalisation) the European committee for standardization, the EN standards for wood fuel have been written by Technical Committee (TC) 335 - Solid biofuels & TC/343 - Solid recovered fuels.

BS-EN has produced a suite of 38 standards.

ISO: Prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 238 ‘Solid Biofuels’ in collaboration with CEN/TC 335. A European Standard was approved in April 2014.

BS EN ISO 17225-1:2014 Fuel Specification and Classes supersedes BS EN 14961-1:2010

Some Definitions

Solid biofuel: Solid fuels produced directly or indirectly from biomass.

Biomass: Material of biological origin excluding material embedded in geological formations and transformed to fossil.

Woody biomass: Biomass from trees, bushes & shrubs.

Major traded forms and raw materials of solid biofuels*

*Taken from ISO 17225-1:2014

Fuel name Typical particle size Common preparation method

Whole tree >500mm No prep or delimbed

Wood chips 5mm to 100mm Cutting with sharp tools

Hog fuel Varying Crushing with blunt tools

Stemwood/roundwood >100mm Cutting with sharp tools

Logwood 50cm to 100cm Cutting with sharp tools

Firewood 5cm to 100cm Cutting with sharp tools

Slabs and offcuts Varying Cutting with sharp tools

Bark Varying Debarking residue

Bundle Varying Lengthwise and bound

Fuel powder <1mm Milling

Sawdust 1mm to 5mm Cutting with sharp tools

Briquettes >25 mm Mechanical compression

Pellets ≤25mm Mechanical compression

Not all solid biofuel standards have been developed and approved as ISOs. The key ones are: BS EN ISO 16559:2014 – terminology, definitions and descriptions BS EN ISO 17225-1 to 6:2014 – fuel specification and classes BS EN ISO 18134-1-3:2015 – determination of moisture content: oven dry method BS EN ISO 17829:2015 – determination of length and diameter of pellets

The full list of ISO standards

What differences are there – comparing BS-EN with ISO

• 17225-1: Classification of origin and Sources – additional

classifications

• 17225-2: Different Property Classes for Pellets – A1, A2 and B for

commercial/residential and industrial

• 17225-4: New property classes for woodchips – A1, A2, B1 and

B2

• 17225-5: New property classes for firewood – A1, A2 and B.

Normative Properties – v – Informative properties

What differences are there – comparing BS-EN with ISO

BS EN ISO17225-1: Classification of origin and Sources – additional

classifications

What’s different?

1.1 Forest Plantation and other virgin wood

1.1.3 Separate classifications for stemwood with and without bark:

1.1.3.1 – broad-leaf with bark

1.1.3.2 - coniferous with bark

1.1.3.3 – broad-leaf without bark

1.1.3.4 – coniferous without bark

What differences are there – comparing BS-EN with ISO BS EN ISO 17225-2: Different Property Classes for Pellets – A1, A2

and B for commercial/residential

Grade A1 A2 B

Origin and source Stemwood and chemically untreated wood residues only

As with A1 but can include whole trees with roots and logging residues

As with A1 and A2 but can include by-products and residues from wood processing industry and chemically untreated used wood

Ash (% dry) A0.7 A1.2 A2.0

Mechanical durability (% as received)

DU97.5 DU97.5 DU96.5

What differences are there – comparing BS-EN with ISO BS EN ISO 17225-2: Different Property Classes for Pellets – I1, I2,

I3 for industrial

Grade I1 I2 I3

Origin and source Forest and plantation wood and chemically untreated wood residues

As with I1 with negligible levels of glue, grease and other timber production additives

As with I1 and I 2 but includes all by products from the wood processing industry and chemically untreated used wood

Diameter (mm) D06, D08 D06, D08, D10

D06, D08, D10, D12

Ash (% dry) A1.0 A1.5 A3.0

Mechanical durability (% as received)

DU97.5 DU97.0 DU96.5

Fines (% as received) F4.0 F5.0 F6.0

What differences are there – comparing BS-EN with ISO BS EN ISO 17225-4: New property classes for woodchip – A1, A2, B1 and B2

Grade A1 A2 B1 B2

Origin and source Whole trees without roots, stemwood, logging residues, chemically untreated wood residues

As with A1 Forest, plantation and other virgin wood (excludes stumps/roots and bark), chemically untreated wood residues

As with B1 plus by-products and residues from wood processing industry and chemically untreated used wood

Moisture (%) M10 M25

M35 Maximum value to be stated

Ash (% dry) A1.0 A1.5 A3.0

Bulk density (kg/loose m3)

BD150 BD200 BD250

BD150 BD200 BD250 BD300

Minimum value to be stated

Other trace elements e.g. N, S, Cl

Not applicable Classes stated e.g. N1.0 S0.1

Cl0.05

What differences are there – comparing BS-EN with ISO BS EN ISO 17225-5: New property classes for firewood – A1, A2 and B

Grade A1 A2 B

Origin and source Stemwood, chemically untreated wood residues

As with A1 plus whole trees without roots and logging residues

As with A2

Diameter (cm) D2 D5

D15 D15+

D15 D15+

Length (cm) L20 L25 L30 L33 L40 L50

L100

L30 L33 L40 L50

L100

Moisture (%) M20 M25

M20 M25 M30

Acknowledgement

Solid Biofuels Standards can be obtained in PDF format from the BSI online

shop:

http://shop.bsigroup.com/

Or by contacting BSI Customer services for hard copies:

Tel.+44 (0) 20 8996 9001

E-mail: cservices@bsi-global.com

Waste Wood

In the context of the BSL, waste wood is:

• Used wood and industry by-products but NOT primary processing co

products

• Includes post consumer/post society wood waste; natural or merely

mechanically processed wood, contaminated to an insignificant extent

during use by substances that are not normally found in wood in its natural

state. By products include joiner workshop off cuts.

The SEPA definition:

‘any substance or object in the categories set out in Annex 1 which the holder

discards or intends or is required to discard’*.

*Waste Framework Directive (75/442/EEC).

Waste Wood

Grades of Waste Wood (developed by the Wood Recyclers Association)

Grade A

Clean, recycled wood.

Can be used as a fuel for energy generation on non WID* installs and for the

manufacture of pellets.

Typically includes pallet reclamation, process off-cuts from manufacture of

untreated products.

Likely to have nails and metal fixings present with minor amounts of surface

coatings

Is a waste for W.M. Regs** requirements but does not require a WID install

* Waste Incineration Directive

** Waste Management Regulations – requires a waste management licence (or

exemption) until it’s final use and is subject to waste transfer regs.

Waste Wood

Grades of Waste Wood (developed by the Wood Recyclers Association)

Grade B – industrial feedstock grade

Typically a feedstock for industrial wood processing operations e.g.

manufacture of panel board products

As grade A plus construction and demolition operations and transfer stations

May have limited paints, plastics, glass, grit and other coatings and binding

agents.

Is a waste for W M Regs and does require a WID install, unless granted an

exemption.

Waste Wood

Grades of Waste Wood (developed by the Wood Recyclers Association)

Grade C – fuel grade

Biomass fuel for use in the generation of energy in WID compliant installs

As grade A and B plus municipal collections, recycling centres and civic

recycling sites.

May have paints, plastics, glass, grit and other coatings and binding agents

plus coated and treated timber (excludes CCA or creosote).

Suitable only for WID installs

Waste Wood

Grades of Waste Wood (developed by the Wood Recyclers Association)

Grade D – hazardous

Requires disposal in special facilities

As other grades plus fencing, transmission poles and railway sleepers.

CCA and creosote treated wood.

Does require a special WID install.

Waste Wood

Maintaining BSL Compliance

Waste wood is a permitted raw material for fuel production and use under the

BSL.

It is deemed to be sustainable and meets the land use criteria.

You need to ensure:

• You keep a record of all the deliveries of waste wood or fuel produced from

waste wood you receive

• Your boiler is approved to use and has the correct emissions certificate for

waste wood

• You have the required permits in place to handle, transport, process, sell

and use waste wood. This includes exemptions. W M Regs and WID refer.

Waste Wood

To summarise:

• If grade A (clean recycled) it can be used in a boiler or to

make pellets but still requires a handling licence until it’s final

use

• If contaminated (grade B or C), it can only be used in a WID

compliant boiler

• Suppliers and users must be registered for handing waste

with the relevant authority – further details from:

http://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/waste/

Any Questions?