This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Unclaimed
Julie Barrette
Quebec Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Direction of Forest Research, Quebec City, QC G1P 3W8, Canada

Basic Info

Basic Info is private.

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

The user biography is not available.
Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Journal article
Published: 26 December 2020 in Energies
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Unharvested hardwoods are abundant in eastern Canada, due to the low quality of their fiber and the absence of outlets in conventional wood transformation industries. The objective of this study was to assess the biochemical and thermochemical energy conversion potential of decaying hardwoods and compare their relationships with external and internal indicators of tree degradation. We characterized how wood-decay processes altered the physical and chemical properties of these woods and affected their digestibility yield and their performance according to indexes of stability and efficiency of combustion. DNA analysis on wood samples was also performed to determine the relative abundance of white-rot fungi compared to that of other saprotrophs. All properties stayed within the range of variations allowing the wood to remain suitable for conversion into bioenergy, even with increased decay. We found no significant differences in the physical and chemical properties that are crucial for energy production between wood from externally-assessed live and decayed trees. However, the proportion of wood area affected by rot was significantly associated with increased digestibility yield, and with decreased combustion reactivity. We could not detect any specific effect associated with increased relative abundance of white-rot fungi. These results suggest that the utilization of biomass from decayed hardwoods instead of live trees for bioenergy production should not alter the conversion efficiency and even potentially increase the performance of biochemical pathways, and hence, support their use as feedstock for bioenergy production.

ACS Style

Éloïse Dupuis; Evelyne Thiffault; Julie Barrette; Kokou Adjallé; Christine Martineau. Bioenergy Conversion Potential of Decaying Hardwoods. Energies 2020, 14, 93 .

AMA Style

Éloïse Dupuis, Evelyne Thiffault, Julie Barrette, Kokou Adjallé, Christine Martineau. Bioenergy Conversion Potential of Decaying Hardwoods. Energies. 2020; 14 (1):93.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Éloïse Dupuis; Evelyne Thiffault; Julie Barrette; Kokou Adjallé; Christine Martineau. 2020. "Bioenergy Conversion Potential of Decaying Hardwoods." Energies 14, no. 1: 93.

Journal article
Published: 04 September 2020 in Energies
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Natural disturbances are common in Canadian boreal managed forests. For example, during and after insect epidemics, foresters must deal with significant amounts of degraded or dead wood that cannot be processed into sawn timber or pulp. Bioenergy could be an alternative pathway for this wood. A case study in Quebec (Canada) was used to evaluate the profitability of pellet production for bioenergy using degraded trees from insect epidemics. A bioenergy scenario was simulated in which degraded trees were harvested for bioenergy alongside sound wood for timber and pulp. This scenario was compared to a reference scenario in which degraded trees were left on cutovers. Using wood pellets as a case study, the results showed that at current market prices, harvesting degraded trees for pellet production is not as profitable as leaving them in the forest. Nevertheless, the overall forest operations for procuring wood for timber and pulp were still profitable, even with very high degradation levels. Procuring degraded trees reduced the overall fixed costs per harvested m3 and allowed average savings of C$2.83/harvested m3. The silvicultural savings associated with lower site preparation needs following procurement of degraded trees ranged from C$0/ha to C$500/ha, resulting in average savings of C$2.31/harvested m3. Depending on the stand conditions, the distribution of fixed costs and silvicultural savings of biomass procurement could be either low or significant.

ACS Style

Mathieu Béland; Evelyne Thiffault; Julie Barrette; Warren Mabee. Degraded Trees from Spruce Budworm Epidemics as Bioenergy Feedstock: A Profitability Analysis of Forest Operations. Energies 2020, 13, 4609 .

AMA Style

Mathieu Béland, Evelyne Thiffault, Julie Barrette, Warren Mabee. Degraded Trees from Spruce Budworm Epidemics as Bioenergy Feedstock: A Profitability Analysis of Forest Operations. Energies. 2020; 13 (18):4609.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mathieu Béland; Evelyne Thiffault; Julie Barrette; Warren Mabee. 2020. "Degraded Trees from Spruce Budworm Epidemics as Bioenergy Feedstock: A Profitability Analysis of Forest Operations." Energies 13, no. 18: 4609.

Journal article
Published: 23 July 2019 in Forests
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Small-scale wood pellet producers often use a trial-and-error approach for determining adequate blending of available wood processing residues and pelletizing parameters. Developing general guidelines for optimizing wood pellet quality and meeting market standards would facilitate their market entry and profitability. Four types of hardwood residues, including green wood chips, dry shavings, and solid and engineered wood sawdust, were investigated to determine the optimum blends of feedstocks and pelletizing conditions to produce pellets with low friction force, high density and high mechanical strength. The feedstock properties reported in this study included particle size distribution, wood moisture content, bulk density, ash content, calorific values, hemicelluloses, lignin, cellulose, extractives, ash major and minor elements, and carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. All residues tested could potentially be used for wood pellet production. However, high concentrations of metals, such as aluminum, could restrict their use for accessing markets for high-quality pellets. Feedstock moisture content and composition (controlled by the proportions of the various residue sources within blends) were the most important parameters that determined pellet quality, with pelletizing process parameters having less overall influence. Residue blends with a moisture content of 9%–13.5% (dry basis), composed of 25%–50% of sawdust generated by sawing of wood pieces and a portion of green chips generated by trimming of green wood, when combined with a compressive force of 2000 N or more during pelletizing, provided optimum results in terms of minimizing friction and increasing pellet density and mechanical strength. Developing formal relationships between the type of process that generates residues, the properties of residues hence generated, and the quality of wood pellets can contribute to optimize pellet production methods.

ACS Style

Evelyne Thiffault; Julie Barrette; Pierre Blanchet; Quy Nam Nguyen; Kokou Adjalle. Optimizing Quality of Wood Pellets Made of Hardwood Processing Residues. Forests 2019, 10, 607 .

AMA Style

Evelyne Thiffault, Julie Barrette, Pierre Blanchet, Quy Nam Nguyen, Kokou Adjalle. Optimizing Quality of Wood Pellets Made of Hardwood Processing Residues. Forests. 2019; 10 (7):607.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Evelyne Thiffault; Julie Barrette; Pierre Blanchet; Quy Nam Nguyen; Kokou Adjalle. 2019. "Optimizing Quality of Wood Pellets Made of Hardwood Processing Residues." Forests 10, no. 7: 607.