ABSTRACT:

The general objective of the project is the conversion of woody/shrub biomass of low economic value located in mountain areas, in a logic of closed supply chain and energy valorisation. These are the processing residues of forests, stored in sites which, in addition to being dangerous causes of forest fires, tend to hinder mobility through the wooded area and, moreover, stifle the development of undergrowth products such as mushrooms and forest fruits. The removal of these residues requires a reduction in size by chipping, to obtain a biomass that is easy to transport and store. The project proposes an innovative organizational solution starting from the conversion of woody/shrub waste biomass located in mountain areas, with an innovative prototype chipping machine, of small dimensions (for use in mountainous wooded areas where the conditions of slope and presence of standing plants are not an obstacle to the passage of the vehicle), to obtain a biomass that is easy to transport and store and subsequently to be partially valorized with the conversion into thermal, electric energy and biochar, in the logic of a circular supply chain. The subsequent use of biochar to close the cycle not only favors fungal and undergrowth production, with benefits on soil quality, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient use efficiency, but also sequestration of carbon in soil.