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Case Study 6.1 – Model Application - Whole Crop Harvesting NSW Sugar Mill (SRDC 2006b) Whole sugarcane crop harvesting to maximize cogeneration requires a substantial change to the sugar value chain. A modeling approach allows the viability of options to be assessed. Trials have been conducted at Broadwater Mill to assess the effect of whole crop processing on sugar recovery and sugar quality. The NSW cane industry has focused on whole crop transfer to the mill to extend the bagasse supply used for co-generation. The results indicated trash in the cane supply is detrimental to both sugar recovery and sugar quality. These plans required major upgrades to harvesting and transport systems. To minimize capital costs plans were made to process the trash through the raw sugar factories as part of the cane supply thereby avoiding the need to install trash separation and preparation equipment. Studies by have shown that 20% of the total mass of the total mass delivered to the mill comes as trash, leaves and tops. Modelling results demonstrated the complexity of interaction and site-specific nature of factors influencing the costs and revenues associated with power generation from trash in the sugar industry. The presence or absence of an existing co-generation plant with spare capacity and the cost effectiveness of bagasse storage are key issues. Harvesting and transporting the increased volume of material produced when harvesting the whole crop are also important. The logistical problems of harvesting and transporting the additional volumes of material associated with trash were not as great as expected due to identification in the study of logistical improvements in the efficiency of harvesting and transport. Income from electricity and renewable energy certificates need to be weighed against not only the costs of constructing the co-generation facility but also costs associated with loss of trash from the field , harvesting the whole crop, transporting it to the mill, separation of cane from trash and the impact of increased extraneous matter on mill performance and sugar extraction. Integrated modelling provided clarification on the circumstances when whole crop harvesting for maximising fuel for co-generation is most likely to be feasible. Consideration is currently being given to ways to increase the bulk density of whole crop cane (eg trash shredding and compaction) as well as requirements for trash separation plant to pre-process the whole cane and reduce trash processed through the mill. 153
Case Study 6.2 – Model Application - Maryborough Mill Area (SRDC 2006b) Substantial modelling has been undertaken in the Maryborough mill area as a result of significant expansion in production up to 1999 followed by drought, disease and low sugar price. Optimisation of harvest and transport scheduling: Modelling aimed at reducing queue time of transport vehicles at the mill, and increasing the reliability of cane supply. It resulted in an optimisation model that demonstrated the scope for significant reductions in transport costs and queue time. Result: Unfortunately, unplanned events (e.g. road traffic delays, harvester delays, wet weather interruptions to harvesting) currently make model-based schedules for daylight operations difficult to implement. Harvest scheduling to capitalise on differences in cane yield and sugarcane quality across the mill region. This approach seeks to harvest relatively early-maturing blocks, varieties, or sub-regions earlier than in the traditional system. This allows crops to be harvested closer to their optimum time, thereby increasing per tonne returns as well as total returns from sugar production for the entire mill area. Adoption of these harvest schedules requires growers to change the order of harvest of their farm paddocks, along with the percentage of cane cut in each harvest visit. The harvester needs to change the amount of time spent on a farm, the rotation order across farms and, for regional optimisation, the harvester may need to have varying bin quotas across the season. For regional optimisation, the mill needs to modify transport schedules to accommodate changes in harvester logistics. Result: While some of the suggested changes were adopted, region-wide adoption did not occur. The disruption was seen to be too dramatic, and the task of gaining sufficient agreement from participants was considered to be too daunting to proceed. However, some growers with more than one farm and the Maryborough Sugar Factory on its 1,400 ha plantation have adopted the basic principles, and are reaping the benefits. Potential for co-generation. This required the development of the first model of the sugar industry that captured the interactions of five separate sectors — farming, harvesting, transport, milling, and marketing. In contrast with the two activities above, its thrust was to increase mill area revenue by diversifying the product range, rather than increasing production or cutting costs. Result: The model highlighted, in quite a dramatic way, the negative aspects of a) trash removal on the farming sector (via increased evaporation and increased costs of weed control), and b) storage of bagasse for use in the off-season (e.g. space, storage costs, and risks). When coupled with the high capital cost (e.g. for a trash separation unit, the electricity generation facility, new boilers, and other mill upgrades), it became clear that co-generation based on whole crop harvesting was not an attractive option for this region. Thus, one of the positive benefits of the project was the decision not to proceed with a major cogeneration project, thereby avoiding considerable future losses 154
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Sustainable Biomass Supply Chain fo
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Foreword This report provides an as
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include business development (new p
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Acknowledgments The authors would l
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4.1 Product Options and Supply Chai
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Table 4.2 Assessment of current val
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Figure 3.4 Tracked rigid self-prope
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Executive Summary What the report i
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• Biomass production potential of
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• As the Industry expands, the mo
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Harvesting, transport and storage s
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Biomass processing, supply chain pl
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Key barriers to biomass industries
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Crop-Biomass Production Production
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Figure 1.1 The cropping and pasture
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Table 1.1 Mallee species used for p
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1.1.4 Growth Cycle Mallee System Ma
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northern New South Wales (where it
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Almost 80% of the industry now cuts
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Bark has relatively high ash but as
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Carbon sinks Planting of mallees to
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Table 1.5(a) State Land area devote
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out the fluctuations in farm income
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Mallee system Most of the mallee bi
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inconclusive result may have been d
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For a sustainable woody crop indust
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changed significantly since they we
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Figure 2.2 Biosystems Engineering p
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Whole-of-crop harvesting represents
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During the last decade the harvesti
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single row, as this would improve t
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2.2.2.2 Weight Sugar System The Aus
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Table 2.1 Harvester Comparison Tabl
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The quality of cut may be less impo
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ate than a 170 tonne/ha crop of sta
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Dry Leaf 6.1 - 3.5 17.0 58.9 53.2 T
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Bulk density will be a key consider
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Table 2.4 EM levels in cane supply
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L/T L/T 60 0.97 0.71 80 0.92 0.66 1
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Total 7.5-26 16.5 Mallee System The
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• waiting for mill delivery of em
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perhaps at 10 - 20 km intervals. Th
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transport arrangements, harvest gro
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contractors and growers, and the fa
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experience of the sugar industry wi
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Table 2.11 Alternative harvest paym
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onto the harvester. BR+F still send
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Repairs and maintenance 2.10 Capita
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Figure 2.14 and Table 2.14 describe
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Sichter et al. (2005)), harvest and
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Transport efficiencies may be possi
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3. Transport and Storage Systems Tr
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same time, the potential problems o
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Figure 3.3 Articulated self-propell
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• The harvester will not have any
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Figure 3.7 Gross mass compared with
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external factors dramatically impac
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Figure 3.11 The effect of haulout t
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3.3 Road Transport 3.3.1 Configurat
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Figure 3.15 shows an example of the
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Road distance one way < 20 km 70 km
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Haul distance is largely outside th
Page 125 and 126: 3.6 Recommendations The nature of t
Page 127 and 128: • The strategy offered lower tota
Page 129 and 130: sugarcane billets are such that wit
Page 131 and 132: • Transfer the whole tree product
Page 133 and 134: Figure 4.5(b) Energy balance of con
Page 135 and 136: 2010). Table 4.2 presents a summary
Page 137 and 138: 4.4.2 Activated charcoal Activated
Page 139 and 140: Nett Product Value ($/t) $475.00 $
Page 141 and 142: Table 4.9 presents an estimation of
Page 143 and 144: • Oil from leaf @ $2/kg • Synth
Page 145 and 146: • The mallee oil would be extract
Page 147 and 148: 5. Industry and Business Structures
Page 149 and 150: is conducted into tariff levels on
Page 151 and 152: Bx is % brix in first expressed jui
Page 153 and 154: Hildebrand (2002) estimated that th
Page 155 and 156: also has a flow on effect to the sp
Page 157 and 158: Sugar Industry Illustrative Example
Page 159 and 160: with super size multi-lift bins ove
Page 161 and 162: farmer vs. harvester) is the next l
Page 163 and 164: 6. Supply Chain Planning and Manage
Page 165 and 166: Figure 6.1 Building blocks of the s
Page 167 and 168: weighed against the costs of operat
Page 169 and 170: • There is close contact between
Page 171 and 172: 6.4 Planning, Management Tools and
Page 173 and 174: • Harvest and transport logistics
Page 175: interface. The system allows users
Page 179 and 180: Relationships between sectors and p
Page 181 and 182: 7. Supply Chain Modelling and Econo
Page 183 and 184: It was assumed that there was a fif
Page 185 and 186: Table 7.2 Scenario two capital equi
Page 187 and 188: Table 7.4 Fuel burn rates harvester
Page 189 and 190: Figure 7.5 Effect of capital equipm
Page 191 and 192: Figure 7.7 Effect of annual tonnes
Page 193 and 194: 30 1.8 7.0 12.3 17.5 50 1.1 4.3 7.6
Page 195 and 196: 8. Conclusions and Recommendations
Page 197 and 198: Biomass bulk density has a large im
Page 199 and 200: Vehicles used for infield haulout w
Page 201 and 202: This can be compared with harvest a
Page 203 and 204: While diversification can add value
Page 205 and 206: Appendix 1: Comparative Assessment
Page 207 and 208: and transport conditions. Billet le
Page 209 and 210: that cane production is the most pr
Page 211 and 212: on sugar only, other proceeds (mola
Page 213 and 214: References Agnew, J 2002. A Partici
Page 215 and 216: Enecon 2001. Integrated Tree Proces
Page 217 and 218: Keating, BA, Antony, G, Brennan, LE
Page 219 and 220: Ridge, DR and Linedale, AL, 1997. T
Page 221: Willcox, T, Hussey, B, Chapple, D a
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