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delivered cost to a processor of $28/green tonne. This would provide a more appropriate cost of supply when compared with what the market would be prepared to pay. This area could theoretically be served by a single harvester working 11 hours per day. Sugarcane harvesting and infield transport systems have a much lower cost of around $6.50/tonne. This is based on the large scale of the industry (good capital utilisation), high crop yields (170tonnes/ha) and high delivery rates. A key requirement for the mallee supply chain will be developing appropriate scale of supply, improved field layout to maximise harvest efficiency and larger harvester capacity to achieve pour rates in excess of 50 green tonnes/hr. 181
Appendix 1: Comparative Assessment with Sugarcane Supply Chain Key components of and differences between the sugar and mallee supply chain as well as key issues and recommendations are outlined below based on review of each industry and workshop discussions including industry discussions at Perth (8 September 2011) and at Ballina (5 October 2011). Sugar Industry Mallee Woody Crop Differences/Contrasts Key Issues and Recommendations Crop Production and Field Layout 1. Strong commercial focus on profitable sugarcane production. 2. Field and farm layouts and crop production practices are planned to maximise sugarcane production (quantity and quality). This applies to variety selection, row spacing, harvest cycle, ratoon management, field size and shape. 3. Sugarcane production land is typically prime agricultural production land producing high biomass yields based on good soils, high rainfall or supplementary irrigation. 4. Sugarcane supply areas are generally concentrated within 50-100km of the mill with intense production and cane covering >80% of the landscape. 5. Typically yields are 80-200tc/ha and cane will cover between 60-80% of the land area. 1. The focus is on profitable wheat production with Mallee initially seen as environmental service that had to pay its way. More recently it has become seen an alternative land use to diversify agriculture. Social-economic benefits are difficult to quantify economically. More recently recognition of economic opportunities for bioenergy and other products. 2. Field and farm layout focussed on wheat production. Typically 2 rows 2-3m apart separated by 70m of wheat with long alley row lengths. Increasing the number of Mallee rows reduces yield per row (moisture competition), reducing spacing between alleys compromises wheat production. 3. Mallee production is sparse and supply distance will be much higher for the same volume of material supplied to processor. 4. There has been a recent decline in mallee planting and there is a limited resource base to meet requirements of full scale industrial market or 100,000 to 200,000 green tonnes per year within 100km of a central factory. 5. Typically mallee production in alleys will be between 2-6gt/ha and will cover 5- 10% of the land. 1. The sugar industry has evolved to maximize profitability and sustainability from sugarcane production. Mallee plantings were initiated in WA to control salinity while generating some profit. More recently the emphasis upon mallees as an alternative enterprise on a small proportion of the farm has become the equal or predominant driver, while environmental drivers remain a significant factor in some regions.. 2. The sugar growing system is structured around maximum sugarcane production and reduced harvesting and infield transport costs. The Mallee system is structured around wheat production and layouts are not efficient from a harvest and transport perspective. 3. Biomass production potential of mallee (2-6t/ha) is very low when compared with sugar (80-200t/ha). This has an impact on vehicle utilisation and efficiencies. 4. Sugarcane has to be harvested at optimum age and quality whereas the value of mallee product does not change significantly. Mallee has less risk attached to harvest date. 5. Long alley length could result in high harvester field efficiencies when compared with sugar however distance to haul to loading pad will be greater than in sugar 1. Greater incentive in sugar to integrate supply chain with key driver being enterprise profitability. Returns from Mallee production seen as secondary to core business of wheat production and marginal so less incentive to optimize. 2. Changing Mallee farming systems is unlikely while wheat production remains the main economic driver. The only changes are likely to be in frequency of harvesting. 3. Consideration has been given to alternative mallee field layouts. Economic modelling has been undertaken to evaluate the most effective cropping of mallee and wheat (yield vs moisture competition) and changes to recommended configuration are unlikely in integrated plantings. 4. Consideration could be given to alternative denser mallee plantings in closer alleys (10- 30m) on marginal land (ie without annual crops in the alleys) close to the processor to supplement existing and future mallee plantings that are wide-spaced belts integrated with annual cropping 5. Block plantings close to a processor will be important for large scale industry development. Planting would need to be in row configuration to improve harvesting efficiency. Row spacing would need to minimise suppressed growth due to 182
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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
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3.6 Recommendations The nature of t
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• The strategy offered lower tota
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sugarcane billets are such that wit
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• Transfer the whole tree product
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Figure 4.5(b) Energy balance of con
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2010). Table 4.2 presents a summary
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4.4.2 Activated charcoal Activated
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Nett Product Value ($/t) $475.00 $
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Table 4.9 presents an estimation of
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• Oil from leaf @ $2/kg • Synth
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• The mallee oil would be extract
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5. Industry and Business Structures
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is conducted into tariff levels on
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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 and 176: interface. The system allows users
Page 177 and 178: Case Study 6.2 - Model Application
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: While diversification can add value
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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