Branches and tops by rail - double climate benefit
- News
Since autumn 2024, slash chips have been delivered by train from SCA’s terminal in Töva outside Sundsvall to Eon’s combined heat and power plant in Örebro. When the transport is done by train instead of trucks, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by 99%, and when slash replaces fossil energy, the climate impact is reduced.
Train transport saves 300 Tons of CO2
The trains load just over 3000 cubic meters of slash chips per trip. The equivalent volume would require over 21 truck units if the slash were transported by road. By choosing train transport instead of trucks fueled with B7 diesel, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by 99%. For the deliveries that SCA makes to Örebro this season, the total savings will be 300 tons of carbon dioxide. Additionally, long traffic jams are avoided, and reduced congestion leads to safer roads.
Slash - from forest residue to fuel on the rise
Slash (branches and tops) is an energy-dense fuel that has been collected over the years, depending on demand. The need for locally produced biofuel has increased in line with global unrest. Secure deliveries and long-term planning drive development in the forest, and a larger proportion of slash is now being utilized during harvesting. Slash plays an important role as fuel for both heat and electricity production in the district heating sector. To be burned and transported efficiently, the slash is broken down by crushing or chipping.
“With slash, the availability of renewable fuels that can replace fossil energy and reduce climate impact increases. When we also minimize carbon dioxide emissions during transport, it feels really good,” says Mathias Andersson, Sales & Procurement Biofuels, SCA.
Slash is a very good addition, that is clearly noticeable among customers who has foresight and want to secure their energy supply.
About slash
Slash is a term for branches and tops.
- About one-third of the fuels used by Sweden’s district heating plants today consist of forest fuels, primarily slash.
- At SCA, we extract slash where we see that it contributes to societal benefits, increases SCAs self-sufficiency and value creation, and does not risk harming biological diversity.
- If slash is left behind, it decomposes over time, and most of the carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. When slash instead becomes biofuel, stored carbon dioxide is released during combustion, but the energy is utilized.
- In addition to the extracted slash becoming an energy supplement, forest management also benefits from slash extraction as soil preparation and planting become easier.
- Slash chips are used as fuel in larger boilers and work well in both grate and fluidized bed boilers.
- The extraction of slash is preceded by so-called slash-adapted harvesting, where we place branches and tops in piles beside the harvester’s tracks while the trees are being harvested. After the slash has dried for a summer in the clear-cut area, it is transported to the roadside. The piles are covered with paper and chipped during the heating season.
- The forest fuel SCA currently produces consists of roadside clippings and slash. Primarily, this is to increase the self-sufficiency rate for the industry. Secondly, it is for value creation in the external market. The priority is slash from SCAs own forests, primarily lodgepole pine. Currently, slash from external forest owners’ harvests is not purchased, as the local market for slash is still small. Long-term deals with large consumers are an important step to eventually offer more forest owners a market for their slash.
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