Electrocoagulation reduces harvesting costs for microalgae

Five years old poplar (Populus spp.) plantation represents an interesting model of productivity. The most attractive characteristics of this energy crop are the handling flexibility, the high yield of biomass per area unit and the good quality of the chips obtainable. The mechanical harvesting of five-years old poplar plantations requires the use of specialized forest machineries such as harvester, feller, forwarder and chipper. Usually, after felling, the working phases consist of extraction, stacking and chipping. Generally, the last one is carried out in a “static phase”, where the product is taken from staked logs by using a hydraulic arm having a gripper that feed the chipping machine. In order to introduce technological innovations for the medium rotation forestry harvesting, the Consiglio per la Ricerca e la sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Unità di ricerca per l’Ingegneria agraria (CRAING) of Monterotondo (Rome, Italy) has developed a five years poplar cutwindrower and a self-propelled chipper equipped with a pick up system. The prototype of cut-windrower is a semi-trailed machine powered by a 95 kW tractor (at least). It mounts a cutting system and a double pincer with variable positioning. During the cutting phase the plant is grasped by the double pincer which conveys and unloads the stem along the inter-row. The trees are placed parallel to the progress of the tractor, but oriented in the opposite direction. The biomass windrowed is then chipped in a dynamic phase directly from the inter row using the self-propelled chipper equipped with the pick-up head. In the first tests, the cut-windrower has reached an operative working capacity of 0.22 ha h-1, with an operative production of 44 t h-1. On the other hand, the self-propelled chipper has showed an operative working capacity equal to 0.18 ha h-1, and an operative production of 35 t h-1 about. Both machines have shown good quality of the work performed and the results obtained indicates that the work phases could be simplified in order to reduce both the time of use and the harvesting costs.

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An evaluation of harvesting costs in present and planned operations: case study—Waston District of Mazandaran Wood and Paper Industries

Journal of Forestry Research ◽

10.1007/s11676-017-0435-2 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 215-220

Author(s):

Majid Lotfalian ◽

Mohammad Ali Akbari Gorji ◽

Seyed Ataollah Hoseini ◽

Maryam Kazemi

Keyword(s):

Harvesting Costs

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Advances in soilless culture strawberry production

Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science - Advances in horticultural soilless culture ◽

10.19103/as.2020.0076.17 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 381-400

Author(s):

Mike Nichols ◽

Keyword(s):

Popular Media ◽

Soilless Culture ◽

Plant Environment ◽

Future Production ◽

Solid Media ◽

The World ◽

Media Systems ◽

Viable System ◽

Harvesting Costs ◽

Robotic Harvesting

The majority of strawberries produced in the world are grown in the open field, and only in the past 50 years has protected cropping become established as a commercially viable system. Soilless culture (hydroponics) is an important component of this form of intensive production because it enables the strawberry crop to be grown above the ground (table top system) which can provides an improved root environment, nutrition and irrigation and at the same time easier fruit harvesting. Solid media systems predominate over liquid based systems with peat and coir being the most popular media. Future production appears to be increasingly towards year round production by the improved control of the plant environment, combined with reducing harvesting costs by robotic harvesting.

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Tree Size and Species, Stand Volume, and Tract Size: Effects on Southern Harvesting Costs

Southern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/sjaf/13.3.145 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 145-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Frederick W. Cubbage ◽

W. Dale Greene ◽

John P. Lyon

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Size Effects ◽

Timber Harvesting ◽

Tree Size ◽

Labor Costs ◽

Production Rates ◽

Stand Volume ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Harvesting Costs ◽

Significant Factors

Abstract Timber harvesting production rates and equipment and labor costs were used to estimate average logging costs for a variety of tract volumes and sizes, stand structures, and tree species. Average costs were estimated for conventional logging systems typical in the South. Regression analysiswas used to identify significant factors affecting the costs for each system. Highly mechanized systems were generally cheapest for harvesting southern pines, but were not much cheaper for harvesting hardwoods. Hardwoods were substantially more expensive to harvest, as were tracts of lessthan 250 cords in total volume. South. J. Appl. For. 13(3):145-152.

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Colorado Logging Accidents: 1984-1988. Is it Safe in the Woods?

Western Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/wjaf/5.4.132 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 132-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Timothy R. Longwell ◽

Dennis L. Lynch

Keyword(s):

Safety Training ◽

Economic Stress ◽

Truck Drivers ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Workers Compensation ◽

Accident Severity ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Harvesting Costs ◽

Compensation Costs

Abstract The number of logging accidents in Colorado during 1984-1988 contributed to escalating workers' compensation rates creating economic stress in the industry. This study was designed to help both industry and agency personnel identify who was having accidents, why accidents were occurring, and how much the accidents cost. The study concluded that 60% of the accidents occurred to persons employed for fewer than 6 months. The jobs with the highest accident frequencies were chainsaw operators (68%), equipment operators (12%), and truck drivers (10%). Timber falling and limbing were the most hazardous activities, with 35% and 23% of the accidents respectively. Falling tops, snags, or dead branches and chainsaw kickback were the leading injury agents in the felling and limbing operation. Use of protective equipment and formal safety training were, for the most part, absent during this period. Medical and compensation costs were not highly correlated with accident severity. Accident costs directly increase harvesting costs and may decrease the amount paid for stumpage. West J. Appl. For. 5(4):00-00.

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Protecting Water Quality in the Midwest: Impact on Timber Harvesting Costs

Northern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/njaf/2.2.57 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 57-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Paul V. Ellefson ◽

Patrick D. Miles

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Production Function ◽

Timber Harvesting ◽

Buffer Strip ◽

Forest Practices ◽

Net Revenue ◽

Function Information ◽

Harvesting Costs

Abstract Costs were evaluated for six forest practices designed to prevent degradation of water quality from 18 timber harvesting operations in the Midwest. Net revenue reductions ranged from 1.2% for redesigning landing and skid trail locations to 26.4% for meeting buffer strip requirements. Nine operations were profitable with application of all six practices. Limited production function information hinders such analyses. North J. Appl. For. 2:57-61, June 1985.

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Automated Cable Road Layout and Harvesting Planning for Multiple Objectives in Steep Terrain

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10080687 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 687 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Bont ◽

Maurer ◽

Breschan

Keyword(s):

Multiobjective Optimization ◽

Cost Estimation ◽

Planning Process ◽

Pareto Frontier ◽

Solution Process ◽

Optimization Approach ◽

Steep Terrain ◽

And Performance ◽

Harvesting Costs ◽

Single Objective

Cable yarding is the most commonly used technique for harvesting timber from steep terrain in central Europe. During the planning process, one important task is to define the cable road layout. This means that the harvesting technology and cable road location must be specified for a given timber parcel. Although managers must minimize harvesting costs, it is even more important that such work on forests reduces the potential for damage to the residual stand and ensures that environmental conditions remain suitable for regeneration. However, current methods are geared only toward minimizing harvesting costs and are computationally demanding and difficult to handle for the end user. These limitations hinder broad application of such methods. Further, the underlying productivity models used for cost estimation do not cover all conditions of an area and they cannot be applied over a whole harvesting area. To overcome these shortcomings, we present: (1) a multiobjective optimization approach that leads to realistic, practicable results that consider multiple conflicting design objectives, and (2) a concept for an easy-to-use application. We compare the practical applicability and performance of the results achieved with multiobjective optimization with those achieved with single-objective (cost-minimal) optimization. Based on these points, we then present and discuss a concept for a user-friendly implementation. The model was tested on two sites in Switzerland. The study produced the following major findings: (1) Single-objective alternatives have no practical relevance, whereas multiobjective alternatives are preferable in real-world applications and lead to realistic solutions; (2) the solution process for a planning unit should include analysis of the Pareto frontier; and (3) results can only be made available within a useful period of time by parallelizing computing operations.

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Assessment of the harvesting costs of different combine harvester fleets

Research in Agricultural Engineering ◽

10.17221/98/2017-rae ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 65 (No. 1) ◽

pp. 25-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jüri Olt ◽

Keio Küüt ◽

Risto Ilves ◽

Arne Küüt

Keyword(s):

Cost Price ◽

Combine Harvester ◽

Practical Information ◽

Combine Harvesters ◽

The Cost ◽

Harvesting Costs ◽

Collection Methods

This study discusses practical collection methods of cereal harvesting costs in different agricultural holdings in order to effectively manage combine harvester fleets, make economically reasoned decisions on the exploitation of combine harvesters, reduce harvesting costs and consequently the cost price of cereals. For this purpose, the author used work results of combine harvesters monitored by three randomly selected agricultural holdings, collected practical information on harvesting, analysed this information and provided assessments on the effectiveness of their combine harvester fleet. Evidently, not all combine harvester fleets and combines operate with the same efficiency, as their harvesting costs are different.

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High Technology Options for Sheep Shearing III: Chemical and Biological Defleecing

Outlook on Agriculture ◽

10.1177/003072708701600204 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 68-76

Author(s):

P. R. W. Hudson

Keyword(s):

High Technology ◽

Cost Price ◽

Shearing Mechanism ◽

Biological Methods ◽

The Cost ◽

Harvesting Costs

Two earlier articles have considered the cost-price squeeze facing the Australian woolgrower, and the solutions being sought to reduce wool harvesting costs. The first concentrated on the improvements to existing shearing methods, especially the shearing mechanism itself. The second summarised the progress of a programme aiming to automate shearing. This concluding article considers the research which has been undertaken to evaluate chemical and biological methods of wool harvesting.

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Nachhaltiges Holzproduktionspotenzial im Schweizer Wald

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2011.0300 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 162 (9) ◽

pp. 300-311 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Edgar Kaufmann

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

National Forest Inventory ◽

Forest Area ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Growing Stock ◽

Rotation Periods ◽

The Impact ◽

Harvesting Costs

Potential of sustainable wood production in Swiss forests In the Swiss National Forest Inventory (NFI), the data collected in the three inventories (NFI1 1983–1985, NFI2 1993–1995, NFI3 2004–2006) provide the basis not only for analysing the present state of the forest and how it has developed up to now, but also for assessing, with the help of models, how it might develop in future. The scenario model «Massimo 3», developed at the Swiss Federal Institut for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, is an empirical and stochastic simulation model. It relies on data from the NFI and forecasts the development of the forest according to how it is managed. Six scenarios with different management regimes were defined according to the economic, silvicultural and ecological aspects considered. In three scenarios the growing stock is kept constant at the level of NFI3, but different management strategies are used (Scenario A: basis [business as usual], Scenario E: even-aged forests are transformed into uneven-aged forests, and Scenario F: near-natural percentages of conifers are promoted). In two scenarios forest management is partially abandoned for either ecological reasons (Scenario B: reservations, 10% of the forest area is left unmanaged) or for economic reasons (Scenario C: harvesting costs, 40% of the forest area is left unmanaged). Scenario D (rotation periods are shortened) was used to study the effects of augmenting the annual harvesting amount. A forecasting time period of 100 years was selected to assess the long-term effects of the scenarios. Scenarios A, D, and E show that the sustainable harvesting potential of merchantable wood lies in a relatively narrow range of 7.1 to 7.3 million m3/year, even though in Scenario D the growing stock is reduced from 360 m3/ha to 305 m3/ha. In Scenario F regeneration is systematically established with near-natural percentages of conifers, the long-term harvesting potential is slightly less: about 6.5 million m3/year of merchantable wood. If forest management is abandoned for economic reasons on as much as 40% of the forest area (Scenario C, harvesting costs), the impact on the wood reserves is very negative.

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