Study estimates costs of mesquite biomass delivery for bioenergy use

Texas AgriLife Research scientists are studying the costs of getting potential bioenergy sources such as mesquite to the processed stage. The costs of feedstock delivered to a fictional wood-fired bioelectricity plant were considered under two general biomass densities and across two harvest scenarios in which the minimum biomass density acceptable for harvest within each area differed. The analysis discovered that biomass density and harvesting costs are the two major factors affecting cost of delivered biomass. While biomass use of the bioelectricity plant and the percentage of suitable harvest areas strongly affect land-related factors, these have relatively minor effects on cost of delivered biomass compared to harvesting costs.