uP_running unlocks the industrial potential of woody biomass residues
The uP_running project “Take-off for sustainable supply of woody biomass from agrarian pruning and plantation removal” aimed to unlock the strong European potential of woody biomass residues produced by Agrarian Pruning and Plantation Removals (APPR). They are the agricultural woody residues produced as a result of horticultural operations applied to vineyards, olive groves, and fruit plantations. According to several sources, the potential of APPR wood in Europe can reach 40 Mt (fresh biomass) per year.
Between 2016 and 2019, this project was researching success cases that make APPR use feasible. The identified value chains are reported in the uP_running Observatory web-tool.
A common message from the 10 flagship cases is the perseverance and tenacity of the initiators: they had a clear vision that the current practices of management of APPR biomass resources had to be improved in favour of the local community, the climate, or simply just because they considered the practices of open air burning as absurd, useless or simply incorrect.
Check the Policy brochure
The uP_running flagship cases demonstrate marketable technologies in using APPR biomass for heat or power. For instance
- vineyard pruning can be used to heat house and farm buildings or in a municipal district heating system or as fuel for a steam boiler;
- apple tree pruning bales can be sold to customers for use as a heating fuel;
- wood chips can be produced from plantation removal biomass to supply a local biomass power plant; or
- one can install a pelletization line for olive tree pruning or the uprooting of old apple orchards.