Renewable energy is becoming the buzz word in both industrial and political sectors to ensure that the ever growing energy requirements are covered in the long term. Biomass, as a renewable resource and a valuable energy source will, therefore, play a significant role in the future. Currently, investigations are in place to discover the true potential that can be gained from rapidly renewing vegetation. It has been shown that by cultivating oil plants, such as rapeseed, or sugary and starchy plants, such as sugar cane, along with giant reeds or cane (Arundo donax ), more than 30 tons per hectare can be harvested.

Biomass production is, paradoxically, in competition with the agricultural use that is put to suitable cultivation areas for food production. To alleviate the conflict, technologies have to be created that:

• make secondary vegetation available for economically effective energy use
• make use of and develop cultivation areas that are not suited to food production
• optimise and make more efficient the process chain from biomass production to its utilisation
• enable ligneous waste and foliage residue from rural conservation and forestry maintenance measures to be prepared for further processing

A sustainable energy industry is, meanwhile, indispensible and can even be made possible while preserving a high standard of living. The promotion of energy efficiency combined with the increasing use of renewable energy form the two strategic focal points that will become the door openers for all new technologies and innovations in the future.

The biomass recovery process chain

AHWI recognised early on the direction this theme was leading, and derived a plan for the development of a new kind of vehicle. The result was the RT 400 crawler which, when combined with the already successful H600 Biomass Harvester, allowed AHWI to offer a highly innovative, ecologically and economically sustainable solution to the marketplace.

Irrespective of whether processing upright tree stock, logging debris, biomass recovered from the recultivation of extensively used areas or deadwood stock in skid trails, the H600 harvests, shreds and blows the chopped material through the discharge chute on to a trailer or hopper – in just one single pass. Quite regardless how chaotic the bushes and trees grow, or indeed whether they are upright or flattened, the H600 clears it up. Its row-independence combined with the AHWI RT 400 crawler enable biomass recovery on even the most awkward and inaccessible of locations. What remains is a clear line and large quantities of biomass that can be processed immediately for energy generation or topsoil reclamation.

Extensive biomass recovery – now especially economical.

The use of biomass for energy has many advantages. No additional CO₂ greenhouse gasses are emitted – it is CO₂ neutral. Biomass is everywhere, and when used for energy production, it doesn’t have to suffer long-distance transportation, which further preserves our environment. Biomass can be stored problem-free, and there are only a few minor risks associated with its transport. If the biomass is made available in agricultural or forestry regions, then the usual costs associated with the importation of fossil fuels from abroad will be eliminated.