Chips

Chips are described as virgin wood which has beem comminuted by mechanical chippers. Ideal chips are a uniform size and contain no bark or rot. Chip size is a function of wood density, moisture content and orientation in the chipper. Uniformly shaped chips contribute to improved energy production. Chips are often stored on-site for a few months after chipping and care must be taken to limit exposure to the elements. The traditional markets for wood chips have been the pulp and paper industry and landscaping companies.

Wood Chips

Since a load of chips contains much more open space than a solid block of wood, several factors must be considered to determine the tons of chips needed for a specific project. The greater the diagonal-to-thickness ratio of the chips, the lower the solid content (Edberg et al. 1973). More heterogenous chips contribute to reduced space between chips and increase the solid ratio in chip-loads. Chip-loads from whole-trees or logging residues contain more fine materials than uniform chips from pulpwood, and tend to have higher solid content rates. Chip quality also varies according to species, with fuel chips from brittle low-density material containing more fine particles with a higher solid content. The solid content proportion of a fuel chip-load varies from 38 to 44 percent (Nylinder and Tornmarck 1986). A solid cubic meter of wood would produce approximately 2.5 cubic meters of loose chips.

European nations in Scandinavia and the Baltic regions have long used wood chips as a source of energy. One of the newest wood chip suppliers in Europe is GFC, or the Groupe Cooperation Forestiere based in Paris, France.