Development of slow pyrolysis business operations in Finland - Hidaspyro

The primary aim of the Hidaspyro project is to support and develop slow pyrolysis business operations of small and medium-sized enterprises. In addition to charcoal, the products include distillates, tar and gases. Birch distillate is a new innovation in biological plant protection. Slow pyrolysis test runs with different retorts have been carried out. The analytical scheme developed for the liquid products proved to be very workable. The distillates could be analysed extensively. The organic content was for distillates 15-30 wt%, and for tars about 80 wt%. Methods to separate tar from distillates were developed resulting in tar free and PAH free distillates, which due to their chemical composition are promising to be utilized. Economic calculations based on the test runs are under way. Based on experimental results and economic assessments, optimal product lines and business concepts will be determined. Potential uses and applications of the liquids as repellents and wood preservatives have been studied. All the liquids tested repelled land snails used as test organisms effectively. Active ingredients of the liquids are being identified based on the observed impacts on snails and field voles. Preliminary results indicated that efficacy of repellents is based on different active ingredients. Storing of the liquids over one year did not reduce the repelling efficacy. The stability of distillates in soils, and the potential leaching of distillates out of the soil are studied in a greenhouse experiment. The REACH pre-registration process was carried out for the enterprises and the work has continued with the SIEF tasks.