Chunkwood Production: A New Concept

Small trees from noncommercial or poor quality stands and residue should be utilized to help meet the growing demand for fiber or fuel and to extend quality timber supplies. A revolutionary wood chunker has been developed and laboratory tested for reducing small diameter bolts into chunky wood particles considerably larger than conventional pulp chips. Chunkwood appears to offer excellent utilization opportunities as energy wood or as an intermediate furnish for manufacturing composite flakewood products. Research study data obtained for six Lake States’ species indicate the energy requirements for chunking are approximately one-third of that required for whole-tree chipping?value? ranged from 1.2 hp-min./ft3 for balsam fir to 2.5 hp-min./ft.3 for sugar maple. Chunkwood production rate for test bolts ranging between 5.0 to 8.5 inches in diameter averaged 36 cubic feet per minute at 100 percent machine availability. Graphical data show the effects of species (wood density), bolt diameter, feed rate, and disk speed on rate of production, power, and energy. Results for frozen wood and thicker cutting blades indicate energy requirements increase and production rate decreases. The chunks, averaging about 3.5 inches in length, had a bulk density ranging from 20 to 25 pcf with an all species average of 22 pcf. Information regarding U.S. and foreign licensing can be obtained upon request from the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce.

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