Conference presentation
Understanding radial variation to aid development of methods for in-field NIR assessment of Kraft pulp yield
TAPPI Pulping, Engineering, Environmental, Recycling and Sustainability (PEERS) Conference (Norfolk, United States, Oct-2010)
TAPPI
2010
Abstract
The determination of whole tree Kraft pulp yield (KPY) traditionally requires destructive tree sampling by taking and chipping discs from various tree heights, and performing lab-based pulping on the bulk chip sample. Considerable effort has been extended in the last 10-15 years to develop near infrared (NIR) calibrations that enable the prediction of KPY on a range of sample types (chips, increment cores, ground wood) in order to minimise costs and speed the throughput of samples. Efforts to date have concentrated on using laboratory-based NIR systems to perform the analysis on samples collected in the field and returned to the laboratory. However, the routine use of near infrared spectroscopy as a tool for the determination of Kraft pulp yield in standing trees still requires some issues to be overcome before it gains acceptance within the forestry community. Spatially-resolved NIR-predicted values of KPY show considerable variation in KPY in the radial direction. Robust portable NIR instruments are now commercially available and can be used confidently by trained field technicians to make meaningful measurements of wood properties. But an understanding of wood property variation and the handling of NIR instruments is needed to avoid errors in data collection and subsequent interpretation. This paper discusses the work that has gone on in developing in-field NIR tools for KPY assessment and also discusses the hurdles that are still to be overcome. An economic assessment of the value of NIR assessment of wood properties in breeding trials shows that the ability to assess individual trees within a family adds significant power to the genetic improvement process.
Details
- Title
- Understanding radial variation to aid development of methods for in-field NIR assessment of Kraft pulp yield
- Authors
- Roger Meder (Author) - CSIRO Plant IndustryGeoff Downes (Author) - CSIRO Sustainable EcosystemsJeremy T Brawner (Author) - CSIRO Plant IndustryNicholas Ebdon (Author) - CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering
- Conference details
- TAPPI Pulping, Engineering, Environmental, Recycling and Sustainability (PEERS) Conference (Norfolk, United States, Oct-2010)
- Publisher
- TAPPI
- Date published
- 2010
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Industries Research Centre; Forest Research Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450582302621
- Output Type
- Conference presentation
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