ASG Analytik-Service GmbH Juergen Bernath Technical manager ASG Analytik-Service GmbH Trentiner Ring 30 D-86356 Neusaess www.asg-analytik.de juergen.bernath@asg-analytik.de Phone 0049 821 450423-11
Accreditation EN ISO17025 for: Solid fuels: - wood chips, pellets & briquettes - waste wood - secondary fuels Liquid fuels (fossile and biogenic) LPG, CNG
Company history January 1992: Foundation of the company 1998: Accreditation by DASMIN for testing of fuels 2002: Extended approval for further solid fuel parameters 2003: Relocation to our own "tailor made" building 2006: Extension of building to accommodate a pilot plant 2007: Foundation of ASG do Brasil 2012: Further extension of the building (3 rd floor)
Staff 6 Ph.D. (4 Chemists, 1 Physicist, 1 Biologist) 4 engineers ( Dipl.-Ing. & Master degree) 16 lab technicians 4 others (accounting, mechanic, secretary)
Fields of activities Analytical laboratory for solid, liquid and gaseous fuels Consulting services Process optimization Production of QC materials and test fuels Manufacture of instruments for fuel analysis
Equipment I Equipment for sample preparation of wood biomass samples: - Sample splitter - Sieve shaker - Drying ovens - Mills (cutting mills, ultra centrifugal mill, cryo mill) - Microwave digestion Equipment for analysis of wood biomass samples: Entire equipment for all parameters according EN 14961-2/3/4 plus: - GC-MS (e.g. for PCP and other organic contaminants) - ICP-MS (element analysis at trace level) - X-ray fluorescence (composition of ash or residues)
Equipment II Cutting mill SM 2000 Ultra centrifugal mill ZM 200 Cryo mill
Wood biomass analysis at ASG Sample preparation I Sampling is usually done by client # # # # # # ## Directly after sample arrival it is registered in our LIMS (Lab data system) by allocation of a definite lab ID-no. # # # # # # # # ## Optical inspection ( foreign matter ) and determination of hygroscopic water content# Determination of particle size distribution (EN 15149-1)# # # ## For entire sample amount: 1 st step of homogenization by cutting mill (Retsch SM 2000)#
Wood biomass analysis at ASG Sample preparation II Preparation of a lab sample (ca. 500 g) by sample splitter# Determination of humidity (EN 14774-2)# By using the ultra centrifugal mill, a sample with particle size of < 2 mm is prepared# This fraction is splitted again to obtain two identical samples, one for analysis and another one as retain sample#
Wood biomass analysis at ASG Analysis I # ## Further analysis acc. EN 14961-4:# #- Ash content (EN 14775)# #- Calorific value (EN 14918)# #- #Mean density (EN 15103) ## #- Nitrogen content (EN 15104)# #- Sulfur & Chlorine content (EN 15289)# #- Heavy metals: As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, Zn (EN 15297) # # ##
Wood biomass analysis at ASG Practical aspects I # ## Regarding ASG s total annual turnover, wood chip samples contributes less than 5% to it# But: Share of wood biomass (pellets + briquettes + chips) samples is about 40%# Effort for equipment for wood biomass sample preparation & analysis is about 350.000 EUR (+ costs for salaries, building, accreditation, infrastructure, energy.)# In daily practice, clients do not ask for full EN 14961-4 analysis, main aspects are humidity, ash, calorific value and particle size distribution# # ##
Wood biomass analysis at ASG Practical aspects II In most cases, the reason for clients to ask for analysis is not a quality complaint, but a more commercial motivation:# - todays basis for selling wood chips are specific trading contracts # - usually such contracts do specify water, ash, CV and particle size# - a moderate deviation from this specification does not lead to technical problems in a CHP, but gives client a reason for further price negotiations! # - If possible, clients want to reduce costs for analysis to a minimum (of course..)# # ##
Wood biomass analysis at ASG Main problems/barriers? # ## Due to our experience, there are no unresolvable technical problems to run a high quality wood biomass lab.# Analytical methods are well described (but still with room for improvements). Preparation of a homogenous lab sample is possible, but:# There is a huge impact of how and where to take the samples. To generate comparable and traceable results, this step is the most important one! # Commercial statement: Today, wood chip analysis only would not cover costs of running an accredited lab ##
Trace element analysis at ppb level ICP-MS for determination of trace elements at ppb level