Extra-Wide Biomass Cover for Greater Energy Efficiency

Walki Group is a leading international manufacturer of technical laminates and packaging materials with protective functions. It is also the only Nordic manufacturer of paper-based covers for logging residue, which is used as a biofuel. At World Bioenergy 2014, Walki is presenting its new and extra large biomass cover, Walki®Biomass Cover, in a six-metre width.
“We’re the only company to make cover material six metres wide,” explains Jens Desthon, Sales Manager at Walki Sweden. “Our products are also made here in the Nordic region and all the production stages are here from start to finish.”
Walki®Biomass Cover is a laminate, a special product that consists largely of natural fibre. The cover protects piles of forest residue stored on the ground from rain, snow and ice. The cover is easy to use and can be rolled out by the same forwarder that gathers the residue in the forest. The result is drier residue that is more energy efficient as a biofuel.
Measurements done using Walki’s first cover with a width of four metres conclude that by using the cover, the dry matter in the residue can be increased by up to 15 percent. The paper-based, waterproof cover is then chipped and incinerated together with the forest residue. With its extra two metres of width, the new six-metre-wide cover can reduce the moisture content by 10 percent and further increase the energy gains.
Walki specialises in fibre-based and smart multilaminates within a broad spectrum of end uses, from the energy-saving laminates for timber and biomass to packaging for staple goods. Walki has factories in Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the UK, Russia and China. The group has exhibited at World Bioenergy several times before with its smart cover material for forest residue.
“This is a superb opportunity to meet customers and display our products,” Jens Desthon says. “We’re hoping for yet another successful fair and for lots of customers to visit our stand.”