Woody Utilization of Grape Trees Pruning Residues for use in Particleboard Industry

With the decline of forest resources and the policy of forest logging ban in the north forest of our country, it is essential to find alternative sources to supply raw materials for the wood industry. On the other hand, finding a proper way to recover the remains of pruning in addition to the economic benefits to the environment is also very useful. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using chips from annual pruning of grape trees in industry.

In this study, woody utilization of grape trees pruning residues was investigated by single-pass method and two-pass method. Continuous timing was used to identify and evaluate methods and calculate production and cost. The chips were transferred from the sources to the mills with trailers, indoor trucks, and vans with a capacity of 24, 16, and 3 tons, respectively. Then, the prediction modeling of the utilization time of the residuals was performed using multiple linear regressions.

The results showed that the amount of pruning residue of grape trees was 1.12 ton/ha and production cost varied from 986 to 1238 thousand Rial per ton, based on processing method. The rate of production per ton of wood chips per hour in two-pass method was higher. Also, the total cost in the two-pass method was lower than the single-pass method. The maximum profit (2263 thousand Rial per ton) was related to the two-pass method and Trucking. The use of a chipping machine in the landing (two- pass method) was more cost-effective than the processing operation in each garden (single-pass method) in terms of production and cost. Modeling results showed that were significant in the two- pass method the effect of tree diameter and in the single-pass method the effect of tree diameter and residual density in the field on the residuals processing time.

In addition to benefiting farmers, wood chips from grape branches can also provide part of the country's particle board industry, and will help reduce environmental pollution by stopping the burning of branches in fields.