Volume 25 Special Volume: Renewable Resources from Wet and Rewetted Peatlands (2019) Article 2

Testing the three-phase technology for harvesting biomass from wetlands

by K. Zembrowski and A.P. Dubowski

Published online: 08.04.2019

Summary

Many protected wetlands in Poland require special care to restore and protect them as breeding areas for endangered bird species. As machinery for this purpose, adapted tracked snow groomers, tracked trailers and wheeled tractors are outdated and not eco-friendly. The Industrial Institute of Agricultural Engineering (PIMR) has designed and developed new-generation machinery that will be more useful in formal paludiculture. The PIMR three-phase technology (T-PT) improves the efficiency of vehicle movement making it less damaging to protected wetlands, and allows non-stop collection of a whole swath. The bales produced are rolled over the ground as a biomass train to storage locations at the field margin. Key features of T-PT that contribute to protection of the wetlands and the wider environment are: a) the delta tracks of the vehicles, which make grooved paths (depth ~ 30 mm) but do not damage the surface structure; b) non-stop swath collection, which improves engine efficiency and reduces fuel consumption; and c) the use of ‘EcoSafe FR’ biodegradable fluid in the power hydraulics, which means that there is no pollution of water in the case of spillage.

Citation

Zembrowski, K. & Dubowski, A.P. (2019) Testing the three-phase technology for harvesting biomass from wetlands. Mires and Peat, 25(02), 1–10. (Online: http://www.mires-and-peat.net/pages/volumes/map25/map2502.php); doi: 10.19189/MaP.2017.OMB.317

Reviewers

IMCG and IPS acknowledge the work of the reviewers.