BioSAT Update  (Posted 01/27/2010 14:00:00)

Agricultural residue quantity and harvesting cost estimates for the South have been added to the BioSAT model. Agricultural residues included are: Barley Straw, Corn Stover, Oat Straw, Sorghum Straw, Wheat (All) Straw, and Wheat (Winter) Straw.

Note, agricultural residue in the BioSAT model is the plant material remaining after the crop is harvested, including leaves, stalks and roots. For the BioSAT model, only the above ground portion of agricultural residue is considered harvestable. Of the above ground portion, our model assumes sixty-percent is harvested with forty-percent being left in the field for soil fertilization. The quantity estimates are derived from USDA NASS crop production annual survey data. The production quantities are converted from bushels of crop into dry tons of crop residue. The cost estimate include equipment, fuel, and labor cost of harvesting agricultural residues with a hay-baler and soil nutrient replacement costs- i.e., fertilizer costs. Trucking costs assume a flat-bed trailer.

BioSAT Update  (Posted 10/02/2009 13:00:00)
The BioSAT model is currently undergoing alpha-testing and validation for 13 southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia). Alpha-testing is being conducted for marginal costs associated with total mill residues (softwood/hardwood; clean/unclean); logging residues (softwood/hardwood; “at-landing/”in-woods”); and urban waste.  Phase I of BioSAT alpha-testing will continue on to the remaining 20 northern and eastern states.

Requests for customized runs of BioSAT:
The “BioSAT Team” is pleased with the public interest in our model.  Thank you!  We have received many requests in recent months for customized runs of BioSAT prior to its public release.
Due to resource limitations and our focus on completing system validation we are unable to accommodate custom or private runs prior to completing system validation and availability of the public domain site.  We anticipate that these requests will be met when BioSAT is available in the public domain at

The phased roll-out of BioSAT is anticipated as follows:
- Complete validation, alpha-testing, and beta-testing for 13 southern states;
- Complete validation, alpha-testing, and beta-testing for 20 northern states;
- Update content on BioSAT web-site;
- Add merchantable wood harvesting and thinning option as biomass categories to BioSAT;
- Complete validation, alpha-testing, and beta-testing for merchantable wood harvesting and thinning options for 33 eastern states;
- Add Ag residue harvesting and transportation as biomass categories to BioSAT;
- Complete validation, alpha-testing, and beta-testing for ag residue harvesting and transportation for 33 eastern states

An example map from BioSAT model:

Southern Growth Policies Board

Southern Growth Policies Board 2009 Innovator Awards

Our Biomass Site Assessment Tools are under development.

BioSAT will work for YOU!

BioSAT focuses on:

• Supply chain cost and logistics
• Maps and display up-to-date baseline data for public and business leaders
• Assess the economic availability of woody and agricultural-derived biomass
• Identifies local market conditions
• Reduces screening time in locating favorable sites

BioSAT will assist in answering business and                                                           economic questions such as:

• Where is the biomass?
• What are the biomass supply options and costs?
• Have I chosen the right location?
• What are the biomass locations' opportunities/ constraints?
• What are my delivered resource supply costs?

BioSAT is constantly growing to meet the needs of the expanding biomass market and we strive to improve our data to reflect local markets. To meet our long-term objectives, BioSAT will continuously update our data through multiple phases that reflect the newest innovations.

Phase 1 of BioSAT estimates the total costs, average total costs, and marginal cost ($/dry ton) of biomass at the mill gate. The cost of the resource, harvesting cost, and transportation cost are included in the estimate. Phase 1 will contain information regarding softwood and hardwood woody biomass which includes clean and unclean mill residues, logging residues, plantation thinning, urban waste, other removals, and total dry biomass. Pulpwood and sawtimber growth, removals, mortality, and total inventory are taken into account.

BioSAT: Making Innovation Work

In 2007, the U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station and the Southeastern SunGrant Center at the University of Tennessee formed a partnership to provide research, policy, and business practitioners with innovative, biomass to energy, research that accommodates regional differences in available biomass supplies, infrastructure capacities, and environmental benefits for the South and beyond.

The Genesis of BioSAT grew from the idea that stability of biomass markets hinge on improved methods to display the risk and cost of supply and logistics from farm/forest gate to collection or conversion facility. We provide the user the unique opportunity to interact with the BioSAT dashboard to obtain business analysis of the biomass market.

Estimates are that delivered cellulosic biomass accounts for one-half the cost of bioenergy.  A major difficulty is that biomass production in the field is not automatically linked to proposed facility locations.

The BioSAT (Biomass Site Assessment Tools) helps rapidly screen and optimally site biomass collection or processing centers by zip code for the 33 Eastern United States (Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee,  Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin).

Your BioSAT Dashboard

Coming Soon!