Biomass comprises the most important energy source, which due to the increasing energy needs, must replace the mineral energy sources for environmental sustainability, according to European and international protocols. Thus, until 2020 energy agriculture is due to contribute to the renewable energy sources by 31.1%, whereas transport energy in the EU-25 countries should be covered by renewable sources by at least 5,75% in 2010.
Biomass energy is energy produced from organic material grown, collected or harvested for energy use. At present, biomass is the main renewable energy source used for electricity production, heat production and transport. The range of technologies exploiting biomass resources is very wide and the choice of technology depends not only on final use, but also on the nature of the biomass feedstock. The biomass resource can be estimated, based on the land available for dedicated crops and the available forestry and agricultural residues and waste.
The drawbacks of biomass as a fuel alternative to coal, oil or gas are attributed mainly to its low energy density, high moisture content and heterogeneity. The problems of conventional biofuels can be lessened or even prevented altogether by the production of pellets with consistent quality, low moisture content, high energy density and homogeneous size and shape. Consistent fuel quality makes pellets a suitable fuel type for all areas of application, from stoves and central heating systems up to large-scale plants, and with practically complete automation in all these capacity ranges.
The production of the pellets is labor intensive and commercially challenging. Still, recent years have seen advancement in machinery and processes used for the transformation of low grade biomass to high grade solid biofuels. Pellets can be packaged and transported in a variety of forms such as consumer bags, jumbo or big bags, inside containers, railcars, flat bed trucks, tanker or silo trucks and ocean bulk carriers. They can also be stored in readily available flat storages as well as vertical silos. Year-round pellet supply can therefore be realized by reasonable and efficient fuel logistics.
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