Mixed biomass pelleting potential for Portugal, step forward to circular use of biomass residues

Densification of the biomass residues as an efficient method to produce a renewable and CO2 neutral energy resource has been in consideration in recent years. However, according to a recent boost in the European wood pellet demand, the importance of R&D studies for substitution and enhancement o...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Reza Sirous, Fernando José Neto da Silva, Luís António da Cruz Tarelho, Nelson Amadeu Dias Martins
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2020-02-01
Series:Energy Reports
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352484719314465
Description
Summary:Densification of the biomass residues as an efficient method to produce a renewable and CO2 neutral energy resource has been in consideration in recent years. However, according to a recent boost in the European wood pellet demand, the importance of R&D studies for substitution and enhancement of current raw materials for pelleting purposes has been increased. A large amount of annual garden waste and agricultural residues in Portugal causes that so-called Mixed Biomass Pelleting (MBP) method becomes a promising approach of the future that by closing the cycles in the agro-economic environments of Portugal, enhances the socio-economic conditions in the rural areas. This itself will have one more important consequence of wildfire prevention in the Portuguese forests. This work as a subset of a broader study that aims to develop an evaluation tool for circular economies will cover the information required for a techno-economic analysis of mixed biomass pelleting by a review on potential assessment methods, a rough-cut assessment of agro-residues potential for Portugal and gathering the required information about pellets origin, characteristics and legislative frames. Keywords: Biomass residues, Circular economy, Mixed biomass pelleting, Portugal, Potential assessment
ISSN:2352-4847