Pellet is a revolutionary, high-calorie, renewable biofuel produced by technologically processing the turning chips, i.e. sawdust that remains after processing wood, and whose humidity is initially reduced to a certain percentage, by drying and pressing it with special presses. The wood, which is dried and crushed enough, then passes through a pellet, which completely grinds the parts of the wood and pushes it into the matrix.

More about the pellet and everything you need to know about pellet heating ...

The beginning of the pellet production in Europe and South America was caused by an oil crisis known as the First Oil Shock in 1973 and 1979. Wood pellets attracted people's attention at the time because of their exceptional quality and because it was a good alternative to oil. However, soon the price of oil on the market stabilized. In the nineties, the production of wood pellets was again experiencing expansion and it has become the main competitor to the solid, liquid and gas fuels.

Wood pellets are made of chopped wood or sawdust, they are cylindrical in shape with a diameter of 6-8 mm and a length of 10 to 30 mm. Wood pellets are produced at extremely high pressures, the temperature of the wood is raised at high pressure and the natural 'glue' is created so the pellets can manage to keep the cylindrical shape even after cooling. Pellets are usually produced in a matrix, and the total moisture content is usually less than 10% in the moisturized mass. It is made of oak, beech, ash, hornbeam, poplar, linden and other types of wood. It is a very calorific fuel whose combustion produces only 1% of ash.

When delivered, beside weight, moisture, ash content and net calorific value are also monitored. The maximum moisture content of wood pellets must not exceed 10% of the mass percentage in the received state (wet basis). Due to their shape and size, they are easily transported, the furnace burners that we use to heat our homes are easily filled with them. They fully meet the high ecological standards that enable us to live a better life without compromising the environment and nature. A kilogram of pellets can produce about five kilowatt hours of heat energy. The amount of energy we get by burning 2 kg of pellets is equal to one liter of oil fuel. In addition to energy savings, pellets are also environmentally-friendly raw materials.

• Economical cost-effectiveness - cheaper heating.
• Pellet heating is the most economically feasible of all other types of heating.
• Energy efficiency - a high degree of utilization
• Due to its composition and production characteristics, the level of utilization of wood pellets is extremely high, so that the ash residue is below 1% (depending on the manufacturer).
• Ecological profitability - negligible gas emissions and the renewable energy sources.
• In addition to energy savings, pellets are also environmentally-friendly raw materials. Burning pellets produces the same amount of CO2 that the tree has used during its growth. Therefore, the pellet is a neutral CO2 carrier. In the production, preparation and transport of the pellets, a negligible amount of CO2 is generated. In contemporary life conditions, the emphasis is on preserving the environment and the biomass-produced fuels are gaining in importance.

• The use of energy in pellets is over 90%, while in classical coal and wood furnaces, boilers and fireplaces, it is no more than 70%
• Pellets are two to six times cheaper than those derived from fossil fuels
• By using pellets, the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere is reduced
• The special advantage of pellets is based on the reduced storage requirements in relation to wood
• Only the most suitable part of the tree
• Pellets, in contrast to petroleum and coal-based fuels, do not contain substances that are toxic to humans and the environment.
• They are simple to transport and store.
• They are made from high-calorie wood.

Modern production and prescribed quality standards contribute to the pellet's balanced fuel and constant energy.

Energy value 4,9 kW/kg 
2 kg of pellets = 1 liter of oil fuel
1 m3 of pellets = 320 liters of oil fuel
Pellet weight 1 m3 = approx. 640 kg
Combustion remains are 1% of ash

Biomass is a biodegradable part of products, waste and residues of biological origin from agriculture (including plant and animal matter), forestry and related industries, as well as biodegradable parts of industrial and municipal waste. Law on Energy ("Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia", No. 145/2014).

The Republic of Serbia is one of the countries that are rich in biomass resources, and also from the aspect of their biodiversity and distribution. All studies and analyses show that the biomass is the most important potential of renewable energy sources in Serbia. It is estimated at 3,405 Mt per year, of which 55% are agricultural and 45% are wood biomass. The potential of the wood mass is 1.53 Mt. Forest biomass is the most prevalent in the south and in central Serbia, and its utilization rate is very high up to 66.7%. The estimated potential of agricultural biomass from the remains of agricultural crops, residues in fruit growing, viticulture and fruit processing is 1.67 Mt per year. Agricultural biomass is present mostly in the north of Serbia. However, despite its widespread distribution, its potential is used in a negligible percentage of 2%.

Current capacities for pellet production in the Republic of Serbia are about 150,000 tons / year. Until a few years ago, nearly 90% of production was exported. Today, this percentage is somewhat less than 65-70%.

Wood biomass

• Residues and waste from sawing, grinding, blinding ...
• It is often the waste that burdens the operations of a wood processing company
• It serves as a fuel in its own boiler rooms, as a raw material for products, briquettes, pellets
• Fuel from forest biomass is cheaper and better quality

Combustion of biomass yields heat energy that until recently was most often used for heating, cooking or heating hot water. In the last decade, biomass has also been used to produce electricity. For bioenergy purposes, biofuel can also be used, obtained by converting biomass into liquid state, as well as biogas, obtained by decomposing various biological waste into a gaseous state.

According to the aggregate state, with the influence on energy use, biomass is divided into solid, liquid and gas biomass.

Solid biomass includes the remnants of crop production, residues of fruit and vineyard residues, forest residues, plant mass of fast growing plants, and above all fast-growing forests, part of the selected municipal waste, residues from the wood processing industry, residues of primary and secondary processing of agricultural products, and others.

Liquid biomass includes liquid biofuels - vegetable oils, transesterified vegetable oils - biodiesel and bioethanol.

Gas biomass is biogas, which can be produced from animal excrements or energy plants (grass and corn silage), but other raw materials can also be used as raw materials. Gas, even liquid, biomass, is also a product of gasification, that is, pyrolysis of solid biomass.