USE OF MIXED BIOFUEL FOR PELLET PRODUCTION

One of the most important types of renewable energy in the Baltic region is biofuel (plant-derived fossil fuel) which has been valued because of the availability, stable prices and reliability of biomass - plant- derived material from which biofuel is made. In general, combustion of biofuels is more efficient and less harmful to the environment than traditional fuels, such as wood shavings or coal. Wood is one of the most popular types of biomass; and the Baltic countries have a big potential to exploit this source of biofuel since the region has an abundant resource of forests. This article discusses one of the newest types of biofuel - pellets. Pellets are small cylindrical shaped pieces made of wood, wood waste, sunflower husks, straw or similar. They are mostly homogeneous - made from one-material. As part of the research at the Aleksandras Stulginskis University, using combinations of biomass for fuel can be even more efficient than homogenous biofuel. Tests were made with sawdust and peat pellets, sawdust, sawdust and straw, peat, and wood dust pellets. Physical- mechanical and chemical properties of these pellets were tested, the results are intended to provide a background for the planning and production of new technology for new lines, composition of pellets and thus open a window to a new era of wider and much more efficient use of different materials for biofuel. Lithuania has very limited local fossil fuel resources. Most of fossil fuel, mainly oil and coal and to some extent natural gas, is imported from Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Poland. Over the last decade Lithuania started to actively support the use of renewable energy. In 1992 with the National Energy Efficiency Programme the Government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the priority directions for the energy sector development. The use of local and renewable energy resources are the two main goals set in the programme. Similarly, renewable energy resource development is one of the main short-term objectives of Lithuanian National Energy Strategy. These goals coincide with the European Union recommendation to include up to 12 % of local energy in the total country energy balance. Lithuania supports the Madrid Declaration of 1994, which, in order to reduce environmental pollution and its harmful effects on the environment, recommends the EU countries to increase the local and renewable energy sources to 15 % of the total balance (1-3). Amongst all possible renewable energy sources, such as biogas or wind, Lithuania has a vast and still not completely exploited domestic energy resource of biomass, mostly from forest wastes. The amount of biomass per capita in Lithuania at the moment is the second highest in the European Union and it is estimated that in 2020 Lithuania will be the first in the EU according to the quantity of available biomass for biofuel production. The projected production of biofuels by 2020 in tons per capita are as follows: Lithuania - 0.25; Latvia - 0.23; Denmark - 0.22; France - 0.19; Estonia - 0.18; Hungary - 0.17; Czech Republic - 0.16; Spain - 0.14; Poland - 0.13; Sweden - 0.12; Ireland - 0.12; Greece - 0.09; Austria - 0.09; Germany - 0.08; Bulgaria - 0.08; Romania - 0.07; Italy - 0.06; Slovakia - 0.06; Slovenia - 0.05; United Kingdom - 0.05; Belgium - 0.04; Portugal - 0.04; Netherlands - 0.03; Finland - 0.2; Luxembourg - 0; the Cyprus - 0; Malta - 0 (4). According to the Lithuanian National Forest Service data, the total forest land in Lithuania is over 2 million ha or 33.3 % of the country territory. In the period of 2003-2012 the land of forest and the percentage of forest resources per capita increased. The country forest coverage has increased from 31.3 % to 33.3 %, forest land increased from 128 thousand ha to 2173 thousand ha. During the same period the forest stands expanded by 104,000 ha to 2,055,000 ha, the forest area per capita increased from 0.59 to 0.68 ha, the total growing stock volume increased from 453.4 million m 3 to 501.3 million m 3 , and the average growing stock volume - from 226 m 3 ·ha -1 to 240 m 3 ·ha -1 . The growing stock volume per capita increased from 131 m³ up to 157 m³. (5). These key forest resource indexes have been rising for several years and therefore having a positive impact on the overall socio - economic situation in the forest sector in Lithuania. Nevertheless, Lithuania has been planning to expand forest stand areas by planting short rotation stands. This intensive forestry can be developed in areas that are