Straw Briquettes for Energy Independence in Poland

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Poland is a coal-driven country, although the potential of agrobiomass is estimated at a high level of 20-30 million tonnes.

Our company was always involved in the energy sector, the environment and independency from fossil fuels. That’s why we wanted to become independent from coal and gas. Traveling around Poland, you can see many straw bales in the fields. Back in 2003, these bales inspired us to utilise this valuable raw material, instead of just leaving the straw to rot in the fields. Thanks to this inspiration, the Biomasser briquetting machine was designed. It processes straw in a simple way into 100% natural fuel briquettes. We collect the straw from our fields, produce the briquettes adapted to our needs and the excess we sell in the neighbourhood. Initially we applied the straw briquettes in a wood boiler that served us 15 years. Today, our facilities are powered by electricity from PV panels, heated electrically and by automated boilers for straw briquettes. The ash left from the combustion of straw briquettes serves as a natural fertilizer used in the fields.

Thanks to local agrobiomass (straw) we are fully independent from imported fuels. The straw briquettes can be combusted in dedicated boilers. However, they can be also applied be used in common boilers, replacing coal or wood, following the proper combustion process.

Beyond that, we have incorporated healthy and sustainable practices in other aspects of our daily work: On our farm we run a pilot cultivation of organic cereals (oats and rye), composting plants and retention ponds. Next to our office building we run a small greenhouse “Green Corner”, where we grow organic vegetables and herbs, promoting the idea of a healthy diet among our team. We buy water in returnable glass bottles from a local supplier. We reduce paper consumption by using double-printed paper, and recycled paper from our archives for internal printing.

We are an example of a small-scale production, independent of fossil fuels and consciously minimising the carbon footprint.

The potential of agrobiomass in Europe is high and very significant for us to become independent from imported fossil fuels. We shall focus on diversifying our energy supply and maximising the use of energy sources available close to us. Agrobiomass being one of them, as it is readily available and can be deployed quickly, so it’s a must to include it in the renewable energy mix to ensure energy safety, sustainable development and minimalise energy poverty. Investing in biomass gives security for many years.

Biomasser is the first machine in Europe verified in the EU Environmental Technology Verification program (ETV) confirming its eco-innovation and supporting climate protection. Biomasser’s important asset is that the biomass doesn’t need to be dried before processing because the machine works with raw material of moisture content up to 30%.

About the campaign

The campaign is powered by Bioenergy Europe and relayed across Europe by both national and international partners supporting the belief that bioenergy is more than a renewable energy source, it is also a reliable path that will lead Europe to achieve its renewable energy transition in the shortest span of time.

Solid Biomass Conversion Processes

Logging, grinding, screening and drying operations are mechanical processes for enhancing solid biomass fuels. These operations help transform biomass into homogeneous fuel that is easy to handle, with a higher energy recovery (eg. woodchips, wood logs, agrofuel). In general, moisture content in woodchips used for energy generation in municipal or industrial plants ranges between 20-30%.

Densification is another popular way to transform woody material into an advanced fuel with high calorific value. This process involves compressing biomass and lowering moisture levels to a range of 8-10%, allowing for an homogenous fuel – either in the form of pellets or briquettes. The heat during compression fuses the lignin in the biomass, naturally binding the biomass together in a new, enhanced shape. Thanks to densification, the homogenous biomass fuel is easier to transport and can be used in automated biomass installations, such as pellet stoves and boilers.

Thermo-chemical conversions are now used to produce fuel with even higher calorific value, utilising torrefaction or steam explosion technologies. During the torrefaction process, wood is subjected to temperatures of 230°C-300°C at atmospheric pressure without oxygen. Comparable to some extent to coffee torrefaction, this method creates a fuel with unique characteristics. As compared to conventional wood, torrefied wood has very low (>5%) moisture content, is easily grindable and is relatively hydrophobic.

Thanks to advanced technologies, woody biomass can also produce liquid and gaseous fuels. Pyrolysis, for instance, is a thermal-chemical conversion that requires a high temperature (>400°C) and little oxygen to convert solid biomass into gas, liquid fuels (pyrolysis oil) and/or biochar. Gasification is another thermo-chemical conversion that takes place at high temperatures (>800°C), with limited oxygen and/or steam, and converts solid biomass into synthesis gas, known as syngas – which contains carbon and hydrogen and can be used to produce liquid fuels such as biodiesel.

Wet Biomass Conversion Processes

Wet biomass is present in high volume across Europe (manure, agricultural waste and by-products). As it contains too much moisture to be converted efficiently into energy via a direct combustion process, other conversion pathways and energy outputs have been developed by the biogas (eg. anaerobic digestion) and biofuel sectors (eg. fermentation). Anaerobic digestion and fermentation are the two main conversion pathways used for converting wet biomass feedstock into advanced fuel.

Anaerobic digestion is the microbiological process of decomposition of organic matter, in the absence of oxygen, and is common to many natural environments; it is largely applied today in order to produce biogas in airproof reactor tanks, commonly referred to as digesters. A wide range of micro-organisms are involved in the anaerobic process which has two main end products: biogas and digestate. Biogas is a combustible gas consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and small amounts of other gases and trace elements. Biogas can be used in direct combustion to produce heat, but also power if converted within a cogeneration plant or in adapted gas motors. Biogas can also be upgraded via purification processes to a biomethane that can be injected into the existing natural gas networks, used as a chemical product and/or vehicle fuel. Digestate is the decomposed substrate, rich in macro- and micro-nutrients and therefore suitable for use as plant fertiliser.

Fermentation is a biochemical conversion whereby microorganisms, including yeast and bacteria, convert matter into products such as ethanol and liquid transport fuel (biodiesel). This process is done in several stages. First, sugary and starchy feedstock such as corn must be crushed and combined with water, allowing enzymes to convert this starch into sugar. This ferments along with the addition of yeast and is distilled into bioethanol. Bioethanol can also be produced from cellulosic biomass, such as grass, wood and stalks, via fermentation; however, this process is more complex and involves a mechanical pre-treatment and the addition of enzymes, or the breakdown of the lignocellulose into sugar through hydrolysis, followed by the same procedure.

Solid bioenergy feedstock

Renewables represent 8,0% of EU-27 total energy consumption (22.473 kilotonnes of oil equivalent) in transportation, of which 68% is provided by biofuels in 2018. It is rather challenging to foresee how biofuels (in particular first-generation biofuels) will continue to develop, since recent EU legislation established a quota for these biofuels. EU statistics on renewables in transportation can also be misleading regarding the actual level of production, because multiple counting rules are applied in accordance with the EU renewable energy directive. Looking at it in more detail, the biofuel market is driven by biodiesel and bioethanol. Biodiesel was the first biofuel developed and used in the EU in the transport sector in the 1990s. EU-27 remains the world’s largest biodiesel producer and it consumed 13,303 Ktoe in 2018. By comparison, bioethanol consumption in 2018 reached 2,620 Ktoe for an actual production of 2,365 Ktoe (Biofuels Report, 2020).

Bioenergy comes in all shapes and sizes

Within our close environment, a great source of organic materials such as plants, algae, or organic wastes, can be valuable fuels as soon as a technology makes it possible to efficiently extract all of its energy potential. Bioenergy players traditionally refer to biomass to describe those usable feedstocks. Biomass currently used in Europe includes wood from forests, agricultural crops and residues, by-products from the wood and agricultural industry, herbaceous and woody energy crops, municipal organic wastes and manure, and could potentially integrate algae and marine biomass in the future.

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