Content of January 2005 issue of Renewable Energy Bulletin

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Issue theme - Biomass energy in Russia

1. BIOENERGY & ITS ENERGY POTENTIAL IN RUSSIA

   Bioenergy covers a large variety of routes, with many types of resources, many conversion technologies and three final energy products, heat, electricity and different types of liquid fuels for transportation. This text gives a global overview of the status and prospects of bioenergy resources as well as their potential in Russia.

2. SCIENTIFIC PROBLEMS OF PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION OF BIOFUELS AND SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT FOR ORGANISATION OF LARGE-SCALE BIOFUELS PRODUCTION IN THE NORTH-WEST OF RUSSIA

   The article describes scientific problems of organization of effective utilisation of wood wastes and production of buofuels in Russia, wich include: problems of creation of new transportable kids of biofuels (including pellets), problems of logistics and direct and indirect export of the biofuels, problems of intensification of timber industry and higher rate of wood feedstock utilisation, problems of genetic engineering, problems of increase of efficiency of biofuels burning efficiency and creation of high-efficiency burners etc. Another important point is to deeper processing of the wood in the regions of logging.

3. ECONOMICAL ASPECTS OF WOOD WASTES UTILISATION. 11

   The wood wastes can be divided to commercial and non-commercial. The non-commercial wastes are trees tops, brahcnes, stumps, spunk, hungry wood, crooked trunks etc. Commercial wastes are sawdust, shavings, cuttings, slab, firewood, bark. The article analyses economical aspects of utilisation of both types of wood wastes and and considers prospects for pellets production and wood wastes burning in Russia.

4. BARRIERS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF BIOENERGY IN NORTH-WEST REGION OF RUSSIA

   Russia has huge resources of wood. However, utilization of wood wastes and production of biofuels is negligible. Main problems for this are: cheap natural gas, absence of motivation for big timber and wood treatment industry to utilise wood wastes, weak legislation base and absence of tax credits and stimulation mechanisms, weak infrastructure for biofuels production, transportation and utilization, big distances for transportation of produced biofuels to the end consumer.

5. PYROLYSIS OF BIOMASS. CURRENT STATE AND PROSPECTS. 16

   The article contains short analysis of modern pyrolysis technologies from the point of view of wood wastes utilisation. The elaborated new technology of fast pyrolysis is described in details. This technology has a number of advantages and can be used for profuction of bio-oil, which can be used for mixing with diesel fuels, and bio-gas, which can be used in burners for heat and electricity production. The technoplogy allows, using different temperatures of pyrolysis, easily adjust the ratio of liquid and gaseous biofuels at the output of pyrolysis reactor.

6. INTENSIVE GROWING OF RAPE AND SORGHUM FOR BIOFUELS AND FODDER PRODUCTION 19

   Rapeseed oil is recognised as one main raw materials for biodiesel production. Sorghum can be raw material for production of bioethanol. Both biofuels can be used mixed or in pure form as fuel for transport. Russia has much lower yields of rape and sorghum than in West Europe. This is not only the problem of climate, but mainly of growing technologies used. The article announces new intensive growing technology which could allow to increase crop yields from current 0.5-0.7 to 3-5 tons per hectare (for rape seeds). The same increase rate is possible for sorghum and other crops.Renewable energy in Russia - what is needed to make it feasible?

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