Portuguese Wood Pellets Market: Organization, Production and Consumption Analysis

Wood pellets are a form of energy that can be seen as an alternative to fossil fuels, thus contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In other words, wood pellets can be considered a solution contributing to the mitigation of climate change. The use of wood pellets has grown significantly in recent years, with different markets emerging, such as Portugal, both from production and consumption perspectives. The wood pellet industry in Portugal began its development about 15 years ago, with the companies installed in the country initially almost exclusively dedicated to the production of wood pellets for export to central and northern European markets. However, over the years, the domestic market, initially considered insignificant, began to develop; it recently reached a considerable consuming share of the national production. This study presents an analysis of the Portuguese wood pellet market using data collected on the sector, and specifically on producers and consumers. The information was gathered using surveys presented directly to consumers and producers and through interviews with other stakeholders in the sector. From the analysis of the information, it was possible to understand the market’s dynamics, its current evolution and its prospects for the upcoming years, since it can already be considered mature and consolidated.

Effects of Bedding Material on Equine Lower Airway Inflammation: A Comparison of Two Peat Beddings, Wood Pellet, and Straw Pellet

The effects of bedding material on air quality are important amongst horses worldwide. Respiratory diseases, especially equine asthma, are highly prevalent with air hygiene playing a major role on the pathophysiology of these diseases. The objective of our study was to investigate the effects of four bedding materials on the respiratory signs, tracheal mucus score, and tracheal wash (TW) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology in healthy adult horses. The study design was a prospective controlled cross-over study, and the subjects were healthy adult riding school horses (n = 32) from a single stable. Wood pellet, straw pellet, and loosely stored peat (Peat 3) were compared to peat packed in plastic-covered bales (Peat 2). Lower airway endoscopy and sampling (TW and BALF) for cytological examination were performed after each 35-day bedding period. The tracheal mucus scores (P = 0.014) and respiratory rate (P = 0.026) were higher during the straw pellet period compared to the Peat 2 period. The respiratory rate was lower during the wood pellet period compared to the Peat 2 period (P = 0.004). The TW neutrophil percentage during the straw pellet period was higher compared to the Peat 2 period (P = 0.0003). The BALF neutrophil percentage was higher during the straw pellet period (P = 0.005) and during the Peat 3 period compared to the Peat 2 period (P = 0.04). We conclude that baled peat (Peat 2) caused lower neutrophil percentages in the airway samples compared to straw pellet and loosely stored peat (Peat 3). No difference was observed between Peat 2 and wood pellet. The information gained from this study may assist veterinarians and horse owners in selecting appropriate bedding materials, especially for horses with equine asthma.

Life Cycle Assessment of Wood Pellet Product at Korintiga Hutani company, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

Climate change has forced human being to adapt in fulfilling their energy needs sustainably. In Indonesia, forestry activities has been considered as an emission rather than carbon sink. This study aims to analyze the inputs, outputs, and potential environmental impacts of wood pellet production in a forest company using life cycle assessment (LCA). The wood pellet is made from Eucalyptus pellita plantation. Analysis was made for 1 planting cycle or 6 years, and allometric equations were used to estimate the ability of industrial timber plantation forest to absorb CO2. Production of wood pellet starting from plantation requires inputs as follows: diesel fuel, electricity, NPK and other fertilizers, pesticides, and electrical energy. Those inputs produced emissions, of which the largest was N2O of 551.2927 kg, followed by NH3 of 7.5275 kg generated from NPK fertilizer. Another was PO43- amounted at 0.1792–0.2229 kg from liquid fertilizers and pesticides. Potential acidification came from 13.3675 kg SO2 eq, and eutrophication of 0.4021 kg PO43- eq. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emission was 678.0270 kg CO2 eq from the plantation activities, especially from diesel-based energy consumption, while wood pellet mills only released 0.1053 kg CO2 eq of GHG emissions. Thus, total emissions from 6 years' time of wood pellet production are much lower compared to the average CO2 absorbed by the plantation forest, of which annually is 36.34–67.69 ton ha-1year-1.

Shared Fate and Entrepreneurial Collective Action in the U.S. Wood Pellet Market

Although studies underscore the importance of creating a coherent collective identity in order to legitimate a new market category, strategy and entrepreneurship research is divided on whether and to what degree an entrepreneur will engage in collective action to promote the identity. To reconcile the inconsistency, we introduce the concept of entrepreneurial shared fate—the belief of a focal venture that it and its competitors are bound together by a sense of belongingness and equally experience similar consequences—and explore how external threats can influence the degree of shared fate. We conceptually distinguish between communal and individual threats and propose that communal threats will increase, whereas individual threats will decrease, shared fate. We also explore boundary conditions that strengthen and weaken the main effects of perceived communal and individual threats on collective identity promotion. Empirically, we examine venture identity framing in response to forest-conservation activism in the U.S. wood pellet market. Implications for research on new market categories, collective identity, optimal distinctiveness, and forest management are discussed.

Characteristics of wood pellets from over-dry sawdust waste

Wood pellets are renewable fuels from biomass which can be an alternative substitute for petroleum fuels. One of the raw materials for making wood pellets is sawdust from the sawmill industry or other wood craftsmen. Sawdust waste that dumped for a long time will reduce its moisture content (over-dry) and will be difficult to form into pellets. In this paper, we studied the effect of adding liquid solution ie. water, tapioca starch solution, pure molasses solution and dilute molasses solution on over-dry sawdust to the characteristic properties of wood pellet torrefaction. The sawdust material was collected from the wood sawmill in the Bogor District. There were five treatments i.e sawdust (control), sawdust + 10% water, sawdust + 10% tapioca starch solution, sawdust + 10% pure molasses solution, sawdust + 10% diluted molasses solution. The wood pellet torrefaction properties were investigated using a manual hot press at the temperature of 210°C. The results showed that the addition of pure molasses solution produced better pellets than other treatments, with properties i.e water content of 2.65%, the ash content of 1.45%, volatile matter 76.72%, fixed carbon 19.18%, the calorific value of 19.56 MJkg−1, density 0.84 gcm−3, and compressive strength 52.22 kgcm−2.

USED OF WOOD PELLET FOR FUEL PRODUCTION TOFU IN UKM KAB. KEDIRI

Wood pellet is an alternative fuel made from wood waste, is one of the renewable fuels that is environmentally friendly, has a cylindrical shape and is hard, this is one of the energy conversions where the process of changing the energy form of wood waste which is randomly sized is converted into a cylindrical pellet form. This service is carried out to determine the impact of rising fuel prices on the pattern of fuel use in the tofu production process in Kab. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the efficiency of the system analyzed, namely the efficiency of the combustion system in the production of tofu. What is known is the direct energy input in each soybean cooking process and the pattern of energy use in tofu production. From the analysis that has been done to get wood pellet fuel to get maximum results for soybean cooking in a burning time for 1 hour it takes 1/2 kg of wood pellets, if done one day by burning for 8 hours in the soybean porridge cooking process it takes 4 wood pellets kg.