It is pressed under high pressure and as a result, little cylindrical granules are obtained. The power released from the burning of these granules is almost 2,5 times more than the power released from the burning of ordinary firewood.
The price of the pellets is higher than the ordinary firewood price, but if 1 kg firewood releases 2400 large calories, then one kg pressed wood releases 5100 large calories.
During the wood burning process around 60% of the wood is used and the rest is lost. Almost 100% of the pressed material burns out, and the produced ash is hardly 0,5 % of the total mass and the carbon dioxide (CO2) is neutral. Exactly this feature makes the pellets an environmentally friendly product.
The additional difference between the heating with wood and pressed wood is in the way the fuel is fed. No matter how well the wood is arranged, somebody should get up and take armful of them, to put them into the stove, to watch when they will burn away and then to clean the ash. The pellets are fed automatically by a special system and burnt out only when it is necessary. If the thermostat is turned to 22 degrees, the burning will be automatically interrupted when that temperature is exceeded.
The price of a device which provides the heating of an area of around 100 m2 comes up to around BGN 3-4 thousand. The heating of an apartment with an area of 70-80 m2 per year is no more than BGN 600 at twenty-four-hours operation, with average temperature of 22 degrees and provision of hot water as well.
The plant, constructed near Plovdiv, provides capacity of 4 tons per hour processed raw material and it is among the first plants in Bulgaria designated for this type of activity.
The wood pellets are alternative source of heat and energy which can heat individual houses and big buildings, hotels and enterprises as well. This source is two times cheaper compared to the price of the central heating.
In countries such as Italy, France, Germany, the pellets can be found in supermarkets. Presently, the demand of this product is exceeding the supply two times. Pioneers in that business are Austria and Sweden. Canada and USA are also big producers.
In Bulgaria “Ahira” AD commenced this activity with funds granted under the Program for Energy Efficiency of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well with a loan, granted by our banks and the initial deposit amounts to 2 million euros. Since Bulgaria is among the countries which are parties to the Kyoto Protocol, under which our country has undertaken the obligation to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere up to 2012, namely this production is a guarantee that such requirements can be met.
The producer of this biomass energy in Bulgaria is a joint-stock company, comprised of 24 participating companies.
One Italian partner has experience in the production and distribution of this product. Most of the participants are owners of woodworking plants and forest massifs in the Rhodope Mountains. They have undertaken the obligation to remove dead trees from the forests, to remove fallen boughs, as well as to deliver the wood waste from their activity. According to the last studies, the reason for sudden fires is namely the blocking with dead wood mass within the forests, which leads to spontaneous firing. The burnt trees, however, cannot be used for production of pressed pellets.
The international market keeps price which is always 30% lower than the prices of gas and other alternative energy sources. In Germany, Austria and Italy, many heating plants started operating exclusively with wood pellets.