RESEARCH ON THE POTENTIAL OF STRAW - RAW MATERIALS FOR SOLID BIOFUELS

Abstract

The article examines the amount of wheat straw produced in Lithuania and the potential of its use for solid biofuel. Heating value and ash content studies of 'Skagen' wheat straw were carried out. After analyzing the statistical data of the winter wheat harvest, it was calculated that in recent years, an average of 4518±524 thousand tons of winter wheat straw are produced in Lithuania every year. Part of the straw can be used in the energy industry, as it is characterized by a sufficiently high calorific value: it was found that the higher heating value of winter wheat straw is equal to 20,41±0,23 MJ∙kg^-1, the lower heating value is 20,31±0,25 MJ∙ kg^-1. Burning 13,5% of the winter wheat straw harvest (643 thousand tons) would release the same amount of heat as burning about 643 thousand tons of pine wood, about 652 thousand tons of spruce wood or about 715 thousand tons of birch wood. However, the amount of ash generated would increase to 9,8 thousand tons, instead of 1,41 thousand tons of pine wood ash, 2,54 thousand tons of spruce wood ash or 2,86 thousand tons of birch wood ash.