Environmental Technologies and Eco-innovation in the Czech ...

2.2.3 | Biomass combustion
The combustion of wood and vegetable materials, mainly sawdust, wood chips,
cellulose extracts and waste timber, both separately and together with fossil fuels for
producing electricity and heat, is understood as the energetic use of biomass. Biomass
is a renewable source that will significantly contribute to fulfilling the objective of
achieving an 8% share of electricity generation from renewable sources in the gross
final consumption in the Czech Republic by 2010. Large energetic and ecologic
expectations are connected with biomass.
Of all renewable sources, it has the greatest potential for technical use over the
short horizon in the Czech Republic.
Co-combustion of biomass and coal in large power plants with a share of biomass up
to 30% has proven useful on a large scale. Coal heat and power plants count on the use
of biomass with a co-combustion share up to 50% after technical adjustments.
Medium and large combustion sources significantly share in the combustion of
biomass; 186 combustion sources were registered as of June 2008. Nevertheless,
some technologies being used are unique. An example is the thermal oil boiler for
wood chips with an ORC 4 module being used by Žatecká Teplárenská a.s. The boiler
uses organic hydrocarbons instead of classical water steam for driving its turbine.
Oil heated to nearly 300 °C is the source of hydrocarbons. The technology shows
minimal emissions of contaminants into the atmosphere compared to combustion
equipment of the same output.
If biomass is burnt correctly, it is the most ecologically friendly fuel. NO x created in
the presence of atmospheric air combustion is the only atmospheric contaminant.
4 ORC – The Organic Rankine Cycle; an electrical condensation cycle using a mixture of organic compounds (silicon oil), whose
thermodynamic characteristics are suitable for use in the thermal cycle. This is instead of steam as the primary substance