ENERGETIC VALORIZATION OF RESIDUAL BIOMASS: RURAL DEVELOPMENT MODEL BASED ON NATIVE FOREST EXPLOITATION

Biomass energy is an interesting viable alternative capable of contributing to replace traditional fossil fuels in the production of thermal energy and electricity. Examples of such uses include the biomass power plants and the increasing conversion of steam and thermal oil boilers to wood pellets. Portugal, as a country with an extensive forest area, has endogenous resources capable of supplying an expected growing demand for biomass energy products. However, this demand for biomass-derived fuels still heavily relies on the use of wood pellets produced mainly with pine tree wood and not on the use of residues forestry operations, which are being normally burned without energy recovery. The use of these residual resources, in addition to contributing significantly to the substitution of fossil fuels, may also enhance the creation of a value chain, which by now has little or no market value, and thus contribute to the sustainable development of rural areas, while promoting practices that preserve the natural forest environment, namely when it is composed by native species. This is the initial step for the development of the research, which will take place over the next two years, and where we intend to build a system that encourages the energy recovery of forest biomass residues through the creation of a value chain which contributes to the establishment of a sustainable rural development model.