Obtaining Forest Biomass for Energy Purposes as an Enterprise Development Factor in Rural Areas

Abstract

This article presents how selected factors related to forest biomass affect enterprise development in rural areas. The study used a multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA), as well as the AHP operational research method. The following factors were selected for analysis: conifer timber harvesting, sales of renewable fuel in the form of briquettes to selected customers, and the number of the given company’s regular customers. Their selection was determined by the fact that using plant material for energy purposes has become significantly more popular in recent years. This particularly includes forest biomass, which is increasingly used as an energy commodity in the Polish heating industry. Forest biomass is a biodegradable raw material generated in the form of waste during wood production and processing, as well as during sanitation cutting. The study was conducted using a diagnostic survey method with a survey questionnaire in the first quarter of 2020. It included 614 owners of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in various rural areas across all of Poland’s voivodeships. The study was conducted using the CATI method. Analyses defining the dependence of specific factors on the examined parameters and supporting the priority nature of the given actions may show the development of particular pro-ecological actions in a given area. In one case, the critical level of significance determining the assignment of the analyzed factor to a specific homogeneous group was below 0.05. This means that there was a correlation between the sales of renewable fuel in the form of briquettes to selected customers and the number of enterprises in the voivodeship. Therefore, due to the sales of renewable fuel in the form of briquettes to selected customers, the greatest development prospects for wood industry companies existed in the Małopolskie, Mazowieckie, Śląskie and Wielkopolskie Voivodeships.

Forest Dendromass as Energy Feedstock: Diversity of Properties and Composition Depending on Systematic Genus and Organ

“…However, to use biomass as an energy feedstock, it is necessary to know its energy equivalent [10], which ranges from 17 to 21 MJ kg −1 (higher heating value-HHV) for dry wood, which makes wood a competitor for fossil fuels [11]. It is all the more so that trees achieve high thickness and give a high biomass yield after some time [12], and their material base in some regions or sub-regions is large, providing the main potential for biofuel production increase [13,14]. Dendromass provides more energy than herbaceous plants [15], and it is not becoming less important as an energy feedstock despite the technology development [16].…”

Bioenergia Dos Recursos Florestais: Uma Revisão Sob as Perspectivas Da Economia Regional

“…Ao mesmo tempo, cresce também a conscientização em relação a necessidade de um nível de proteção ambiental mais significativo. Diante das alterações climáticas que o mundo vivencia, vem impulsionando a utilização de fontes renováveis de energia, garantindo além das melhorias ambientais, uma maior segurança energética (ROMAN et al, 2021). A biomassa é um recurso renovável e tem atraído muito atenção ultimamente pelo seu uso para produção de biocombustíveis e bioenergia, como uma alternativa a combustíveis fósseis.…”