Benefits of economic entities through the co-combustion of various clones from the Salix sp. Genus and a mixture of different lignite samples

Abstract

Power generation depends to a great extent on the use of fossil fuels (lignite) in the Republic of Serbia. During the previous years, inadequate decisions on the development of energy and the operation of coal mines and thermal power plants led to a significant reduction in the power generation in coal-fired thermal power plants, and thus to the need to import part of the electricity. On its green road “Go Green Road” that leads to decarburization, the Republic of Serbia intends to significantly increase the use of renewable energy resources, which would compensate for the shortfall in the base portion of the daily load diagram, which threatens to be the greatest possible in the future. Due to economic reasons, the introduction of innovations is only acceptable to energy producers if it does not deviate significantly from mainstream technology, that is, if it is not necessary to invest too much in the reconstruction of already existing energy production facilities. The objective of this paper is to present the biomass energy potential of various willow clones that would be combusted, according to different percentage ratios, in a mixture of different coal samples taken from the Mining Basin Kolubara in the Public Enterprise “Electric Power Industry of Serbia”. White willow clone NS 73/6 (Salix alba) had the highest energy potential compared with other tested willow clones. From an economical point of view, it is more reasonable to select 5 % of the Salix alba NS 73/6 clone biomass, in the co-combustion process with lignite. The paper is based on the principles of the circular economy, which would connect science and the economy by implementing scientific and research findings into the economy, all aimed at protecting and preserving the environment. By applying “green” technologies to the economy, the issue of protecting the environment can be solved through simultaneous revenue generation for economic entities