Production of Refuse-Derived Fuel Pellets from Wood and Agricultural Waste: Technological Solutions and Economic Efficiency
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25729/esr.2025.04.0007Keywords:
Bioenergy, composite fuel, economic efficiency, energy potential, mechanical durability, RDF pellets, torrefaction, wood and agricultural wasteAbstract
The study assesses the potential of Russia's wood and agricultural waste for bioenergy. A technology for producing composite refuse-derived fuel (RDF) pellets from this feedstock is proposed, along with an economic evaluation. Optimal blend ratios are identified to ensure the pellets comply with the state standard (GOST) 33103.2-2017 and exhibit high mechanical durability (≥ 93%). Economically viable production is achievable when lignin is sourced as a zero-cost by-product and raw material prices remain below specific thresholds. Pellets with higher lignin content demonstrate the best economic performance. The results highlight that feedstock composition and preparation are critical factors influencing pellet quality, energy value, and cost-effectiveness, which are essential for advancing sustainable bioenergy in Russia
References
S. B. Issa-zadeh, A. Jahanbakhsh Mashhadi, M. C. Garcia Gonzalez, “The contribution of biomass energy on urban sustainable development: Opportunities and challenges,” Environmental Research and Technology, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 770–783, 2025. DOI: 10.35208/ert.1563758.
V. M. Markova, V. N. Churashev, “Energy decentralization: Integration and innovation,” ECO, vol. 4, pp. 8–27, 2020. DOI: 10.30680/ЕСО0131-7652-2020-4-8-27. (In Russian)
N. F. Islam, B. Gogoi, R. Saikia, B. Yousaf, M. Narayan, H. Sarma, “Encouraging circular economy and sustainable environmental practices by addressing waste management and biomass energy production,” Regional Sustainability, vol. 5, no. 4, Art. no. 100174, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100174.
A. Thakur, A. Kumar, A. Somya, “Forestry and agricultural residues-based wastes: Fundamentals, classification, properties, and applications,” in Biomass Wastes for Sustainable Industrial Applications. CRC Press, 2024, pp. 95–139.
H. Mortadha, H. B. Kerrouchi, A. Al-Othman, M. Tawalbeh, “A comprehensive review of biomass pellets and their role in sustainable energy: Production, properties, environment, economics, and logistics,” Waste and Biomass Valorization, vol. 16, no. 9, pp. 4507–4539, 2025. DOI: 10.1007/s12649-024-02873-x.
D. S. Bajwa, T. Peterson, N. Sharma, J. Shojaeiarani, S. G. Bajwa, “A review of densified solid biomass for energy production,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 96, pp. 296–305, 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2018.07.040.
J. W. Butler, W. Skrivan, S. Lotfi, “Identification of optimal binders for torrefied biomass pellets,” Energies, vol. 16, no. 8, Art. no. 3390, 2023. DOI: 10.3390/en16083390.
T. Olugbade, O. Ojo, T. Mohammed, “Influence of binders on combustion properties of biomass briquettes: A recent review,” BioEnergy Research, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 241–259, 2019. DOI: 10.1007/s12155-019-09973-w.
K. Y. Vershinina, V. V. Dorokhov, G. S. Nyashina, D. S. Romanov, “Influence of binders on the properties of pellets based on wood waste,” Coke and Chemistry, vol. 67, no. 2, pp. 104–111, 2024. DOI: 10.3103/S1068364X24701291.
N. P. K. Nielsen, D. Gardner, T. Poulsen, C. Felby, “Importance of temperature, moisture content, and species for the conversion process of wood residues into fuel pellets,” Wood and Fiber Science, vol. 41, pp. 414–425, 2009.
L. Liu, M.Z. Memon, Y. Xie, S. Gao, Y. Guo, J. Dong, Y. Gao, A. Li, G. Ji, “Recent advances of research in coal and biomass co-firing for electricity and heat generation,” Circular Economy, vol. 2(4), Art. no. 100063, 2023. DOI: 10.1016/j.cec.2023.100063.
N. Y. Abd Halim, N. I. S. Muhammad, F. Z. Mansur, N. Ahmad, “Sustainable fuel from agricultural waste: Mixture design optimization of refuse-derived fuel for enhanced energy output,” Next Sustainability, vol. 6, Art. no. 100196, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100196.
D. A. Agar, M. Rudolfsson, S. Lavergne, T. Melkior, D. Da Silva Perez, C. Dupont, M. Campargue, G. Kalén, S. H. Larsson, “Pelleting torrefied biomass at pilot-scale – Quality and implications for co-firing”, Renewable Energy, vol. 178, pp. 766–774, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2021.06.094.
“Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing. Information on the generation, processing, recycling, disposal, and disposal of production and consumption waste according to Form 2-TP (waste) for 2022, classified by waste type (Federal Classification Catalog of Waste).” [Online]. Available: https://rpn.gov.ru/upload/iblock/eab/scszkj8sefdf9vrk0l6wj98ueax3kf1b/2TP-_otkhody_-_-Razdel-1-_-Po-vidam-otkhodov-FKKO.xlsx. Accessed on: Nov. 01, 2025. (In Russian)
“UIISS. Volume of harvested timber.” [Online]. Available: https://fedstat.ru/indicator/37848. Accessed on: Nov. 04, 2025. (In Russian)
“Federal State Statistics Service. On industrial production in 2022.” [Online]. Available: https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/prom-december_2022.xlsx. Accessed on: Nov. 06, 2025. (In Russian)
“Federal State Statistics Service. Agriculture in Russia. 2023. Supplement to the collection (information by constituent entity of the Russian Federation).” [Online]. Available: https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/Pril_sb_S-x_2023.xlsx. Accessed on: Nov. 03, 2025. (In Russian)
“Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing. Information on the formation, processing, recycling, disposal, and placement of production and consumption waste in form 2-TP (waste) for 2022, systematized for federal districts and constituent entities of the Russian Federation.” [Online]. Available: https://rpn.gov.ru/open-service/analytic-data/statistic-reports/production-consumption-waste/. Accessed on: Nov. 07, 2025. (In Russian)
E. Gubiy, A. Kozlov, M. Penzik, “Recycling production and consumption waste for bioenergy purposes: Status and prospects,” Ecology and Industry of Russia, vol. 28, no. 10, pp. 30–36, 2024. DOI: 10.18412/1816-0395-2024-10-30-36. (In Russian)
J. S. Tumuluru, C. Igathinathane, D. Archer, R. McCulloch, “Energy-based break-even transportation distance of biomass feedstocks,” Frontiers in Energy Research, vol. 12, Art. no. 1347581, 2024. DOI: 10.3389/fenrg.2024.1347581.
T. T. Matheus, A. C. Farrapo, R. M. Lagunes, R. Filleti, D. P. Garcia, D. A. Lopes Silva, “The effect of transportation choices for mitigating climate-related impacts: The case of solid biofuels exported to Europe produced by Latin American countries,” Sustainable Production and Consumption, vol. 45, pp. 551–566, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2024.01.022.
Y. Deng, X. Ran, H. Elshareef, R. Dong, Y. Zhou, "Emergy, Environmental and Economic (3E) Assessment of Biomass Pellets from Agricultural Waste," Agriculture, vol. 15, no. 6, 2025.
M. P. Loginov, D. G. Sandler, Investment analysis in project management. Ekaterinburg, Russia: UFU Publ., 112 p., 2024 (In Russian)
J. Friedmann, Z. Fan, Z. Byrum, E. Ochu, A. Bhardwaj, H. Sheerazi, “Levelized cost of carbon abatement: An improved cost-assessment methodology for a net-zero emissions world,” Columbia University SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy, 2020. [Online] Available: https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/LCCA_CGEP-Report_111522.pdf. Accessed on: Nov. 21, 2025.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Energy Systems Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
