February 16, 2014 Slovak company "Novovital" started production of fuel pellets and briquettes from wood waste in Nove Zamky, southern Slovakia. The mill has the capacity to produce 200 kg of pellets and 150 kg of briquettes per hour.
The project "Together to the Nature" is being implemented jointly with the Hungarian city of Mosonmagyaróvár. The total budget is approximately € 885,900, the proportion of the city of Nove Zamky is € 437,700. The main source of funding is a subsidy of the European Regional Development Fund at the rate of 85%, the state and the city of Nove Zamky invested 10% and 5% respectively.
The main purpose of the project is to provide heat to economically disadvantaged citizens and reduce the cost of heating for them. For example, wood pellets and briquettes will be free for retired with the pension that is lower than the average retirement pension.
According to the project, as the feedstock for wood pellets and fuel briquettes production are used renewable resources – wood waste collected in forests or obtained by cutting parasitic plants.
For the pellets and briquettes production the city purchased necessary equipment such as crushers, milling machines, briquetting presses, granulation lines etc. First, the collected waste is treated by automatic production lines, then are dried, milled and compressed into briquettes.
It became known for the Ukrainian Biofuel Portal pellets-wood.com that despite the fact that only 6 people are involved in the project it is one of the most successful projects among other similar programs.
The project has a significant role for maintaining green spaces in the city, as well as provide free heating material to economically disadvantaged families.
Author: Ivan Prokhorov
