Abstract
In human history forests always satisfied different needs of people like: food, energy, medicine plants, wood materials, fodder. From 20th century wood energy gradually was substituted by fossil fuel. But wood still remained irreplaceable resource for construction, furniture, paper industry. At the same time many new wood products have been developed from wood and agriculture residues, so called engineered wood, like: plywood, chipboards, fiberboards, MDF, etc. Bio-economy today uses biomass for manufacturing bio-based chemicals, plastics, pharmaceutical products as well as, residues for generating bio-energy. Nowadays, when the fossil fuel age declines due to its exhaustible character biomass regains a new importance. Biomass currently is the dominating renewable energy source for multiple use. Gradual substitution of fossil fuel by renewable energies instigates rapid growth of all renewable energy carriers like wind, solar, hydro, geo-thermal and bio-energy. It is the best strategy against climate change too.
Highlights
Climate change is considered the most significant challenge of the world today
Until the end of the 20th century wood was considered as major energy source in the world, but it was substituted by mineral oil and coal as having more energy potential and wood was mainly used in paper and furniture production, though in most developing countries of Africa and Asia it remains as major energy even today
Any kind of wood that is not considered for further use is residue or wood waste
Summary
Climate change is considered the most significant challenge of the world today. One of the means for mitigation of climate change consequences can be replacement of fossil fuels by renewable sources of energy and improvement of energy efficiency [1]. Some of the potential sources include: forests, wood biomass and residues, crops for bio-fuel, energy grass, short rotation forests and municipal solid waste. Secondary residues accrue in the wood processing industry, such as sawdust, woodchips, black liquor These by-products of the processing industry are already utilized in a variety spheres as fiberboards and panels [5,6,7]. Wood for energy comprises different categories such as: wood fuel, charcoal, woodchips, pellets, bark, saw-dust, recycled wood, black liquor and other residues of forest harvest and wood industry. Some of these materials go directly from the forests to the energy consumers like fire wood, tops, branches and small size wood. It must be underlined that in countries without bio-energy policy, a big share of these by-products is not used but dumped in landfills and rotten
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