Development of Bioenergy as One of RES Development Areas in Russia

Abstract

Bioenergy is among the rapidly developing areas in the field of renewable energy sources. Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) has always had extensive practical experience in the development and setting up of industrial technologies and production of the entire range of biofuels, heat and electricity from biomass, primarily from organic waste generated by agro-industrial complexes, forestry and woodworking, and waste from housing and communal services: solid biofuels, including pellets, wood chips, charcoal, and peat briquettes; liquid biofuels, including bioethanol, biobutanol, bioisobutanol, biodiesel, bio-gasoline, bio-kerosene, vegetable oils, tar, and dimethyl ether; and gaseous fuels, including biogas (biomethane), biohydrogen, and synthesis gas (syngas). The potential capacities of Russia in the production of biofuels are estimated at more than 800 million tce. The Soviet Union was the world’s first country, which in the late 1960s mastered large-scale industrial production of biofuels (biobutanol, bioethanol, bioacetone, biohydrogen, and biogas) from biomass (molasses, which is the waste of sugar production from sugar beet).