Bark
Bark is a solid wood biomass generated as a by-product in forestry and the wood industry (logging, sawmills, panel factories, wood-processing plants). It consists of the outer layer of the trunk and thicker bark parts from branches, with higher mineral and ash content compared to clean sawdust or wood chips. In energy applications, bark is used for direct combustion in biomass boilers and furnaces or as a component in blends with other woody biomass. Due to variable particle size, moisture, and possible impurities (sand, soil), it requires robust feeding systems and adapted combustion technology. It is most commonly used in energy systems and industrial plants located close to the source (sawmills, wood-processing facilities, forest regions).
Category
- Biomass
- Solid wood biomass – by-product of forestry and wood industry
- Renewable energy source based on forest resources
Variations
- Raw bark (bulk), with different fractions depending on processing technology
- Chipped bark for easier automatic feeding into boilers
- Bark blends with wood chips, sawdust, or other wood residues to stabilize combustion
- Fractioned bark (specific tree species) for plants with defined fuel quality requirements
Applications In The Industry
Energy systems
In energy systems, bark is used as a fuel in biomass-fired heating plants and boiler houses supplying district heating networks, central boiler rooms of larger buildings, or small biomass power plants. It is typically combusted in grate-fired or moving-grate boilers suitable for fuels with variable quality. Energy plants using bark are often integrated with sawmills or wood industry complexes, where bark is fed directly via conveyors or trucks into silos and storage facilities. Bark can be used alone or mixed with wood chips and sawdust, with automated fuel feeding and combustion control, while the generated heat is supplied to towns, public buildings, or centralized heating systems in smaller municipalities with a strong wood industry base.
Industry
In industrial applications, bark is typically a primary or supplementary fuel in sawmills, panel board plants (MDF, particleboard), pulp and paper mills, and other wood-processing facilities. Industrial bark-fired boiler houses provide process steam and hot water for wood dryers, press lines, thermal treatment, and space heating of production halls and warehouses. As bark is generated on-site as a by-product, many industrial plants design in-house energy systems that maximize the use of bark and other wood residues, reducing the need for external fuels (coal, heavy fuel oil, natural gas). In larger complexes, energy from bark combustion can also be used in cogeneration plants to produce both electricity and heat for internal consumption and potential export of surplus electricity to the grid.
Benefits Of Use
- High utilization of wood-industry by-products as a locally available energy feedstock
- Reduced energy costs in facilities with continuous bark generation, with less dependence on external fuels
- Possibility to replace fossil fuels in energy systems and wood-processing industries, especially in forest-rich regions
- Reduced disposal and landfilling of bark, with lower greenhouse gas emissions compared with reference fossil fuels when appropriate combustion and flue-gas cleaning technologies are applied
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