Aufbau eines europäischen Handels mit Holz-Brennstoffen

Traditionally, wood fuels are used in the same geographical region in which they are produced. In more recent years, this pattern has changed in northern Europe by large-scale use of biofuels for district heating and a vast supply of recycled wood and forestry residues. The trade situation has therefore come about as a result of means of control of waste and energy. Sea shipments allow for bulk transports of biofuels over long distances at low cost. The aim of this study is to analyse the mechanisms behind the expanding European trade in biofuels and the increasing Swedish import of these materials. A survey was carried out of market actors and use of unpublished survey material from UN/ECE. The most important results are that the bioenergy trade has increased rapidly during the past ten years and that this trade includes many types of wood materials and other substances, not only solid wood waste.