Boiler fuel has been one of the most headache-inducing line items for procurement teams at industrial facilities over the past few years. Coal prices swing, supply sometimes falters, and imported coal brings exchange-rate exposure into the mix. Against that backdrop, more and more manufacturers and energy facilities are discussing changing their fuel without changing their boiler: solid biomass fuel. It’s no accident that biomass is gaining ground as industrial boiler fuel; the search for a coal alternative has become a concrete agenda item both for domestic factories and for businesses selling abroad.

What Is Solid Biomass Fuel?

Solid biomass fuel is made from agricultural by-products such as olive pomace, forest-residue wood and hard shell. These materials are processed into pellets or cracked/ground shell. The difference from coal is that its source is plant-based, not fossil — which changes both the carbon balance and the geography of the supply chain. In Türkiye, strong agricultural production lines like olives, pine forestry and hazelnut give this fuel group a domestic, regular source to draw on.

Why It’s on the Industrial Buyer’s Agenda

A procurement professional’s reasons for looking at biomass generally fall into three areas.

The first is being renewable. For businesses reporting their carbon footprint, being asked for a sustainability certificate in export markets, or with a green-transition target, biomass is a much easier fuel line to defend than coal.

The second is cost. Giving an exact percentage wouldn’t be right — coal type, biomass type and the period’s supply-demand balance all affect price — but biomass fuels frequently stand out as a more economical line compared with coal. The size of this difference is settled with a shipment-specific quote.

The third is domestic sourcing. Imported coal carries items like exchange-rate risk, port delays and international supply-chain uncertainty. With domestically produced biomass fuel, most of these risks fall away; supplier and buyer facility are in the same geography, talking in the same currency.

Product Options: Which Fuel for Which Job

Solid biomass fuel isn’t a single product; depending on raw material and form, there are several options with different use profiles.

Olive Pomace

Olive Pomace is a bulk/cracked solid fuel obtained by drying olive-mill residue. Because its supply is wide in regions with heavy olive-oil production, it generally stands out as one of the most economical options for tonnage-based purchases. Its ability to provide steady feed in stoker-type industrial boilers is one reason it’s preferred.

Pine Wood Pellet

Pine Wood Pellet is a pellet type made from forest-product wood raw material with relatively low ash content. Low ash is an advantage that reduces boiler maintenance and cleaning frequency; it’s a preference of businesses that run continuously in shifts and want to keep maintenance stops limited.

Hazelnut Shell

Hazelnut Shell is a high-calorie fuel feedstock thanks to its hard, dense structure. It can be supplied whole, cracked or ground; choosing the right form for your boiler type directly affects combustion efficiency. Being a coarser fuel than pelleted forms, it’s preferred in hand-fed or coarse-feed systems.

A Decision Guide for Buyers

Deciding on the right fuel starts with the boiler itself.

Choose form by boiler type. For boilers with an automatic screw-feed system, pellet form (pine pellet) is the right choice; for stoker-type or coarse-feed systems, bulk/cracked fuels like olive pomace and cracked shell are more practical. Trying to force-feed the wrong form can cause failures in the feed mechanism.

Don’t talk figures without analysis. Calorific value, ash content and moisture content vary with raw material and batch; so these three figures need to come not from a brochure value but from the analysis report issued before each shipment and a sample sent on request. A serious supplier should be able to offer these documents even before you ask.

Continuous supply. Because biomass rests on an agricultural by-product, there’s a supply cycle tied to harvest timing and processing-facility tempo. For a facility running continuous production, setting up a contracted/periodic supply plan — not a one-off purchase — removes the risk of a fuel interruption in production.

Storage. Pellet forms are more sensitive to moisture than coal; without dry, enclosed storage, they can lose their shape and their thermal efficiency can drop. Cracked/ground shell has a similar sensitivity, though with somewhat more tolerance. Your storage capacity also sets shipment frequency. For facilities with small storage, frequent small batches; for facilities with large storage, larger but less frequent shipments generally work better.

Comparison With Coal: A Practical Look, Without Numbers

Exact calorific value and sulphur content vary by raw material and coal type, so giving a single figure would be misleading. But broadly, the following stand out: biomass burns cleaner, with less sulphur and soot; ash amount is low, which eases boiler cleaning; and biomass is renewable while coal is a fossil source. On the cost side, the real comparison emerges when you put your own coal bill side by side with our quote — which is why the first step is always to request a quote.

Domestic and Export Supply

Supply for industrial facilities runs through two channels. For domestic requests, shipment is planned by the truckload; delivery is made directly to the factory site, and the delivery schedule is set for repeat orders. On the export side, container-based loading is used, with delivery terms like EXW/FOB set according to the destination port and arrival conditions. The process runs on the same logic through both channels: need is clarified, a sample is considered for serious-volume requests, then the shipment schedule is set. Not skipping these three steps in wholesale biofuel purchases delivers supply without surprises, on both the domestic and export side.

How the Switch to the Right Fuel Begins

Switching from coal to biomass is a step you can start without changing your boiler — but clarifying the right form and volume up front makes it easier. Tell us your boiler type, current fuel consumption and delivery point; let’s discuss which product suits your facility and, if it looks like a fit, start with a limited trial batch. Whether it’s a one-off trial batch or a regular monthly supply, just let us know your need.