The possibility to vary the energy matrix, thus reducing the dependency on fossil fuels,
has amplified the acceptance of biomass as an alternative fuel. Despite being a cheap and
renewable option of waste from agriculture and forestry activities, the use of these
materials has barriers due to its low density and low energetic efficiency, which can raise
the costs of its utilization. Biomass densification has drawn attention due to its advantage
in comparison to in natura biomass due to its better physical and combustion
characteristics. Work has been carried out in this areas namely in the densification
(briquettes) forestry wastes, kiwi and vine punning waste and their respectively
elementary characterization. In a subsequent step, this work also presents the study of the
thermal performance and combustion hygiene of the different briquettes produced in a
burning hot water boiler. The thermal efficiency was determined by the direct method and
it was found that the boiler thermal performance was quite similar for the different types
of fuel tested and did not depend on the fuel feeding rate
