Recently, biomass application as a renewable energy source is increasing worldwide. However, its availability differs in dependence on the location and climate, therefore, agricultural residues as cow dung (CD) are being considered to supply heat and/or power installation. This paper aims at a wide evaluation of CD fuel properties and its prospect to apply in the form of pellets to direct combustion installations. Therefore, the proximate, ultimate composition and calorific value were analyzed, then pelletization and combustion tests were performed, and the ash characteristics were tested. It was found that CD is a promising source of bioenergy in terms of LHV (16.34 MJ·kg⁻¹), carbon (44.24%), and fixed carbon (18.33%) content. During pelletization, CD showed high compaction properties and at a moisture content of 18%,and the received pellets’ bulk density reached ca. 470 kg·m⁻³ with kinetic durability of 98.7%. While combustion, in a fixed grate 25 kW boiler, high emissions of CO, SO₂, NO, and HCl were observed. The future energy sector might be based on biomass and this work shows a novel approach of CD pellets as a potential source of renewable energy available wherever cattle production is located.

Cow dung biomass was taken from December 2017 to April 2018. After drying and crushing, analytical moisture was determined, followed by the content of ash, total carbon, total sulfur, heat of combustion, and calorific value. Research has shown that the moisture of the biomass burned has a significant impact on both the ash content and its calorific value.

Cow dung biomass was collected from January 2019 to June 2019. The tests were carried out on the samples of ground biofuel with a fraction below 0.42 mm, subjected to incineration. The chemical composition of ashes and characteristic fusion temperatures were determined. Cow dung biomass ashes were found to contain chlorine, which can contribute to corrosive processes in boilers.