A perspective for potential and technology of bioenergy in Turkey: Present case and future view Selçuk Bilgen n , Sedat Keleş, İkbal Sarıkaya, Kamil Kaygusuz Department of Chemistry, Karadeniz Technical University, 61080 Trabzon, Turkey article info Article history: Received 16 December 2014 Received in revised form 27 February 2015 Accepted 26 March 2015 Keywords: Bioenergy Woody biomass Sustainability Climate change Turkey abstract Biomass easily can replace fossil fuels in the use of modern biomass energy due to the environmental benefits and the renewable. Biomass energy in Turkey is one of the most important renewable energy sources in terms of energy potential. Traditional biomass (wood and dung) in Turkey has a significant energy production rate. This ratio has been decreased with the decline of forests and the reduction seen in animal husbandry, recently. Traditional biomass is usually used in the form of non-commercial fuel and meets a quarter of the domestic energy production. Traditional biomass energy production has been planned 7530 Btep in 2020. In Turkey, the use of modern biomass energy is important in terms of the country's economy, and the environment pollution. Turkey has the potential to provide an alternative source of energy from the most appropriate and most cost-effective agricultural products according to its ecological conditions. Modern biomass started with 17 Btep in 2000. However, there has not been the foresight to future production. Whereas traditional biomass energy production should increasingly be reduced and modern biomass energy production should be increased. This situation will offer new investment fields to investors. This study shows that biomass energy continues to be the main source of energy for climate change mitigation and energy sustainability in Turkey, particularly in its traditional forms. & 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 228 2. Bioenergy as clean, sustainable and renewable energy source ................................................................ 229 3. Current status of biomass potential in Turkey ............................................................................. 230 4. Woody biomass ..................................................................................................... 233 5. Options of bioenergy technologies and future policies in Turkey .............................................................. 234 6. Conclusion and future direction ........................................................................................ 236 Acknowledgment ....................................................................................................... 237 References ............................................................................................................. 237 1. Introduction Global use of fossil fuels has increased since 1850 for dominate energy supply. In this case, increases in carbon dioxide emissions have been inevitable. The provision of energy services have inc- reased in atmospheric GHG concentrations. Biomass is gaining importance as a potential source of renewable energy due to need of sustainable energy and reduction in greenhouse gases [1]. Today the main source of energy production is fossil fuels, but biomass has an opportunity to substitute the usage of fossil fuels to certain extent [2]. Reduction of carbon emissions [3], increase of energy security [4] and minimize of dependence on finite fossil fuel reserves are the basic goals in usage of renewable energy [5]. Renewable energy sources such as forest biomass have been the focus of attention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Bioenergy contribute towards renewable energy. Therefore it is a useful component for many government and industry strategies [6,7]. Biomass gives a lower emission of SO 2 , NO x and soot compared to conventional fossil fuels because it has a negligible content of sulfur, nitrogen and ash. If CO 2 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.03.096 1364-0321/& 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ90 4623774273. E-mail address: selcuk61bilgen@yahoo.com (S. Bilgen). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 48 (2015) 228–239