The rapid worldwide increase in the consumption of fossil fuels due to the growing world population suggests that the turning point for depletion of the fossil reserves has already been reached. Furthermore, fossil fuel combustion and the related carbon dioxide emissions -widely believed to be associated with global warming - are on the political agenda. However, the economic and social development of each country is highly dependent on secure continuous energy supply. Hence, the development of ' new strategies for thermal power plants to achieve higher performance and efficiency is still an issue not yet settled [6, 7]. On the other hand, the increasing use of renewable energy as a complement to conventional energy sources gains in importance. Biomass provides a clean energy source that could basically improve the economy and the independence from energy imports.
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