Background Central Slovakia is responsible for a large amount of emissions, mostly the result of the combustion of coal, coke and sludge. There are more than 2 000 sawmills, forestry companies and wood processing firms in the region, producing over 200 000 tonnes/yr of biomass residuals. In north-west Slovakia, there are many sawdust suppliers but few deliver high-quality sawdust. The raw material often contains foreign matter and has a high moisture content. Objectives The main objective of the CHEFUB project was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the creation and introduction of innovative elements in biomass processing and heating production. The ‘CHEFUB’ project aimed to explore new opportunities to obtain high quality sawdust for the production of pellets that meet EU standards. Good quality pellets produce lower CO2 emissions. The beneficiary foresaw that its proposed process would increase the production of pellets from wood waste by some 2 000 tonnes/yr (equating to a cut in CO2 emissions of around 3 500 tonnes/yr). Another project objective was the development and introduction of a creative finance programme for boiler rooms of up to 50 kW, particularly in public buildings, enabling the conversion of the boiler rooms in 20 public bodies from fossil fuel to biomass. The use of high-quality pellets would improve the efficiency and durability of the new boilers, as well as their overall operation. The project also aimed to carry out several activities designed to change Slovak public perception of the use of renewable energy sources. Results The CHEFUB project combined several innovative approaches both in technical measures related to the production and use of wood pellets and in dissemination actions. Technological improvements that were demonstrated by the project included: A new system of evaluating the quality of sawdust as an input raw material; A new technology and a software for the operational control of pellet production; The reconstruction of the monitoring system allowing the remote control of the operated boiler rooms; The reconstruction of 20 boiler rooms so that they now run on biomass pellets; and The improvement of pellet supplies to smaller clients.Dissemination actions included the creation of: an information centre on the premises of BIOMASA; a presentation vehicle for hand-on demonstrations regarding the use of pellets; two short videos; several brochures; and a book: "With pellets against climate change". Using seminars, excursions, conferences, training and professional exhibitions, the beneficiary encouraged the involvement of the younger generation. An annual Summer Biomass Camp was established and proved to be particularly successful. As a result, the beneficiary intends to continue to run the summer camp after-LIFE. All of the project deliverables and the key project indicators were fulfilled or exceeded earlier than expected during the project. The production of pellets has reached the expected level of 12 000 tonnes/yr. The project has contributed to a reduction of CO2 emissions by some 12 248 tonnes/yr, thanks to CO2 savings from pellet production, the reconstruction of the boiler rooms and a reduction in driving by maintenance engineers, who can control the new systems remotely. The project has also reduced water consumption in the project areas by more than 50% in comparison with 2008 levels. Furthermore, emissions, including dust, have been radically reduced in the work place and the working environment significantly improved. The procedures and approaches applied by the beneficiary are now considered to be some of the most advanced in the sector. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan(see "Read more" section).