Abstract
Use of spent mushroom substrate (SMC) for energy production appears as a response to the problem with the utilization of this waste throughout the whole year. In the Polish national energy supply system, which is based mainly on hard coal and lignite, use of biomass may contribute to limiting CO2 emissions. The work presents a comparative analysis of the unit emission of CO2, CO, SO2, NOx and particle matter referred to the unit of energy produced from the referenced hard coal, spent mushroom substrate and their mixture prepared for the process of co-combustion. The results from the performed tests proved that the SMC used for the cultivation of mushroom can be called “an ecologic energy carrier” as the CO and CO2 emission indexes are lower than the same indexes for the referenced coal.