Magnus Ståhl, Karlstad University

Magnus Ståhl is an associate professor of environmental and energy systems at Karlstad University, Sweden. He serves as Head of Education for the Bachelor of Science in Energy and Environmental Engineering and as Recruitment and Retention Coordinator for the university’s engineering and science programmes.

His research centres on wood‑fuel pelletization, combining pilot‑scale experimentation at Karlstad University with large‑scale industrial trials. His work focuses on improving the energy efficiency, environmental performance, and quality of wood‑fuel pellets, including studies on additives and process optimisation. He has published widely on pellet quality, sustainability aspects, and production efficiency. He has contributed as a pellet expert in national reference groups, chaired sessions at international conferences, led several pellet‑related research projects, organised a workshop on pellet research in Graz (2026), and delivered a keynote lecture at Biofuels in Valencia (2025). Ståhl is a member of the Working Group on Advanced Biomass Cooking, organised by the World Bioenergy Association (WBA), a global organisation representing and supporting the diverse actors engaged in the bioenergy sector.

What would you like to contribute to the conference? 

I aim to broaden the discussion on pellet utilisation beyond domestic heating and large‑scale heat and power production. In particular, I wish to highlight the potential of pellets as a safe, clean, and scalable cooking fuel in developing regions. Although challenges remain—such as raw‑material supply, logistics, and up‑scaling—the opportunities are substantial. If more than 200 million people in Sub‑Saharan Africa were to replace charcoal with pellets, the demand would be immense, and the health and environmental benefits profound. In short, pellets save lives.