Energy crop
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Energy crops are low-cost and low-maintenance
The plants are generally categorized as
Through
Types
Solid biomass
Solid biomass, often
In short rotation coppice (SRC) agriculture, fast growing tree species like willow and poplar are grown and harvested in short cycles of three to five years. These trees grow best in wet soil conditions. An influence on local water conditions can not be excluded. Establishment close to vulnerable wetland should be avoided.[5][6][7]
Gas biomass (methane)
Whole crops such as
Liquid biomass
Biodiesel
European production of biodiesel from energy crops has grown steadily in the last decade, principally focused on rapeseed used for oil and energy. Production of oil/biodiesel from rape covers more than 12,000 km2 in Germany alone, and has doubled in the past 15 years.[10] Typical yield of oil as pure biodiesel is 100,000 L/km2 (68,000 US gal/sq mi; 57,000 imp gal/sq mi) or higher, making biodiesel crops economically attractive, provided sustainable crop rotations are used that are nutrient-balanced and prevent the spread of disease such as clubroot. Biodiesel yield of soybeans is significantly lower than that of rape.[11]
Crop | Oil % |
---|---|
copra | 62 |
castor seed |
50 |
sesame | 50 |
groundnut kernel | 42 |
jatropha | 40 |
rapeseed | 37 |
palm kernel | 36 |
mustard seed | 35 |
sunflower |
32 |
palm fruit | 20 |
soybean | 14 |
cotton seed | 13 |
Bioethanol
Two leading non-food crops for the production of
Energy crop use in various countries
In Sweden, willow and hemp are often used.
In Finland,
Switchgrass (
Energy crop use in thermal power stations
Several methods exist to reduce pollution and reduce or eliminate carbon emissions of
Sustainability aspects
In recent years, biofuels have become more attractive to many countries as possible replacements for
The projected increase in use/need of energy crops prompts the question of whether this resource is sustainable. Increased biofuel production draws on issues relating to changes in land use, impacts on ecosystem (soil and water resources), and adds to competition of land space for use to grow energy crops, food, or feed crops. Plants best suited for future bioenergy feedstocks should be fast growing, high yielding, and require very little energy inputs for growth and harvest etc.[18] The use of energy crops for energy production can be beneficial because of its carbon neutrality. It represents a cheaper alternative to fossil fuels while being extremely diverse in the species of plants that can be used for energy production. But issues regarding cost (more expensive than other renewable energy sources), efficiency and space required to maintain production need to be considered and improved upon to allow for the use of biofuels to be commonly adopted.[17]
Carbon neutrality
During plant growth, CO2 is absorbed by the plants.
Soil organic carbon has been observed to be greater below switchgrass crops than under cultivated cropland, especially at depths below 30 cm (12 in).[21]
The amount of carbon sequestrated and the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted will determine if the total GHG life cycle cost of a bioenergy project is positive, neutral, or negative. Specifically, a GHG/carbon-negative life cycle is possible if the total below-ground carbon accumulation more than compensates for the above-ground total life-cycle GHG emissions.
For example, for
For the UK, successful sequestration is expected for arable land over most of England and Wales, with unsuccessful sequestration expected in parts of Scotland, due to already carbon-rich soils (existing woodland). Also, for Scotland, the relatively lower yields in this colder climate make CO2 negativity harder to achieve. Soils already rich in carbon includes
See also
- Algal fuel
- Anaerobic digestion
- Cellulosic ethanol
- Coal pollution mitigation
- Eichhornia crassipes#Bioenergy
- European Biomass Association
- Myriophyllum
- Short rotation coppice
- Short rotation forestry
- Sustainable energy
- Table of biofuel crop yields
- Vegoil
References
- .
- PMID 26855689.
- ^ ISBN 9781441901934. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- PMID 28469705.
- .
- S2CID 154461322.
- S2CID 132087972.
- ^ "Environmental Use of BioMass". Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- PMID 27752417.
- ^ Umer. "Bio Mass Energy".
- ISBN 978-1-4419-0193-4.
- ^ Handbook for energy producers
- ^ Biotechnology Industry Organization (2007). Industrial Biotechnology Is Revolutionizing the Production of Ethanol Transportation Fuel Archived 2006-02-12 at the Wayback Machine pp. 3-4.
- .
- ISBN 978-1-4020-8653-3.
- ^ Torrefaction of biomass sometimes needed when using biomass in converted FFPS
- ^ a b Renewable Resources Co (9 December 2016). "The Advantages and Disadvantages of Biomass Energy". Renewable Resources Coalition. RenewableResourcesCoalition.org.
- ^ S2CID 17208119.
- ^ "Biomass explained". U.S. Energy Information Administration Federal Statistical System of the United States. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "Short rotation forestry". Forest Research. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ Soil Carbon under Switchgrass Stands and Cultivated Cropland (Interpretive Summary and Technical Abstract). USDA Agricultural Research Service, April 1, 2005
- PMID 29497458.
- PMID 27547244.
External links
- GA Mansoori, N Enayati, LB Agyarko (2016), Energy: Sources, Utilization, Legislation, Sustainability, Illinois as Model State, World Sci. Pub. Co., ISBN 978-981-4704-00-7
- Energy Crops for Fuel
- Energy crops at Biomass Energy Centre
- Center for Sustainable Energy Farming