Search results for "Bioenergy"

Economic performance of biogas plants using giant reed silage biomass feedstock

2015

Abstract With regard to energy crops for the production of raw materials to biomass for biogas plants, has developed a study to determine the optimal minimum size of a biogas plant powered by giant reed (Arundo donax L.) and utilizing livestock waste. In particular, all costs items relating to biomass supply, plant installation and transport costs were analyzed, by changing progressively two main variables: the electrical power capacity and the feedstock utilized (in the range from 100 to 999 kW) and the feedstock utilized, by substituting livestock waste with giant reed silage so as to determine the more economically advantageous option for the entrepreneur in proportion to power capacity …

Semi-continuous feeding and gasification of alfalfa and wheat straw pellets in a lab-scale fluidized bed reactor

2015

Abstract Small scale air-blown fluidized bed gasification of alfalfa and wheat straw pellets were conducted for semi-continuous solid feeding and range of operating conditions varied due to the modifications in equivalence ratio (ER) (0.20–0.35) achieved both by varying solid and air input. Alfalfa pellets displayed an improvement in several gasification variables such as gas lower heating value (∼4.1 MJ/Nm3), specific gas yield (1.66 Nm3/kg), cold gas efficiency (∼42%) and carbon conversion efficiency (∼72%) as ER maximized to 0.35 which was found optimum for this feedstock for the present course of experiments. Gasification parameters of wheat straw pellets on the other hand were characte…

A model of biomass char gasification describing the change in catalytic activity of ash

2012

A comprehensive description of catalytic effects during char gasification under various conditions relevant to biomass gasification was made. A three-parallel reaction model was proposed to describe the dynamic change in catalytic activity of ash during gasification of biomass char particles. Three different regimes of conversion were identified by analyzing char reactivity experiments conducted in a vertical TGA with nine biomasses under a wide range of operating conditions (temperature: 1023–1123 K, pressure: 0.1–3.0 MPa and gasification mixtures of CO2–CO–H2O–H2): (1) catalytic char gasification with deactivation of catalyst, (2) non-catalytic char gasification, and (3) catalytic char ga…

Effects of traditional forest management on carbon storage in a Mediterranean holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) coppice

2018

Abstract: In the last decade, there has been increased interest in measuring and modeling storage in the five forest carbon pools: the aboveground and belowground biomass (living biomass), the deadwood and litter (dead biomass), and the soil (soil organic matter). In this paper, we examined carbon storage in a holm oak coppice stand in the Madonie Mountains in Sicily (Italy), which is a typical case of managed coppice stands. Today, traditional coppice practices are only applied to a small number of forested areas in Sicily, such as the selected site, because of the decline in demand for wood and charcoal. The dendrometric parameters of the stands were recorded, and silvicultural indices we…

Technical and economical feasibility of biomass use for power generation in Sicily

2012

Biomass can provide a reliable support for production ofbiofuels while contributing to sustainable management of natural resources. Many countries, including Italy, have introduced important incentive schemes to support the use of biomass for electricity, heat and transportation. This has raised considerable interest towards the use of biomass for energy generation purposes. Nonetheless, the design and installation ofbiomass-fuelled power plants present several critical issues, such as choice and availability of biomass, choice of technology, power plant localization and logistics. The case study tackled in this paper evaluates the economies originated by a 1MW el Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC…

Life Cycle Impact Assessment applied to cactus pear crop production for generating bioenergy and biofertiliser

2020

Among the potential uses of cactus pear, the generation of bioenergy (biogas) and biofertiliser (digestate), from the Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of cladodes and fruits, is surveyed in this paper. Data for Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) was drawn from a farm located in Roccapalumba (Palermo, Sicily, Italy), where three cultivars were cultivated: 1) yellow pulp cultivar; 2) red pulp cultivar; 3) white pulp cultivar. LCIA was applied to six scenarios: 1) current dry crop; 2) current irrigated crop; 3) dry crop for fruit and bioenergy production; 4) irrigated crop for fruit and bioenergy production; 5) dry crop for bioenergy production; 6) irrigated crop for bioenergy production. According t…

Landowners’ willingness to promote bioenergy production on wasteland − future impact on land use of cutaway peatlands

2017

Landowners are the key players in bioenergy production on wasteland; such as cutaway peatlands. In this study, the landowner's interest to use cutaway peatlands for bioenergy production was investigated using a survey and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) methods in an area in South Ostrobothnia, Finland. The focus was to identify which different bioenergy production chains are preferred by the respondents: combustion, gasification or biogas production from agriculture, energy-willow short-rotation forestry or forestry based energy crops. Also, the influence of personal environmental values on the selection was measured and the future impacts and barriers for the land use were assessed. …

Planning land use for biogas energy crop production: The potential of cutaway peat production lands

2016

Each year, thousands of hectares of peatland that had been harvested are being released in Finland, which can offer an opportunity to increase energy crops and attain the bioenergy targets for non-agriculture lands. In this study, the Geographic Information System (GIS) method was used to improve the assessment of decentralized renewable energy resources. The amount of peat production lands and future cutaway areas for energy crop production was calculated as a case study by using ArcGIS and the Finnish Topographic database. There are almost 1000 km2 of peat production lands in Finland, and theoretically, approximately 300 km2 of cutaway peatlands could be used for energy crops after 30 yea…

REDUCED UPTAKE OF Cd AND Pb BY Miscanthus sinensis x giganteus CULTIVATED ON POLLUTED SOIL AND ITS USE AS BIOFUEL

2013

Granulation of fly ash and biochar with organic lake sediments – A way to sustainable utilization of waste from bioenergy production

2019

Abstract The main waste generated during the thermochemical processes of biomass burning used for bioenergy production in cogeneration plants are ash and biochar which can be used as fertilizers in forestry and agriculture. However, several difficulties are attributed to possibilities of practical exploitation of ash and biochar due to the transporting, handling and mode of application. Granulation of energy generation waste has been shown in some circumstances as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method. Production of granules (pellets) from wood ash and biochar leads to improved recycling and logistics of waste as well as helps to control and avoid undesirable environmental ef…