scholarly journals Afforestation of cutaway peatlands: effect of wood ash on biomass formation and carbon balance

2017 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-36
Author(s):  
Katri Ots ◽  
Mall Orru ◽  
Mari Tilk ◽  
Leno Kuura ◽  
Karin Aguraijuja

Abstract Alternatives to the restoration of cutaway peatlands include afforestation, energy forests, agricultural production, wetland restoration (restoration of peataccumulating function), reed canary grass (energy mower) or wild berries (blueberry, cranberry) cultivation, protected area for birds, and artificial lakes. Investigations made in several countries suggest that one of the most promising ways of regenerating cutaway peatlands is afforestation. The re-vegetation of Estonian cutaway peat production fields is mainly the result of natural processes, which are generally very slow: vegetation covers only 10–20% of a peat field. Carbon dioxide is not bound anymore in cutaway peatlands where vegetation layer has been destroyed and therefore photosynthetical processes no more occur. Using biofuel ashes (wood ash, etc.) for the afforestation of cutaway peatlands helps to balance the content of nutrients in peat substrate, which improves the survival of planted seedlings and significantly increases bioproduction. Drained and mined peatlands have become a significant source of CO2 but stimulated woody biomass production can be helpful to balance CO2 emission from cutaway peatlands. Because of the limited resources of fossil fuels and negative impacts on the environment in recent decades alternative sources of energy have been actively looked for. In Scandinavia a lot of attention has been paid to finding possibilities for using biofuels. The situation in Estonia is that only very few types of ashes (for example certified oil shale fly ash with product name Enefix) have been founded to be suitable for utilization and have been used for recycling in agriculture.

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 697-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kacprzak ◽  
Mariusz Matyka ◽  
Liliana Krzystek ◽  
Stanisław Ledakowicz

The world in 21st century is facing the problem of growing energy consumption while the supply of fossil fuels is being reduced. This resulted in the development of research into the use of renewable energy sources and development of new technologies for energy production. In Polish conditions the development of agricultural biogas plants finds its legitimacy in the document developed by the Ministry titled "Trends in agricultural biogas plants in Poland in 2010-2020”. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the weather conditions and the degree of nitrogen fertilisation on yield of reed canary grass (Phalaris Arundinacea L.) and to determine their susceptibility to anaerobic digestion, and usefulness of the production of biogas. Carried out experiments showed that increasing nitrogen fertilisation (from 40 to 120 kg N/ha) linearly increased canary grass green biomass yield from 32 to 46.3 t/ha. However, the highest biogas yield 126 m3/ha was obtained when 80 kg N/ha was applied.


2012 ◽  
Vol 51 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 28-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Hutla ◽  
P. Jevič ◽  
J. Mazancová ◽  
D. Plíštil

The energy herb and waste agricultural biomass create important potential of fossil fuels replacement for heating. At present is being used straw, other energy crops are energy sorrel, reed canary grass, knotweed and miscanthus. At biomass combustion are monitored CO and NO<sub>x</sub> emissions. For five types of fuels were measured the emission parameters during their combustion in boiler for straw of output 1 MW. The CO emissions are very different for individual fuels. The highest values were achieved for energy sorrel combustion.


Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Hobbs

It would be difficult to imagine how modern life across the globe would operate in the absence of synthetic polymers. Although these materials (mostly in the form of plastics) have revolutionized our daily lives, there are consequences to their use, one of these being their high levels of flammability. For this reason, research into the development of flame retardant (FR) additives for these materials is of tremendous importance. However, many of the FRs prepared are problematic due to their negative impacts on human health and the environment. Furthermore, their preparations are neither green nor sustainable since they require typical organic synthetic processes that rely on fossil fuels. Because of this, the need to develop more sustainable and non-toxic options is vital. Many research groups have turned their attention to preparing new bio-based FR additives for synthetic polymers. This review explores some of the recent examples made in this field.


Author(s):  
Jiří Souček ◽  
Algirdas Jasinskas ◽  
Fanni Sillinger ◽  
Kornél Szalay

Authors of the article are evaluating characteristics of half‑operational experimental agro‑pellets production. The problems of production and use of agro‑pellets is the current issue. It’s a way to apply part of the agricultural production in the market. It is also an opportunity to replace part of the fossil fuels and increase the share of renewables. But the use of phytomass is bringing many problems. First, it is important that the manufactured products will be succeeded on the raw materials market. Agro‑pellets therefore must have characteristics that support their competitiveness and allow their classification. The advantage comes if the agro‑pellets properties are comparable with traditional fuels and their combustion is possible in standard boilers. This objective can be achieved in several ways. The production of mixed fuels is one from the possible ways. Phytomass is pressed into pellet form in a mixture with other raw materials, usually based on powder coal or wood. The advantage of mixed fuels production is the ability to influence the final properties according to market demands and requirements of legislation. The research activity results, which are given in the text, were aimed at the possibility of Reed Canary Grass applying as part of a mixed fuel in various concentrations. The pellets are based on Reed Canary Grass and wooden biomass in the form of saw‑dust. Addition of sawdust has negative influence on the presser productivity, but has a positive impact on mechanical and burning qualities of final products. Mechanical durability values of pellets were increased by 4.8 and 3.0% with the sawdust addition. The specific weight of pellets was increased even by 31.9%. Hand in hand with the raising amount of sawdust in pellets, the decline of CO emissions in exhaust gas was proven.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sarmite Rancane ◽  

To develop the scientific work, field trials were performed at the Research Institute of Agronomy of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, in Skriveri in the time period from 2012 to 2016. Hypothesis of the thesis By using by-products of bioenergy production in fertilisation - fermentation residues or digestate and wood ash, it is possible to partially cover the requirements of energy grasses for nutrients, as well as to ensure their reuse. The aim of the thesis To find out the possibilities of growing reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) 'Bamse' and festulolium (× Festulolium pabulare) 'Felina' for energy production by using bioenergy production by-products in fertilisation – fermentation residues or digestate and wood ash, as well as to study possibilities of plant nutrient reuse in the system: soil – plants – digestate / ash – soil – plants. Research tasks 1. To evaluate digestate and wood ash as energy grasses fertilisers. 2. To find out the optimal norm and the regime of use of digestate in reed canary grass fertilisation. 3. To study the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium circulation cycle in the system: soil – plants – digestate / ash – soil – plants. 4. To perform economic evaluation of reed canary grass and festulolium fertilisation. The structure of the research paper Chapter 1 - The literature review includes five subchapters. The chapter provides a brief overview of bioenergy production technologies, examines perennial grasses in the context of bioenergy production, evaluates agrotechnical measures to ensure adequate grass biomass yield and quality for biogas and fuel feedstock production, examines plant nutrient circulation in bioenergy crop production systems, and provides agronomic assessment of by-product – digestate and ash fertiliser for use in energy grass plantations. Chapter 2 - Materials and Methods includes two subchapters. The chapter describes the methodology of test establishment, the studied material, the observations and analyzes performed, describes the meteorological conditions and describes the statistical analysis of data. Chapter 3 - The results and discussion include six subsections. The chapter analyzes the obtained results on reed canary grass and festulolium yield and changes in yield structure and quality due to the use of different fertilisers, norms and regimes, performing grassland dry matter yield inventory by mowing once and twice a year. The remove of plant nutrients from soil with dry matter yield, as well as changes in soil agrochemical parameters due to fertilisation were evaluated. An economic evaluation of reed canary grass and festulolium fertilisation has been performed. The conclusions include answers to the research tasks. The paper contains 34 tables, 41 figures, 53 annexes and 353 scientific source references.


Tellus B ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Shurpali ◽  
N. P. Hyvönen ◽  
J. T. Huttunen ◽  
C. Biasi ◽  
H. Nykänen ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8235
Author(s):  
Alfredo J. Escribano ◽  
Maria Belen Peña ◽  
Carlos Díaz-Caro ◽  
Ahmed Elghannam ◽  
Eva Crespo-Cebada ◽  
...  

Meat production and consumption have been claimed to have negative impacts on the environment, and even on the consumer’s health. In this sense, alternative sources of protein, mainly meat substitutes and cultured meat, have emerged due to those perceived negative effects. Our paper carries out a choice experiment to analyze the preferences of 444 Spanish consumers and their willingness to pay for plant-based and cultured meats, as compared to conventional meat. Spain was considered of interest for this study due to its significant gastronomic culture, with high-quality meat products that make a great contribution to the economy, meaning that this could be a suitable and also challenging market in which to test alternative sources of protein. The findings show that consumers’ motivations and their interactions with these products are complex. Additionally, a cluster analysis allowed us to identify three types of consumers in terms of preference for these products: price-sensitive millennials, conscious/concerned consumers, and indifferent consumers. Only one group showed some level of acceptance of these alternative products meats.


Proceedings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Noé Anes García ◽  
Antonio Luis Marqués Sierra

In recent years, developments made to reduce the consequences generated using petroleum products have been strengthening; therefore, biofuels have become a requirement in different countries worldwide with the objective of reducing not only the high levels of current pollution, but also mitigating the effects generated by global warming. Despite the advances that have been made in the field of research on Jatropha, it is still necessary to carry out more detailed studies aimed at achieving a better use of it, identifying the influence of its physical–chemical properties in terms of quality levels, as well as determining its behavior when mixed with palm oil to achieve a biodiesel with better yields, whose impact will be reflected mainly in the environmental field, helping to mitigate the production of greenhouse gases that are produced by petroleum products. Although currently the biofuels sector has made important advances in research, it is necessary to deepen the physical–chemical analyses both in the production and storage processes of biodiesel, so that in the future it can be fully fulfilled with the energy requirements that are currently only achieved with fossil fuels, so it is necessary to direct this research toward the development of new products with improved characteristics, especially when exposed to prolonged storage times and low temperatures.


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