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Biomass production for energy purposes on agricultural land competes with food production. This is a serious problem, considering the limited availability of farmland, rising demand for varied food products, demand for more organic crop production resulting in considerably reduced yields per area and the need for more environmentally sound agricult...
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Context 1
... 580 ha of public green areas have been recorded (sports fields, parks, public lawns) (Table 8). Sample-based assessments indicate that about 30% of the public green areas are actually composed of lawns [10,11]. ...
Context 2
... all the green areas can currently be mowed, subtractions must be made for lack of machinery to recover the available cuttings. Based on the interviews in the model communities, we optimistically estimated that suction equipment for recovering the clippings is available for 80% of the relevant public green areas considered (Table 8). The public green area available for recovery of biogas substrates therefore amounts to approximately 145 ha. ...
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Among the members of the European Union (EU), Germany has the largest biogas produc-tion from agricultural sources. However, many other EU member states are creating the necessary conditions for rapid growth in this area. The German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), which sets payments over a long time period for electricity supplied from renewa-...
Citations
... Les méthaniseurs agricoles, associés à des fermes, reçoivent comme matières organiques des effluents d'élevages (fumiers-lisiers), des déchets agricoles végétaux dont des herbages issus de prairies, et éventuellement des résidus d'industries agroalimentaires. La valorisation énergétique et/ou agronomique de la tonte des routes et des prairies a été étudiée, notamment en Allemagne [1], en Belgique [2] ou au Danemark [3]. Il existe plusieurs références scientifiques présentant les teneurs en métaux du sol et de l'herbe en bordure de route en relation avec la circulation [4][5][6] et, récemment, certains articles ont traité les composés organiques [7,8]. ...
La valorisation par compostage ou méthanisation de l'herbe fauchée en bordure de route se développe en France et peu d'informations sur les contaminants des herbes (métaux lourds et composés organiques) sont disponibles. Au cours du projet CARMEN, réalisé en 2016-2017, des herbes de bords de routes ont été échantillonnées à différents endroits dans l'Ouest de la France, au cours de plusieurs périodes de fauche (printemps et automne), afin d'évaluer l'influence du trafic et de la saison. D'autres opérations (non détaillées ici) ont été conduites dans le cadre du projet : des tests de méthanisation en pilote et une étude coûts-bénéfices du fauchage avec exportation vers la méthanisation. Mots clés : HAP ; hydrocarbures aromatiques ; métaux lourds. Abstract Reclamation of roadside grass by composting
... It can however be considered as a lignocellulosic biomass whose composition varies according to the season, the location and also the waste management strategies (Bary et al., 2005;Boldrin and Christensen, 2010;Hanc et al., 2011). There are two main technologies of green waste management, i.e. composting by aerobic digestion (Reyes-Torres et al., 2018;Som et al., 2009;Vandecasteele et al., 2016) and bioenergy production by anaerobic digestion (Hla and Roberts, 2015;Kabir et al., 2015;Pick et al., 2012). Briquetting, i.e. compaction of residues into a product of higher density, production of bioethanol and production of bioplastics are other possible management strategies (Bhange et al., 2014). ...
Urban parks and gardens green waste constitute a low-cost and highly available lignocellulosic-rich resource, that is currently treated in composting or anaerobic digestion processes. The present work investigated for the first time the potential of using urban green waste as raw resource for the production of lignocellulosic fillers by dry fractionation (combination of sorting and grinding processes). Five fractions of lignocellulosic fillers with controlled composition were produced: a branches-rich fraction, a grasses-rich fraction, a leaves-rich fraction, and two fractions constituted of a mixture of constituents.
All the fractions were ground to reach an average median diameter around 100 l m. The reinforcing effect of each fraction was investigated and compared to that of the sample as a whole. Biocomposites based on a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) as matrix were produced by melt extrusion, with filler
contents up to 30 wt%. It was shown that the branches-rich fraction displayed the best reinforcing effect (e.g. stress at break of 37 ± 1 MPa for a filler content of 15 wt%, similar to that of the neat matrix) whereas the grasses-rich fraction slightly degraded the overall mechanical performance (e.g. stress at break of 33.5 ± 1.5 MPa for a filler content of 15 wt%). The dry fractionation and formulation steps could be thus adapted depending on the targeted application, e.g. by choosing to use the whole urban green waste resource, or to remove grasses, or to keep only branches.
... The portion of ash is likely higher due to the harvesting equipment; collecting the grass through suction which may disturb and collect the top layer of soil. However, suction collection devices have significant advantages in the economic feasibility of the harvesting process [62]. The grass harvested in 2018 appeared to contain very little soil as this was removed from the grass in the suction hose. ...
Cuttings from road-verge grass could provide biomass for energy generation, but currently this potential is not exploited. This research assessed the technical, practical and financial feasibility of using grass harvested from road verges as a feedstock in farm-fed anaerobic digestion (AD) plants. The methane potential (191 mL CH4 gDM⁻¹) and digestion characteristics of verge grass were similar to those of current farm feedstocks; indicating suitability for AD. Ensiling had no significant impact on the biomethane generated. Testing co-digestions of verge grass with current farm feedstocks showed enhanced methane yields, suggesting that verge grass could be a valuable addition to AD feedstock mixes. In a case study of the UK county of Lincolnshire, potential volumes and locations of verge grass biomass were estimated, with capacities and locations of existing AD plants, to assess the potential to supply practical grass volumes. Grass harvesting costs were modelled and compared with other feedstock costs. Finally, the attitudes of AD operators to using verge grass were investigated to understand whether a market for verge grass exists. In a small survey all operators were willing to use it as a feedstock and most were prepared to pay over the estimated harvesting cost. If verge grass was legally recognised as a waste product it could be attractive to AD operators especially where financial incentives to use waste feedstocks are in place. In rural areas, verge grass could be harvested and co-digested by existing farm-fed AD plants, potentially reducing the cost of road verge maintenance and increasing biodiversity.
... The potential for use of non-agricultural green 'waste' from municipal green spaces was investigated in Germany by Pick et al. [3]. This concluded that there is large potential for utilisation of such materials as feedstocks from biogas production but technical, legal and economic factors precluded the vast majority of biomass from being used. ...
Biomass from harvested road-verge herbage has potential value as a feedstock for anaerobic digestion (AD) energy plants. However, the proximity to road traffic related pollution sources introduces the possibility of contamination by potentially toxic elements and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Potential sources of pollution from road traffic emissions are identified and the consequent likelihood of certain contaminants being present at elevated levels is assessed. Samples of road verge biomass harvested from selected locations in Lincolnshire UK for use in AD plants were analysed to produce a set of measurements for the presence of the contaminants of interest. The measured levels of these contaminants are compared to reported background levels in UK herbage and soils to assess if there is significant increased concentration in road-verge biomass. Samples of digestate from an AD plant using the road-verge biomass as feedstock were also analysed to determine if there is notable risk of transfer and concentration of contaminants into agricultural land where the digestate may be used for fertilisation. While elevated levels of contaminants were detected, they were not found in concentrations on road verge biomass at high enough levels to cause adverse effects or concerns for its safe use as an AD feedstock.
... Green waste from gardens typically consists of grass cuttings, hedge prunings, leaves and bark, flowers, branches, twigs and other woody material, whole plants, or plant parts removed. There is a considerable literature on the biochemical characteristics of garden waste [9][10][11] and potential valorisation pathways such as composting [12,13] or bioenergy production [14][15][16]. Environmental implications of garden waste disposal routes were also studied [17][18][19]. ...
Garden waste arising from private households represents a major component of the biodegradable municipal waste stream. To design effective waste valorisation schemes, detailed information about garden waste is a prerequisite. While the biochemical composition of this material is well documented, there is a lack of knowledge regarding both the quantities arising, and quantities entering the services operated by waste management authorities. This work studied the quantities of garden waste arisings at urban and rural households along with the disposal methods used. A door-to-door interview survey, an analysis of kerbside collections of garden waste, and an assessment of materials brought by citizens to a waste recycling site were carried out in Hampshire, UK. If extrapolated nationally, the results indicate that households in England produce an average of 0.79 kg of garden waste per day, or 288 kg per year. On a per capita basis, this corresponds to an annual arising of 120 kg per person, out of which around 70% enters the collection schemes of the waste management authorities. The quantity generated by rural and urban households differed substantially, with rural households producing 1.96 ± 1.35 kg per day and urban households 0.64 ± 0.46 kg per day. Rural households adopted self-sufficient methods of garden waste management such as home composting or backyard burning to a much greater extent compared with urban households. Less than half of the generated rural garden waste entered services operated by the waste collection authorities, while urban households strongly relied on these services. A detailed breakdown of the disposal routes chosen by urban and rural householders can support authorities in tailoring more effective waste management schemes.
... Appeals to the environment, new legislation aimed at reducing fossil fuel consumption and public investment in clean energy production are increasing the share of renewable energy in the national and global energy matrix (Achinas et al. 2016). Because of this concern, many researchers around the world are seeking to assess the potential of renewable energy sources in their regions (Dinuccio et al. 2010;Bordelanne et al. 2011;Pick et al. 2012;Maghanaki et al. 2013;Afazeli et al. 2014). In Brazil, incentives for biogas and methane generation from renewable sources are relatively recent, beginning in 2002 with the Federal Incentive Program for Alternative Energy Sources (Proinfa), the purpose of which was to diversify the national energy matrix and reduce carbon emissions. ...
Ensuring the environmental sustainability of energy production, including research and investment in renewable energy, can minimize the negative impact of fossil fuel use. According to the 2017 Brazilian national energy balance, biomass, a substrate for energy generation, represents approximately 23% of the national energy matrix. The state of Rio Grande do Sul currently imports 1.7 million metric tons of natural gas per day from Bolivia. Thus, the purpose of this study is to present the state’s biomass, biogas and methane generation potential, considering agro-industry biomass residue (dairy and slaughterhouses), wine production, animal waste (cattle, poultry, sheep and horse), landfills and domestic wastewater treatment plants. The methodology consisted of three stages. First, a study was conducted to evaluate all possible sources of biomass in the state, along with relevant and reliable databases for each sector; second, on-site visits were carried out at the companies with the highest volumes of biomass to formalize and check the data. Finally, the theoretical biomass and biogas volumes from each source were calculated. The results indicate that Rio Grande do Sul can generate approximately 85 metric tons of biomass residue per year, around 9 million metric tons of biogas per day or 5 million metric tons of methane per day. Thus, the state can generate enough methane to supply all projected natural gas consumption in the coming years.
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... Energy valorization of green waste could help them meet the EU RES targets by 2020 and therefore we will use the green waste LCA data of Belgium and the Netherlands in the case study discussed in this paper. Anaerobic digestion of green waste is not considered as a renewable energy source because of its poor economic viability (VITO, 2017;Pick et al., 2012). ...
Green waste is a type of biomass consisting mainly of grass, leaves and fresh prunings originating from gardens and parks. It can be used as feedstock for composting, or for energy recovery. The EU Waste Directive 2008/98/EC advocates composting to prevent waste. This directive allows green waste to be used for (renewable) energy valorization only if a better overall environmental outcome can be demonstrated. In this paper, we propose an assessment procedure based on examining the Pareto front of optimal trade-off combinations for maximizing composting and energy recovery of green waste while minimizing environmental impact and minimizing particulate matter emission. The Pareto optimal front is determined by solving a multi-objective optimization problem using the ε-constraint method. Previous research on green waste valorization using Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) shows that either energy recovery or composting is the preferred option depending on how environmental impact is assessed. In contrast to the full assignment to one of these recovery methods produced by LCA, we demonstrate, using the case of green waste valorization in the Netherlands and Belgium, that the proposed assessment procedure provides optimal solutions in a range between full allocation to compost or energy recovery. The proposed methodology supports the selection of optimal solutions taking the decision makers’ preference into account that allows complying with Directives that have opposite goals on green waste valorization. Finally, computational results show that the assessment of the “better environmental outcome” requested by the EU waste Directive 2008/98/EC is influenced by the life cycle impact categories and the policy makers preferences with respect to the valorization options taken into account. Since the EU waste Directive 2008/98/EC does not specify how to execute the outcome assessment of valorization alternatives, this can lead to ambiguity.
... The evolution of production systems must meet the present requirements of sustainable development (SD) and contribute to the transformation of current economies based on the use of fossil fuels, to green economies based on the use of biomass, thus generating significant changes in the socio-economic, energy, technical and agricultural systems, by stimulating research and innovation, as well as the use of natural renewable resources [2,3]. To achieve the objectives of SD, the production of biomass energy can hold a significant role [4,5], as biomass can be used to generate gas, electricity, heat or liquid fuels that are easy to transport and store [6,7], energy being used throughout the supply chain, from manufacturing, processing, packaging, storage, product distribution to waste disposal [8]. ...
... The methane potential of different types of raw materials used in biogas plants is presented in Table 2. The implementation of BI on farms and entities forming the AIS can also generate various benefits, such as added value through waste recycling (AD of manure with reduction of bad odors and insects, use of separate fibers from litter or compost manure, and reduction of pathogenic germs and seed weeds from manure) [12,37], reduction of waste disposal costs [38], reducing the greenhouse effect by reducing methane emissions, reducing water pollution [8], the use of biogas to generate processing energy, and use of heat surplus produced by the power generator (the heat produced in addition to electricity can be used in the winter for heating and for cooling in the summer) [12]. Moreover, waste treatment improves the environmental image of AIS [37] and the recovery of organic manure can represent a possibility for increased income [31]. ...
... In the international literature, there are various studies on the financial and economic viability of BI. Some are based on predictive models or various scenarios [8,39], others make comparisons between different support schemes and plant configurations [14,16,40], and others refer to the investment criteria and costs of different types of BI (microalgae [41], dairy sector [42], etc.). Reviewing the scientific literature on BI that use poultry manure, we have discovered that there is a gap regarding the economic perspective of BI that uses poultry manure. ...
The evolution of the world economy, the continuous growth of human needs and industrial and technological development have led to an increased demand for energy and consumption of fossil fuels. Since fossil resources are limited, there is an urgent need for the evolution of current economies to achieve sustainable development (SD), supported predominantly by waste management, renewable energy production, limiting non-renewable resource consumption, sustainable development, etc. In this research, the management of waste (chicken debris and debris from meat processing/slaughter) resulting from the chicken slaughtering activities using biogas installations (BI) is shown to be a viable alternative that places the economic entity at intercept if waste recycling and the production of electricity, heat and digestate. The purpose of this research was to quantify the economic impact generated using BI, which processes organic wastes resulted from the processing flow of the meat chicken slaughterhouse.
... In terms of current targets for sustainable growth, bioeconomy, in combination with circular economy, has the potential to directly contribute to 11 out of the 17 UN's Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) (Figure 1). The direct contribution of circular and bio-based economy to sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12), reducing our pressure on the environment, air, water and land (SDG 13,14,15) is the ultimate aim of the concept. By working in partnership with rural communities and local bio-based infrastructure [7,8] (SDG17), utilising the rural knowledge pool, alleviation of poverty (SDG 1 and 2), forging skills among communities (SDG 4) to take an interest in guarding the local ecosystem services encourages the development of sustainable communities (SDG11), in addition to creating jobs and socio-economic opportunities (SDG 8). ...
... Environmental and economic biomass potential, based on the fraction of the theoretical biomass potential, gradually adds land exclusions such as legally protected area, slopes, biodiversity richness and take into account the technical capability of the pre-existing biomass processing framework. Sustainability potential is the final filter that takes the technical, economic and environmental restrictions (and associated biomass capacities) into account providing the net estimated biomass production capacity for a given geographical location [14]. Focusing on EU biomass supply, the agricultural and forestry feedstock within the EU constitutes 1.13 billion tonnes of dry biomass [15]. ...
... Nevertheless, a survey undertaken by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and Nova Institute [17], revealed 224 bio-based industries with biorefineries processing different types of feedstock, mapped across EU demonstrating a sharp growth, as presented in Figure 3. potential, based on the fraction of the theoretical biomass potential, gradually adds land exclusions such as legally protected area, slopes, biodiversity richness and take into account the technical capability of the pre-existing biomass processing framework. Sustainability potential is the final filter that takes the technical, economic and environmental restrictions (and associated biomass capacities) into account providing the net estimated biomass production capacity for a given geographical location [14]. Focusing on EU biomass supply, the agricultural and forestry feedstock within the EU constitutes 1.13 billion tonnes of dry biomass [15]. ...
Bio-products and bio-based value chains have been identified as one of the most promising pathways to attaining a resource-efficient circular economy. Such a "valorization and value-addition" approach incorporates an intricate network of processes and actors, contributing to socio-economic growth, environmental benefits and technological advances. In the present age of limited time and funding models to achieve ambitious sustainable development targets, whilst mitigating climate change, a systematic approach employing two-tier multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) can be useful in supporting the identification of promising bio-based value chains, that are significant to the EU plans for the bio-economy. Their identification is followed by an elaborate mapping of their value chains to visualize/foresee the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges attributable to those bio-based value chains. To demonstrate this methodology, a systematic review of 12 bio-based value chains, prevalent in the EU, sourcing their starting material from biomass and bio-waste, has been undertaken. The selected value chains are mapped to visualize the linkages and interactions between the different stages, chain actors, employed conversion routes, product application and existing/potential end-of-life options. This approach will help chain-actors, particularly investors and policy-makers, understand the complexities of such multi-actor systems and make informed decisions.
... Most of these studies focused on the anaerobic conversion of this biomass into methane but only a few considered a territorial approach so to define the available biomass on a given territory and the environmental, energetic, and economic sustainability of the proposed approach [i.e., 3,8]. ...
... Clearly, when considering the grass originating from roads and railways management, the feedstock quality varies a lot [3,4,9]. This material generally shows high levels of litter material and needs to be processed before ensilaging or feeding the digesters. ...
... Through this exercise we have therefore individuated the areas (in hectares) dedicated to natural areas, meadows, water courses banks and the associated grass production. This approach is similar to that used in similar studies carried out in Germany [3,9]. ...
Large amounts of residual grass originating from the management of landscape and natural areas are produced in Europe. This material, which is not competing for land use like energy crops, and is only partially recovered for animal feeding, can be profitably used for sustainable bioenergy production. In this study we demonstrated through a GIS based approach that this feedstock can be of some interest for the production of biogas in the Veneto Region, north east Italy, where more than 150 anaerobic digesters are in operation and feedstock availability can be sometime problematic. Specific field trials showed that costs for grass management are around 30 euros/ton while corresponding CO2 emission for grass handling (cutting, wrapping and harvesting) are 25 kg CO2/ton of grass processed. On the other hand, average biogas productions of some 500–600 m³ of biogas/ton of volatile solids (52–56% methane) should be expected from this residual material. Both treatment costs and biogas yields of residual grass are in line with similar data for some energy crops. The technical, environmental, and economic sustainability for the production of bioenergy through the proposed approach was demonstrated.
