Title:
Mechanization Options for Improving Biofuel Sustainability: Experience from Camelina, Safflower and Castor
Author(s):
Pari, L., Bergonzoli, S., Cozzolino, L., Lazar, S.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
The adoption of energy crops could generate benefits from the reduction of fossil energy dependence, improvement of rural economies, and the achievement of environmental goals. Among the species currently cultivated for industrial vegetable oil production, Camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) and Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L) could be good candidate for future investments due to the good resistance to pests, tolerance to drought. Camelina, Castor bean and Safflower are herbaceous oil crops suitable for cultivation on marginal lands, moreover they can help to meet the goals set by the European Directives on Renewable Energy (RED I and RED II). Furthermore, the mechanization is still not properly developed and high seed loss is experienced during the combining. For Camelina harvesting, double stage harvesting strategy reduced the crop cycle but influenced seed losses and exposed the crop to risk of wetting by rainwater, for Castor the use of terminating products is strongly required in order to permit the mechanical harvesting and although mechanizable new castor varieties are short enough to fit the requirements for mechanical harvesting. For Safflower, no adaptation was required in a traditional combine harvester equipped with cereal header reporting very low value of seed losses.
Keywords:
bioenergy, industrial crops, harvesting performance, European directives
Topic:
Biomass, Bio-based Products and Bioenergy Integration
Subtopic:
Resource efficient bioeconomy
Event:
32nd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
3CV.8.5
Pages:
485 - 488
ISBN:
978-88-89407-24-0
Paper DOI:
10.5071/32ndEUBCE2024-3CV.8.5
Price:
FREE
