Paper details

Title:

Production, Profitability and Environmental Impact of Crops for Energy Use in Italy

Author(s):

Coaloa, D., Grignetti, A.

Document(s):

Abstract:

The decreased cultivation of sugar beet, consequent to the reform of the CMO Sugar, has made large areas of agricultural soil available. The new scenario induces farmers to choose new crops and to adapt to the new needs of the major national sugar companies, where the reconversion of production plants (sugar refineries) makes large amounts of biomass necessary for the production of energy and biofuels. Thanks to the national research project SuSCACE, set up as a technical­scientific support for the cultivation of energy crops, it has been possible to gather and process data on the currently existing energy crops. The results obtained regard the areas planted to each crop, the relative number of fields and their regional distribution, their yields, cultivation and production costs and their economic balance. The analysis of the production and profitability of the most widespread oilseed species, has shown generally positive results in the current market. Plantations for biomass have reached, in the first years of cultivation, good, though improvable, yields; however in the present market conditions profitability is highly dependant on special price conditions agreed on in contract with the processing industries.

Keywords:

economical aspects, energy crops, short rotation forestry (SRF)

Topic:

Biomass Resources

Subtopic:

Biomass potentials and cost of resources

Event:

19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition

Session:

VP1.1.22

Pages:

391 - 394

ISBN-13:

978-88-89407-55-4

ISBN-10:

88-89407-55-7

Paper DOI:

10.5071/19thEUBCE2011-VP1.1.22

Price:

FREE