Local Energy Use of Biomass from Apple Orchards—An LCA Study

Arkadiusz Dyjakon, Jan den Boer, Antoni Szumny and Emilia den Boer
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Arkadiusz Dyjakon: Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 51-630 Wroclaw, Poland
Jan den Boer: Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 51-630 Wroclaw, Poland
Antoni Szumny: Department of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Science, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland
Emilia den Boer: Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: Generation of heat in small and medium-size energy systems using local sources of energy is one of the best solutions for sustainable regional development, from an economic, environmental, and social point of view. Depending on the local circumstances and preferences of the agricultural activity, different types and potentials of biomass are available for energy recovery. Poland is the third-largest producer of apples in the world. The large cumulative area of apple orchards in Poland and necessity of regular tree pruning creates a significant potential for agricultural biomass residues. In this paper, the LCA analysis of a new and integrated process chain focused on the conversion of cut branches coming from apple orchards into heat is conducted. Furthermore, the obtained results of the environmental indices have been compared to traditional mulching of pruned biomass in the orchard. It was shown that in terms of the LCA analysis, the biomass harvesting, baling, and transportation to the local heat producer leads to an overall environmental gain. The cumulative Climate Change Potential for pruning to energy scenario was 92.0 kg CO 2 equivalent·ha −1 . At the same time, the mulching and leaving of the pruned biomass in the orchard (pruning to soil scenario) was associated with a CO 2 equivalent of 1690 kg·ha −1 , although the soil effect itself amounted to −5.9 kg CO 2 eq.·ha −1 . Moreover, the sensitivity analysis of the LCA showed that in the case of the PtE chain, the transportation distance of the pruned bales should be limited to a local range to maintain the positive environmental and energy effects.

Keywords: pruning residues; heat production; life cycle assessment; environmental impact; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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