Catch and Cover Crops’ Use in the Energy Sector via Conversion into Biogas—Potential Benefits and Disadvantages

Alicja Słomka and Małgorzata Pawłowska ()
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Alicja Słomka: Independent Researcher, 20-824 Lublin, Poland
Małgorzata Pawłowska: Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Lublin University of Technology, 20-618 Lublin, Poland

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-25

Abstract: The development of civilization is related to an increase in energy demand, while its production is still based mainly on fossil fuels. The release of carbon into the environment, which disturbs the balance of the global system, is the consequence of using these fuels. One possible way to reduce the carbon footprint of the energy sector is the widespread use of cover crops’ biomass for energy production. The aim of this paper is to critically review the knowledge on the dissemination of catch and cover crops’ cultivation in different regions of the world, and the yield, chemical composition and biomethane potential of their biomass. Additionally, the environmental benefits, as well as the challenges and opportunities associated with this biomass use in the energy sector, are considered. The review showed that the aboveground biomass of cover and catch crops is a valuable source for the production of bioenergy in biogas plants. However, the key role of these crops is to prevent soil degradation. Therefore, changes in biomass target use must be preceded by a multi-aspect analysis that allows their impact on the environment to be assessed.

Keywords: cover crops; catch crops; biomass; renewable energy sources; climate neutrality; GHG emissions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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