Energy and CO2 emissions associated with mechanical planters used in biomass plantations

Demeneghi

Marucco

et al. 2020

Self Cite

Weed control in vineyards is essential to allow optimal vines development. In this study, three different techniques (hoeing, chemical control, and mulching) used in vineyard’s under-row weed control were compared considering their: operative and economic aspects, energy consumptions and environmental impacts. Trials were performed in a vineyard located in Canelli (AT), Italy, characterized by 3 different gradient slopes (<5%, 10-15%, >20%). Each technique has been tested in 3 adjacent rows per each of the 3 vineyard slopes (randomized block test). Two weed control treatments were performed (at 50 days interval) during the peak vegetation growth period (from mid-April to mid-August). Major families of weeds in the test rows were described and scored (%), and weed control efficiency was measured by comparing the weeds cover area projected to the ground vs the test area. Results highlights that the use of mulching machine and the boom sprayer permits to maintain a weed coverage lower than 30% independently of slope gradient. The hoeing, characterized by low operational costs (26 € h–1) and energy requirement (550 MJ ha–1), scored acceptable working performances, but, in case of heavy rains, it can cause a runoff of the soil. The chemical weed control, also if results a valid choice in term of work quality, is not a valid solution from the environmental point of view. The mulching machine, although shows higher operating costs compared to other machines tested (30 € h–1), can be considered as the most viable alternative to chemical weed control because its working efficiency is comparable to that obtained by the sprayer.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Section: Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Technical solutions for under-row weed control in vineyards: Efficacy, costs and environmental aspects analysis

Demeneghi

Marucco

et al. 2020

Self Cite

“…In fact, also in this case, the values were similar in all testing conditions. This trend is confirmed also on agricultural (Manzone, 2016), forestry (Manzone, 2015) and industrial (Manzone and Balsari, 2015) sectors.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…The reason of this is the different forward speed recorded by the blower tested during the snow-removal that have generated in turn a different productivity. Also this trend is well known on agricultural (Manzone, 2016) and forestry (Manzone, 2015) sectors.…”

Section: Articlementioning

confidence: 76%

Performance of a snow blower prototype mounted on different vehicles type

Ruffinengo²

2019

Self Cite

All transportation sectors, in many countries of the world have shown problems related to the presence of snow on roads. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the performances of a snow blower prototype that can be attached in front of different commercial vehicle types (quad-bike, car, and small tractor) specifically developed for urban areas and private use. The prototype was tested using three different pavement types (bare soil, concrete, and asphalt) and with different snow layer thickness (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 mm). The highest forward speed (2.51 km h–1) was obtained using the car on asphalt pavement working with a snow layer thickness of 50 mm. In contrast, the lowest forward speed (0.28 km h–1) was observed when the prototype was fixed to the quad-bike and it worked on concrete base with a snow depth of 300 mm. The forward speed, and consequently also the productivity, varied only as a function of snow thickness. The prototype has demonstrated functional quality in all testing conditions leaving only a snow residue after its passage of about 0.18 dm3 on 100 meter of road. The hourly fuel consumption varied between 6.56 and 6.68 litres highlighting an average specific fuel consumption of 319.5 g kWh–1. The snow blower prototype, as it demonstrated good performance in all tested working conditions, seems to be a valid solution in snow-removal especially in private areas where the equipment versatility plays a fundamental rule.

“…Repair and maintenance highlighted the lowest contribution (average 20%) on the total energy requirement. This aspect is well known in the biomass sector, where similar results are obtained by other machines: planters (Manzone, 2016) and chippers (Manzone, 2015), and loaders (Manzone, 2018). Another key point to support the energetic sustainability of the maize silage transportation using agricultural convoys is the high positive value of the net energy per unit of transported volume: in fact, the input energy required was always lower than 1.5%, compared to the transported material energy content.…”

Section: Articlesupporting

confidence: 64%

Transportation of maize silage to biogas plants

Airoldi

Calvo

2020

Self Cite

Maize silage is one of the most used feedstock for the anaerobic digestion plants in Italy. As biomass, it is necessary to choose maize hybrids and sowing times to reach the maturity stage at the planned harvest period. In addition, the contractor has to set up transport chains considering distances and other factors affecting the forward speed in function of the supplied biogas plants. This work examined different road conditions (length, weather and congestion) that might influence the maize silage transportation under both the energy and economic points of view. Tests were carried out with an agricultural tractor equipped with two trailers (a turntable steering and a dumper) along six itineraries (6.2, 15.3, 22.1, 32.5, 44.4, and 58.2 km) in two different traffic conditions: high congestion (early morning) and low congestion (evening). Tests were also performed in two seasons with different weather conditions: late Summer and early Autumn. The average forward speed was 27.40 km h–1 with a 15% difference between the best (evening and late Summer) and the worst (early morning and early Autumn) condition, with a productivity that varied between 9.50 and 81.98 m3h–1 respectively. The performed tests confirmed that the energetic evaluation is always positive also in the longest itinerary (58.2 km), but the actual market value of maize silage (52.00 € t–1) limits the convenience of the transportation distance up to 18 km. In conclusion, the study showed that the maize silage transportation using agricultural tractors not only depends on the travelled distance, but also on the road congestion and the weather conditions.