Life-Cycle Assessment of the Use of Peach Pruning Residues for Electricity Generation

Abstract

Biomass residues from permanent crops might be an alternative fuel for energy generation in a local market with limited transport distances. Moreover, as activities related to CO2 reduction are of special attention in the European Union (EU), sustainable use of resources plays an important role in climate change mitigation. In this paper, a life-cycle assessment (LCA) of the integrated value chain from peach pruning residues for electricity generation is presented and compared with the common practice including the mulching process of the pruned biomass in an orchard. It was shown that biomass harvesting, chipping and its delivery to a power plant—the Pruning-to-Energy (PtE) scenario—is feasible from an environmental point of view. The total global warming potential (GWP) of this value chain was 200 kg CO2 eq.·ha−1 (or 27 kg CO2 eq.·GJ−1). In turn, the mulching and leaving of the pruned biomass in an orchard—the pruning-to-soil (PtS) scenario—is characterized by a CO2 equivalent of 2360 kg·ha−1. Other impact categories showed a lower environmental impact for the PtE scenario as well. When considering the Spanish electricity-mix instead of coal-based electricity, the PtS scenario score better in most impact categories, but the GWP for the PtE scenario remains lower.

India's biomethane generation potential from wastes and the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions abatement possibilities under three end use scenarios: electricity generation, cooking, and road transport applications

“…There is a dearth of RPR data for most trees. So, data on the production of pruning wastes per hectare (for Europe) for each orchard type sourced from Boer et al 62 were multiplied with the state-wise land areas on which the orchards are grown (from the Horticultural Statistics 59 ) to estimate the corresponding total quantity of pruning residues generated annually in each state. This was multiplied by the suggested availability factor of 0.8 for pruning residues 63–65 to obtain the value of ‘ W ’ in eqn (2c).…”

Wood Waste from Fruit Trees: Biomolecules and Their Applications in Agri-Food Industry

“…Similar to other common fruit species, stone fruit production is accompanied by the generation of wood residues, mainly by annual pruning and, to a lesser extent, by the renewal of the orchard. Several studies of peach groves mentioned consensual values of 2.5, 2.7, and 2.9 tons of pruned wood/ha per year [ 80 , 125 , 126 ]. Similar values were reported for nectarine orchards [ 80 ].…”

Straw Mulch Application Enhanced Soil Properties and Reduced Diffuse Pollution at a Steep Vineyard in Istria (Croatia)

“…Even though tillage has shown some positive effects, including reduced compaction and enhanced soil air-to-water ratio, these effects are short-lived, while in the long term, negative effects such as crust formation, reduced soil organic matter, deteriorated structure and increased soil compaction and erosion appear [21][22][23][24]. More sustainable practices are currently being implemented, particularly the use of mulch, which can take different forms such as harvest residues [25][26][27][28][29], sawmill byproducts [30][31][32][33], agricultural industry byproducts [34,35], pruning residues [36,37] and synthetic materials [38][39][40]. Mulching is one of the main features of conservation practice, along with reduced tillage.…”