FAIR-CT95-0512 European Energy Crops Processing and Utilisation in Europe

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Economics : Electricity : Enviromental Aspects : FAIR Area 1.1 - Biomass and Bioenergy Chain : Liquid Biofuels and Biogas : Solid Biofuels : Sugar : Thermochemical Conversion : Vegetable Oil/Fat : Wood (Lignocellulose)

FAIR-CT95-0512 European Energy Crops Processing and Utilisation in Europe

European Energy Crops Overview

European Energy Crops Overview - Country report for Italy

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European Energy Crops Overview

Summary

This synthesis report summarises the major, most interesting and promising findings of this project which was funded by the FAIR programme with further support from many national institutions (see consortium details overleaf) and was carried out from January to October 1996. The objectives were to provide an overview of the state of the-art on energy crops in Europe and to identify new fields for further research and development. The major conclusions and recommendations are listed here. In addition to these, conclusions and recommendations are given in each chapter, covering specific aspects such as production, harvesting, processing and utilization. These are available in the full report, which can be obtained from BTG, while individual country reports are also available from the indicated organisations.

Introduction

This synthesis report summarises the major, most interesting and promising findings of the European Energy Crops Overview (EECO) concerted action which was set up to provide an overview of the state of the art on energy crops in Europe, and to identify new fields for further research and development.

Major conclusions

• It is clear from the EECO project that both liquid and solid biofuels can be made economically feasible only with financial incentives, like tax exemptions (as in France and Austria for liquid biofuels), heavier taxes on fossil fuels (like in Denmark and Sweden in the order of magnitude of 5-6 ECU/GJ for non industrial users), grants for the farmers who cultivate energy crops grown on set aside land, fiscal measures, etc.


• If the current level of tax exemptions in France (maximum level ECU 9/GJ (ECU 0.35/1) for biodiesel, and ECU 13/GJ (ECU 0.50/1) for bio ethanol) and Austria (ECU 7/GJ or ECU 0.28/1 for biodiesel) would be generally allocated for solid biofuels throughout Europe, most energy crops around Europe would be feasible. However, political will, expressed in guarantees in the long term stability, is essential. Monetising of the environmental benefits could be just one of the instruments to create more opportunities for energy crops.


• The technical barriers and institutional barriers for liquid biofuels are much smaller than for solid biofuels, since the first are traditional and well known crops. On the other hand the energy output/input ratio's (as just one set of parameters) for solid biofuels (14 30) are much higher than for liquid biofuels (1 6). For the present, a parallel development of the liquid biofuels and the solid biofuels for energy routes is recommended. However, from the environmental point of view, in the long term more emphasis should be placed on solid biofuels due the higher benefits for the environment as compared to the liquid biofuels.


• There is a need for further integration of agricultural practices and the energy sector. Energy crops for power and heat purposes require fuel specifications which are not fully met yet. One of the reasons is the unawareness in the agricultural sector of the needs of the energy sector. The latter sector requires for example: low Cl (corrosion), low K and Ca (fouling due to low ash melting temperatures, low N input, and low moisture content (higher calorific value). More R&D is recommended on relation between fuel requirements, selection of most suitable species and agricultural practices. In addition, the standardisation of biofuel specifications and analysis methods is recommended.


• There is significant room for reduction of the specific production costs by development to higher yields. Illustrative are the results on willow in Sweden and Miscanthus in the northern European countries. In addition, there is a need to reduce both technical and non technical barriers for new crops and the associated high costs of harvesting and processing. It is therefore recommended to stimulate the development of effective low cost machinery for harvesting and processing energy crops in close co operation with potential manufacturers and suppliers.


• The potential for many different energy crops is as one of a series of feedstocks in a local district heating plant or electric power station. In this type of system one single crop does not have to be relied upon, since several different types of biomass and fossil fuels can be used together. So far, only short term co-combustion experiments with energy crops have been carried out. The duration of these experiments was not long enough to determine the optimised conditions for long term operation. Larger and long term scale tests on co combustion of energy crops (especially for: Miscanthus, poplar, willow, Reed Canary Grass, and hemp) in fossil fuelled power plants are recommended to evaluate and improve long term operation. This will require cross border co operation in order to collect a sufficient amount of energy crops for the long term tests.


• Parallel to these co combustion activities, small to medium scale stand alone plants for herbacious energy crops could be developed. It is strongly recommended to utilise the experiences with wood and straw fired power and/or heat plants for development of the latter.

Recommendations

To maximise utilization of the valuable information collected here, it is recommended to develop and utilise instruments which increase the exchange and dissemination of information on energy crops provided by the EECO project and by other networks. One of the instruments could be the Internet, as proposed by the EECO project partners in the European Energy Crops Information Exchange and Dissemination InterNetwork (EECN).

Report

Copies of this report are available from BTG. Further information concerning national activities can be obtained from the named individual listed as contacts.

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European Energy Crops Overview - Country report for Italy

Main Contact: Vito PIGNATELLI, ENEA, Italy

Summary of Findings

Italy is characterised by a high energy import dependence, amounting to about 80% of its overall energy requirements, and 15% of electricity needs. As a matter of fact, Italy can be set among the more industrialised Countries, but its vulnerability in the energy sector remains very high. Therefore the main goals for the energy policy in Italy are: energy saving, development of national energy sources, diversification of energy sources, and maintenance of competitiveness of Italian exports.

In this context, biomass as source for energy and for chemical and industrial products has regained interest in the last years and it is a popular opinion that agricultural and woody crops grown specifically for energy would have a significant role in the future energy supply of the country, even if - at the present moment - the main source of biomass for energy is organic waste material, as agricultural and agroindustrial residues, or animal and municipal wastes.

The industrial exploitation of energy crops in Italy is at present limited to rape and sunflower, used for the production of biodiesel. The production of bioethanol from conventional (sugar beet) or alternative sugar bearing crops has been drawing the researchers' attention for many years, but is not of commercial interest and is not even foreseen in the near future, whereas the production of electricity from cellulosic crops - both SRF and herbaceous crops - is considered very promising, even if no commercial plant is yet working.

In Italy several projects and research programmes are currently supporting the establishment of energy crops field trials, in order to investigate the adaptability of such crops to the different Italian pedoclimatic conditions, studying the most suitable sites and cultural techniques, harvesting, transport and storage problems and, finally, the energy conversion technologies.

The most up-to-date results of studies and researches on Production, Harvesting & Processing and Utilisation of energy crops in Italy, as well as information and data on their commercial exploitation have been reported in specific chapters of this document, together with some general conclusions and recommendations conceming with what is currently happening in Italy in the bioenergy sector and particularly in the field of the energy crops - and where efforts have to be addressed in order to overcome the existing barriers to the development of this sector.

A summary of findings for each of these chapters is reported underneath.

Production
In this chapter data on productivity for the major energy crops, obtained both by field trials (crops under investigation) and by statistical sources (species already cultivated for food, industrial or energy purposes) are reported.
The following energy crops have been taken into account:

• oleaginous crops for biodiesel production: sunflower, rape
• sugar bearing crops for ethanol production: sugar beet, sweet sorghum, Jerusalem artichoke
• cellulosic crops for heating or electricity production, further on divided into:
  • annual species: fibre sorghum, kenaf
  • perennial herbaceous species: Miscanthus, giant reed, cardoon
  • perennial woody species (SRF): black locust, broom, eucalyptus, willow, poplar.

Where possible, the influence of the major production factors (fertilisation, irrigation etc.) has been described. For some of the considered crops, data on cultivation costs and/or energy balance are also reported.

Harvesting & Processing
Agricultural machines used for harvesting currently cultivated species (sunflower, rape, sugar beet) have not been considered in this study. Several field test have been performed in Italy in the last years using modified conventional harvesting machines or innovative harvesters, specifically designed for a particular crop, and in this chapter a brief description of such trials have been reported, together with some preliminary economic evaluations.

Utilisation
As said before, the only industrial application of energy crops in Italy is, at moment, the biodiesel production from sunflower and rape. The electricity production from biomass, including energy crops, is the aim of some demonstration projects. In this chapter significant data on the productive chain both on the production of the agricultural raw material as well as on the biodiesel producing industry have been reported.

Conclusions and Recommendations
At the end of this overview, it is possible to say that, also if till now the industrial exploitation of energy crops in Italy is very limited, in the near future they could contribute not only to the Italian energy balance, but also to open new perspectives and market opportunities for both national agriculture and agro-industry. In any case, the expansion of bioenergy applications will require a constant synergy between public and private organisations, whose main tasks would be respectively:

• For public organisations:
  • promotion of technological innovation
  • promulgation of regulations
  • seeking for social consensus

• For private organisations:
  • creation of consortium structures
  • organisation of service and interface infrastructures
  • integrated service management