Sustainable use of eucalypt biomass grown on short rotation coppice for bioenergy

Bioenergy is one of the alternatives to reduce the dependence of global energy on fossil fuels. The short rotation coppice (SRC) of eucalypt species appears as an interesting option for forest biomass production in a short time. However, the harvesting of whole trees (included the crown) in SRC syst...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Eufrade Junior, Humbertode Jesus [UNESP], Melo, Raoni Xavier de [UNESP], Pereira Sartori, Maria Marcia [UNESP], Sebastiao Guerra, Saulo Philipe [UNESP], Ballarin, Adriano Wagner [UNESP]
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:Brasil
Institución:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
Repositorio:Repositório Institucional da UNESP
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unesp.br:11449/161597
Acceso en línea:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2016.03.037
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/161597
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Forest biomass
Short rotation woody crops
Dry matter
Energy yield
Nutrients export
Descripción
Sumario:Bioenergy is one of the alternatives to reduce the dependence of global energy on fossil fuels. The short rotation coppice (SRC) of eucalypt species appears as an interesting option for forest biomass production in a short time. However, the harvesting of whole trees (included the crown) in SRC systems has implications on sustainable land use. More information is required on the increase of biomass as renewable energy resource to achieve the sustainability of these crops. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the sustainable use of biomass from very high-density eucalypt plantations, managed at tropical conditions for bioenergy. To accomplish this objective, the tree was fractionated into three fractions: stem, branches, and leaves, and there was determination of the dry matter, energy yield, and nutrients export. This experiment used a short rotation coppice, a hybrid clone of Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus grandis, of 2 years old. According to the results obtained, the density planting and fertilization levels have a greater influence on the dry matter yield, energy yield, and nutrient exports. The higher density planting reaches mean values of 30.9 tonnes of dry matter per hectare (t DM ha(-1)) and 743.3 GJ ha(-1). Considering the biomass yield and nutrients export of short rotation coppice of eucalypt, the higher density planting with the lower dose of fertilization is more indicative of sustainable use. The leaves have an important participation in nutrients export and should be retained in the soil of forest. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.