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Energy Balance of Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) Cultivation and Pyrolysis

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Perennial Biomass Crops for a Resource-Constrained World

Abstract

Cynara cardunculus L. is a promising energy crop for energy production. The Biomass Research Centre realized experimental fields to test in Umbria region (Italy) the cultivation of a Spanish variety of cardoon. Biomass yield was 6.7 t d.m./ha, equal to about 103 GJ/ha of energy. The energy spent to cultivate cardoon, transport it and convert it into energy is estimated to be 9.3 GJ/ha. Energy required to pyrolyze Cardoon resulted to be 1.7 MJ/kg. The net energy yield per hectare of cultivated surface, is 60.8 GJ/ha, this means that about 59 % of the energy contained in the original cardoon biomass could be converted into heat, electricity and biochar. Energy Return On Investment is 6.5. These results have never been presented for cardoon, which has proven to be an efficient energy crop to produce bioenergy and biochar.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Prof. Jesus Fernandez of the Politechnical University of Madrid for the cardoon seeds he had selected. The authors would also like to thank the would also like to thank the Foundation for Agricultural Instruction of the University of Perugia; Dr. V. Mazza for the analysis of data obtained from experimental fields; Dr. R. Petesse for the analysis of data obtained by pyrolysis tests. Eng. Bruno D’Alessandro should be acknowledged for calculations on mass and energy balances of the IPRP pyrolysis plant. Dr.ess Pilar Ciria and dr. Luis Saul Esteban of CEDERCIEMAT (Soria, Spain) should be acknowledged for their explanations on cardoon crop productivity and cardoon combustion tests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy

    P. Bartocci, G.i Bidini, F. Cotana & F. Fantozzi

Authors
  1. P. Bartocci
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  2. G.i Bidini
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  3. F. Cotana
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  4. F. Fantozzi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Bartocci .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CELUP Oak Park Research Centre, Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow, Ireland

    Susanne Barth

  2. Lohne, Niedersachsen, Germany

    Donal Murphy-Bokern

  3. Fg. Nachwachsende Rohstoffe und Bioenerg, Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Olena Kalinina

  4. Centre for Biosciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom

    Gail Taylor

  5. School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Michael Jones

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Bartocci, P., Bidini, G., Cotana, F., Fantozzi, F. (2016). Energy Balance of Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) Cultivation and Pyrolysis. In: Barth, S., Murphy-Bokern, D., Kalinina, O., Taylor, G., Jones, M. (eds) Perennial Biomass Crops for a Resource-Constrained World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44530-4_21

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