Search

The global charcoal trade is steadily growing, with high-income countries importing significant quantities of this material from regions where its production is often associated with severe environmental issues, including forest overexploitation, illegal logging, and environmental pollution. Promoting local charcoal production in high-income countries is crucial to addressing these challenges. In this study, we have chosen to focus on the European context, specifically emphasizing Italy as a case study. Our study aimed to comprehensively compare five distinct charcoal production systems, including both traditional and modern solutions, with a specific focus on evaluating the quality of the resulting charcoal. Additionally, improvements were evaluated to enhance production efficiency. Traditional systems cannot satisfy production requests, resulting in inefficiencies in manpower, costs, times, and yield. Conversely, recent innovations consider mobile and stationary kiln prototypes. Mobile kilns offer flexibility and cost savings but require operator expertise, limit automation, and have long cycles. In contrast, stationary systems operate continuously, increasing productivity and efficiency, despite higher investment costs. Notably, charcoal quality showed minimal differences. These findings highlighted the potential of new technologies to enhance efficiency, reduce cost and environmental impact, and promote sustainable charcoal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Italy, the agricultural residues resulting from the pruning of vineyards represent a potential energy Source, in particular for the Veneto region, which is the second Italian region by vineyard area. This study is aimed at analysing the main physical and chemical characteristics of vine shoots from the annual pruning of vineyards. This for use them as wood chips in small-medium size power plants. International and European standards for the analysis of biofuels were used to determine the moisture content, heating value, ash content, micro and macro elemental and fibrous fraction (lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose and extractives). The samples were collected from three different vineyards in the Vicenza area. The varieties analysed were Chardonnay, Glera, and Merlot. For each variety, the three different components of vine shoots were compared: internode, node, and pith, to investigate in which part of the vine shoot the most significant accumulation of metallic elements deriving from plant protection products occurs. The results show significant differences among the energy parameters of the three varieties and three vine shoot components. In particular, the pith shows low heating value and high ash content, while higher energy values characterise the woody components. Analysis of the chemical elements showed a high content of Cu and Zn in the wood components, node, and internode, causing the high ash content found. In particular, Cu content exceeds the limits set by the reference standard. As regards the analysis of the fibrous fraction, a high content of extractives was found in the pith. These extractives could explain why the pith of the three varieties analysed, especially in Chardonnay, have lower heating value on dry basis (LHV0) values and high ash contents. On the contrary, the node and internode components have a higher cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content. Overall, the vine shoots analysed have characteristics suitable for possible energy use. However, according to EN ISO 17225-9:2021 standard, these can only be used as wood chips for industrial purposes in large power plants due to the high ash and Cu content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global changes push to set up strategies able to mitigate and adapt agricultural and forest crops to environmental variability, and the sustainable intensification of production processes under agricultural and forestry systems is one of the approaches mainly supported. In Italy biomass and biogas are the renewable energy sources that have shown the greatest potential for growth in recent years. In this context, during the XV National Congress held in Bolzano in February 2018, the Italian Association of Agricultural Scientific Societies has promoted an analysis about potentialities and limits of the sustainable intensification of agricultural and forestry systems for bioenergy production. This document reports the outcome, in the form of a commented discussion, on the main evidences and proposals from technical-scientific and operational points of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Assessment of the sustainability of using vineyard pruning residues for energy conversion. • Characterization of the physico-mechanical properties of the wood chips. • Quantification of the primary emissions of CO 2 , CO, NOx, SO 2 and particulate matter. • Quantification of the primary emissions, and related toxic potential, of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PAHs. • Characterization of combustion ashes in view of their possible reutilization as soil amendments. Abstract Open burning of agricultural waste is still a common practice as it is a rapid method for waste disposal, although natural biomass, including agriculture residues, can be exploited as a renewable energy source. We assessed the viability and sustainability of using vineyard pruning residues, as wood chips, for energy conversion. Wood chips, obtained from vineyards in the Prosecco DOCG region (Italy), were characterized in terms of chemical composition, calorific value, ash content and humidity. Combustion tests were performed in a medium-size biomass boiler (maximum power 500 kW) to assess the viability of the approach in terms of sustainable steady-state combustion. Primary emissions of both macro- and micro-pollutants were measured to assess the environmental impact. An analytical method was purposely developed for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in three matrices: fly ashes, condensate and gas. The results showed that vineyard pruning residues can be used for energy conversion in medium- and large-scale biomass boilers. Primary emissions of measured pollutants were all below limit values set by current European legislation except for particulate matter, for which current available abatement technologies are required to contain emissions, thus making the use of vineyard pruning residues unsuitable for combustion in domestic appliances where such technologies are not installed. Bottom ashes produced during combustion were also characterized to assess whether they can be recycled in the vineyard as soil amendments/fertilizers. Copper content in combustion ashes exceeded limit values for ashes to be used as fertilizers in agricultural fields for some European countries but not for others, indicating that ashes may need to be disposed as waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]