Feasibility of SRC Species for Growing in Mediterranean Conditions
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Feasibility of SRC Species for Growing in Mediterranean Conditions Alejandra Navarro 1 & Anna Maria Stellacci 1 & Pasquale Campi 1 & Carolina Vitti 1 & Francesca Modugno 1 & Marcello Mastrorilli 1
Published online: 2 October 2015 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Abstract The suitability of poplar (Populus × canadensis Moench.—genotype ‘Neva’), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus bridgesiana R. Baker) growing in short rotation coppice (SRC) system in a Mediterranean area (southern Italy), and under two management regimes, was evaluated in terms of survival, biomass yield, biomass quality, and soil fertility. The high management regime (H treatment) consisted of high plant density (6667 trees ha−1) and a 2-year harvesting cycle; the low management regime (L treatment) consisted of low plant density (1667 trees ha−1) and a 4-year harvesting cycle. The dry biomass production was 36, 13, and 9 t dry matter (dm)ha−1 in the H treatment and 25, 14, and 7 t dm ha−1 in the L treatment for eucalyptus, black locust, and poplar, respectively. The analysis of the biomass showed a superior quality for the black locust feedstock because of its low moisture and ash percentages, high heating value (HHV), and low alkali metal concentrations, although, from an environmental point of view, the high N (12.3 g kg−1) and S (0.7 g kg−1) biomass concentrations would increase the pollutant emissions generated by combustion. Eucalyptus showed a high HHV, especially for the H treatment (18.70 MJ kg−1). Its high concentrations of K (4 g kg−1) and Mg (0.8 g kg−1) could provoke slagging and fouling in combustion equipment, and the high concentrations of S and N, if leaves are considered in the harvested biomass, indicate the low quality of its feedstock. No specific poplar feedstock stood out, although it had a good HHV
* Alejandra Navarro [email protected]; [email protected] 1
Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria, Research Unit for Cropping Systems in Dry Environments (CREA-SCA), Via Celso Ulpiani 5, 70125 Bari, Italy
(19.02 MJ kg−1). The soil fertility was not affected negatively after the 4-year SRC cycle, while S content in soil showed a tendency to increase in the case of black locust cultivation. Keywords SRC systems . Biomass production . Feedstock quality . Mediterranean environment . Soil fertility
Introduction On October 24, 2014, the EU Council approved objectives to be met by 2030 for climate and energy goals. One of the targets includes an increase in the proportion of the EU’s renewable energy consumption to at least 27 % by 2030. In the EU-28 (European Union of 28 Member States), the share of renewable energy in the gross final energy consumption has steadily grown from 9.2 % in 2007 to 14 % in 2012 [1]. According to the directive 2009/28/EC, by 2020 Italy will have to produce an amount of renewable energy equal to 17 % of its consumption. In 2012, this percentage, according to the National Action Plan for Renewable Energy, w
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