Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)

Research article2020Peer reviewedOpen access

Life-Cycle Assessment of the Use of Peach Pruning Residues for Electricity Generation

Den Boer, Jan; Dyjakon, Arkadiusz; Den Boer, Emilia; Garcia-Galindo, Daniel; Bosona, Techane; Gebresenbet, Girma

Abstract

Biomass residues from permanent crops might be an alternative fuel for energy generation in a local market with limited transport distances. Moreover, as activities related to CO2 reduction are of special attention in the European Union (EU), sustainable use of resources plays an important role in climate change mitigation. In this paper, a life-cycle assessment (LCA) of the integrated value chain from peach pruning residues for electricity generation is presented and compared with the common practice including the mulching process of the pruned biomass in an orchard. It was shown that biomass harvesting, chipping and its delivery to a power plant-the Pruning-to-Energy (PtE) scenario-is feasible from an environmental point of view. The total global warming potential (GWP) of this value chain was 200 kg CO2 eq.ha(-1) (or 27 kg CO2 eq.GJ(-1)). In turn, the mulching and leaving of the pruned biomass in an orchard-the pruning-to-soil (PtS) scenario-is characterized by a CO2 equivalent of 2360 kgha(-1). Other impact categories showed a lower environmental impact for the PtE scenario as well. When considering the Spanish electricity-mix instead of coal-based electricity, the PtS scenario score better in most impact categories, but the GWP for the PtE scenario remains lower.

Keywords

peach pruning residues; electricity production; life cycle assessment; LCA; biomass-to-energy

Published in

Energies
2020, Volume: 13, number: 11, article number: 2734
Publisher: MDPI

      SLU Authors

      • Sustainable Development Goals

      Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
      Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

      UKÄ Subject classification

      Renewable Bioenergy Research

      Publication identifier

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en13112734

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/106985