Dimitriou, Ioannis
- Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Review article2014Peer reviewedOpen access
Optimising the Environmental Sustainability of Short Rotation Coppice Biomass Production for Energy
Dimitriou, Ioannis; Fištrek, Željka
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Solid biomass from short rotation coppice (SRC) has the potential to significantly contribute to European renewable energy targets and the expected demand for wood for energy, driven mainly by market forces and supported by the targets of national and European energy policies. It is expected that in the near future the number of hectares under SRC will increase in Europe. Besides producing biomass for energy, SRC cultivation can result in various benefits for the environment if it is conducted in a sustainable way. This paper provides with an overview of these environmental benefits.
Discussion and Conclusions: The review of existing literature shows that SRC helps to improve water quality, enhance biodiversity, prevent erosion, reduce chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) and mitigate climate change due to carbon storage. To promote and disseminate environmentally sustainable production of SRC, based on existing literature and own project experience, a set of sustainability recommendations for SRC production is developed. In addition to numerous environmental benefits, sustainable SRC supply chains can bring also economic and social benefits. However, these aspects of sustainability are not addressed in this paper since they are often country specific and often rely on local conditions and policies. The sustainable practices identified in this manuscript should be promoted among relevant stakeholder to stimulate sustainable local SRC production.
Keywords
biodiversity; biomass; bioenergy; short rotation crops; water quality; soil quality
Published in
South-East European Forestry
2014, Volume: 5, number: 2, pages: 81-91
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
Renewable Bioenergy Research
Agricultural Science
Publication identifier
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15177/seefor.14-15
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/66070