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Energy Crops Production in Central and Eastern Europe

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "C: Energy Economics and Policy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 July 2022) | Viewed by 11799

Special Issue Editors

Department of Economics and Organization of Enterprises, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: agricultural and rural economics; technological progress in bioeconomy; renewable energy; bioenergy and biofuels; biomass energy
Department of Agronomy and Agribusiness, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: agricultural economics; rural areas development; renewable energy sources; biomass production
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increased production of biomass for energy has the substantial potential to offset the use of fossil fuels, but it also has the potential to threaten conservation areas, pollute water resources and decrease food security. The net effect of biomass energy on the climate could be either cooling or warming, depending on the crop, the technology for converting biomass into useable energy, and the reduction in GHG emission.

The global potential for biomass energy production is large in absolute terms, but it is not enough to replace more than a few percent of current fossil fuel usage. The potential of ecologically responsible energy production from various crops in CEE countries should be recognized, as the productivity of ecosystems differs from that in tropical countries.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to publish a set of articles that characterize the assessments of crops intended for energy purposes in terms of production potential, economic and environmental efficiency, and social acceptability.

There are no additional restrictions on the subject of this Special Issue. We encourage authors to send their works for presentation. The most important criteria for accepting a manuscript will be the contribution to this field of knowledge and the novelty of the evaluation.

Dr. Ludwik Wicki
Dr. Piotr Borawski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • energy crops
  • biomass energy potential and production
  • biofuels
  • agricultural biomass
  • forest biomass
  • GHG emission and biomass energy
  • environmental issues associated with biomass fuel utilization

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 855 KiB  
Article
Is the Production of Agricultural Biogas Environmentally Friendly? Does the Structure of Consumption of First- and Second-Generation Raw Materials in Latvia and Poland Matter?
by Ludwik Wicki, Kaspars Naglis-Liepa, Tadeusz Filipiak, Andrzej Parzonko and Aleksandra Wicka
Energies 2022, 15(15), 5623; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15155623 - 03 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1786
Abstract
The importance of biogas in the energy mix in Poland and Latvia is very low. In Poland, 306 million m3 of biogas is produced annually, and in Latvia, 56 million m3. The share of energy from agricultural biogas in Latvia [...] Read more.
The importance of biogas in the energy mix in Poland and Latvia is very low. In Poland, 306 million m3 of biogas is produced annually, and in Latvia, 56 million m3. The share of energy from agricultural biogas in Latvia is 1.6%, and in Poland, only 0.12%. This study analyzed the impact of the structure on CO2 emissions from agricultural biogas production in Latvia and Poland. The emission was determined in accordance with the EU directive. The structure of substrates was dominated by those from the second generation, i.e., manure and food waste. In Latvia, it was 70%, and in Poland, 78%. The manure share was 45% and 24%, respectively. The anaerobic digestion of manure guarantees high GHG savings thanks to the avoided emissions from the traditional storage and management of raw manure as organic fertilizer. The level of emissions from the production of agricultural biogas was calculated for the variant with the use of closed digestate tanks, and it was about 10–11 g CO2/MJ, which is comparable to the emissions from solar photovoltaic sources. When using open tanks, the emission level was twice as high, but it was still many times less than from the Polish or Latvian energy mix. Such a low level of emissions resulted from the high share of manure. The level of emission reduction reached 90% compared to fossil fuels. The use of second-generation feedstock in biogas production provides environmental benefits. Therefore, if wastes are used in biogas generation, and the influence on the local environment and overall GHG emissions is positive, authorities should support such activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Crops Production in Central and Eastern Europe)
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15 pages, 1188 KiB  
Article
Perspectives of Biodiesel Development in Poland against the Background of the European Union
by Piotr Bórawski, Lisa Holden, Marek Bartłomiej Bórawski and Bartosz Mickiewicz
Energies 2022, 15(12), 4332; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15124332 - 13 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2559
Abstract
Biofuels are becoming more important in the renewable energy sources mix. Liquid biofuels are products of agriculture. Bioethanol can be prepared from corn, beetroot and other plants. Biodiesel is mainly made from rapeseed. This paper presents information about biodiesel development in Poland, as [...] Read more.
Biofuels are becoming more important in the renewable energy sources mix. Liquid biofuels are products of agriculture. Bioethanol can be prepared from corn, beetroot and other plants. Biodiesel is mainly made from rapeseed. This paper presents information about biodiesel development in Poland, as well as some background information about its development in the European Union (EU). We analyzed the data about biofuels in the literature, and provide statistical data about liquid biofuel in Poland and other countries of the EU. The aim of the study is to assess the viability of liquid biofuel development in Poland. The base for biodiesel production in Poland and the EU is rapeseed. The production yields and sown area of rapeseed increased in Poland from 2005–2020. This was due to integration and European Union policies which aim to supply clean energy. The energy mix in Poland differs from that of the EU. Solid biofuels have made up the biggest share of renewable energy sources in Poland (73.4%) and the EU (40.1%). Poland has smaller share of wind energy, biogas, heat pump, water energy, solar anergy, municipal waste and geothermal energy in its renewable energy sources compared to the rest of the EU. Only with solid and liquid biofuels is the share of renewable energy sources larger in Poland compared to the EU averages. Poland has decreased its share of solid biofuels and water energy among its renewable energy sources, while other sources have increased. Poland is investing to increase its renewable energy sources. To analyze the opportunities for biodiesel production in Poland, we used the scenario method of analysis. We outlined three scenarios. The first is increasing the production of biodiesel by 3% each year for the next three years. The second is production remains unchanged, i.e., at the 2020 level. The last scenario is decreasing production by 3% each year. According to the first scenario, the total demand for rapeseed for energy and food purposes will be 375 thousand tons in 2025. Such a scenario is very likely to occur because of the growing demand for biodiesel and edible oil. The current situation with Ukraine and the Russian Federation will create an increase in demand for rapeseed, leading to higher prices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Crops Production in Central and Eastern Europe)
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22 pages, 874 KiB  
Article
Development of Solid Biomass Production in Poland, Especially Pellet, in the Context of the World’s and the European Union’s Climate and Energy Policies
by Aneta Bełdycka-Bórawska, Piotr Bórawski, Michał Borychowski, Rafał Wyszomierski, Marek Bartłomiej Bórawski, Tomasz Rokicki, Luiza Ochnio, Krzysztof Jankowski, Bartosz Mickiewicz and James W. Dunn
Energies 2021, 14(12), 3587; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14123587 - 16 Jun 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2626
Abstract
The aim of this research was to present the changes in biomass production, especially pellets in Poland, in the context of world’s and European Union’s (EU) climate and energy policy, compared to other renewable energy sources. We also analyzed the law concerning the [...] Read more.
The aim of this research was to present the changes in biomass production, especially pellets in Poland, in the context of world’s and European Union’s (EU) climate and energy policy, compared to other renewable energy sources. We also analyzed the law concerning the biomass production in the EU. Finally, we have elaborated the prognosis of the pellet production on the world scale. We have used different methods to achieve the goals, among which the most important are the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH model) and prognosis. We also compared the results of pellet production in different countries in the European Union. The results were presented in tabular and graphic form. We have received the data from Eurostat and the Main Statistical Office (MSO) in Poland. Our research proves the increase of biomass and pellet production on the global scale. Moreover, global wood pellet production increased by 972% in the years 2005–2018. We can conclude that this increase was the result of increasing demand for renewable energy sources. The first research hypothesis assumed that the changes in the European Union Policy have impacted the increase of biomass production in the world. Our prognosis confirmed the second hypothesis that the development of pellets will increase as the result of increasing global demand. The use of more renewable energy sources is necessary to decrease the degradation of the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Crops Production in Central and Eastern Europe)
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24 pages, 27394 KiB  
Article
Production of Agricultural Biogas with the Use of a Hydrodynamic Mixing System of a Polydisperse Substrate in a Reactor with an Adhesive Bed
by Kamila Klimek, Magdalena Kapłan, Serhiy Syrotyuk, Ryszard Konieczny, Dorota Anders, Barbara Dybek, Agnieszka Karwacka and Grzegorz Wałowski
Energies 2021, 14(12), 3538; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14123538 - 14 Jun 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1671
Abstract
The properties, types, and physical and chemical aspects of pig slurry used in the fermentation process were presented. Characterization of the pig slurry microflora for a controlled biogas production process was performed. A pilot biogas treatment installation was presented on the example of [...] Read more.
The properties, types, and physical and chemical aspects of pig slurry used in the fermentation process were presented. Characterization of the pig slurry microflora for a controlled biogas production process was performed. A pilot biogas treatment installation was presented on the example of a farm with 1100 Dan Bred fatteners kept in a grate system. The research was carried out to measure the biogas flow rate resulting from the reference pressure in the fermentor. An independent assessment of the amount of biogas and the pressure drop in the skeletal deposit was carried out. The basis for assessing the hydrodynamics of gas flow through the adhesive bed is the flow characteristic, which results from the pressure that forces this flow. In each case, the determination of this characteristic consists in determining the influence of the biogas stream on the value of this overpressure, equivalent to the pressure drop (it is tantamount to determining the total biogas flow resistance through the adhesive bed). The results of the measurements indicate the practical application of pig slurry-a substrate in a polydisperse system for the production of agricultural biogas in the context of renewable energies. The article indicates that the ferment was periodically mixed during the day, together with the fermentation of the ferment with fresh substrate. The tests were conducted for 49 days, thus demonstrating that it is more advantageous to mix the ferment hydrodynamically, obtaining a CH4 level of about 80%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Crops Production in Central and Eastern Europe)
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13 pages, 1810 KiB  
Article
Model of Flow Resistance Coefficient for a Fragment of a Porous Material Deposit with Skeletal Structure
by Grzegorz Wałowski
Energies 2021, 14(11), 3355; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14113355 - 07 Jun 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1968
Abstract
The hydrodynamic conditions resulting from the permeability of porous materials are based not only on the assessment of the gas flow through these materials, but also the losses related to the pressure energy in this flow. Flow resistance is a direct measure of [...] Read more.
The hydrodynamic conditions resulting from the permeability of porous materials are based not only on the assessment of the gas flow through these materials, but also the losses related to the pressure energy in this flow. Flow resistance is a direct measure of this loss. The aim of this experimental research was to evaluate the flow resistance of the porous material in relation to the gas flow. The research was carried out on a material with a slit-porous structure. The tests were carried out on a system for measuring gas permeability under the conditions of gas bubbling through the char. The issue of the total pressure drop process in the porous bed was considered in the Reynolds number category. The coefficient of flow resistance for the char was determined and the value of this coefficient was compared with the gas stream, and an experimental evaluation of the total pressure drop on the porous bed was made. The novelty of this article is the determination of the tortuosity and the gas permeability coefficient for a solid of any shape—a rigid skeleton. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Crops Production in Central and Eastern Europe)
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