Pagėgių krašto bendruomenių patirtis plėtojant socialinį verslą

Socialinė ekonomika apima kooperatyvų, savidraudos draugijų, asociacijų ir fondų ūkinę veiklą. Akivaizdus šios ekonominės veiklos socialinis efektyvumas: statistiniai tyrimai ES šalyse rodo, kad vienos darbo vietos rėmimas socialinėje įmonėje kainuoja penkis kartus pigiau nei vieno bedarbio išlaikymas. Lietuvai aktualu kuo sparčiau perimti ES šalių - senbuvių patirtį, sukauptą plėtojant socialinę ekonomiką nes 55 proc. miesto gyventojų ir apie trys ketvirtadaliai kaimo gyventojų yra ekonomiškai pasyvūs. Visuomenės išlaikytinių skaičius nuo 2007 m. šalyje išaugo net 6 kartus, nežiūrint, kad per šį laikotarpį labai padidėjo darbingų tėvynainių emigracijos mastai. Socialinė ekonomika nėra panacėja nuo visų kaimo bėdų, tačiau būtų klaida nepastebėti gerosios ES šalių - senbuvių patirties kokybiškai naujai ir efektyviai sprendžiant socialinės rūpybos uždavinius. Labai svarbu tinkamai įvertinti mūsų šalies kaimo vietovėse įgyvendinamų pirmųjų socialinės ekonomikos bandymų vaidmenį ilgalaikės kaimo plėtros požiūriu. Sukauptos praktikos tikroji vertė išryškės naujuoju programavimo laikotarpiu, kai nuo 2014 m. ES šalys, įgyvendindamos strategiją „Europa 2020", vienu iš svarbiausių plėtros prioritetų laikys gyventojų ekonominio aktyvumo didinimą ir socialinių inovacijų įgyvendinimą. Straipsnyje analizuojama socialinės ekonomikos inicijavimo patirtis, kurią sukaupė Vietos veiklos grupė „Pagėgių kraštas", glaudžiai bendradarbiaudama su Aleksandro Stulginskio universitetu. Straipsnyje pristatomas naujas kaimo bendruomenių veiklos modelis, grindžiamas savipagalbos, asmeninės atsakomybės, lygybės ir solidarumo principais, taip pat vertybėmis, kurios užtikrina bendrystę kaimo viešajame gyvenime. Sukaupta geroji patirtis gali būti naudinga ir kitų Lietuvos regionų kaimo plėtros novatoriamsVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

Vietos plėtros strategijų rengimo gerosios patirties analizė sisteminio mąstymo požiūriu

Vytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

Evaluation of Multi-Crop Biofuel Pellet Properties and the Life Cycle Assessment

Although wood biomass is mostly used to produce solid biofuel pellets, it is important to evaluate the possibilities of using other types of biomass as well. It is not only important to obtain biofuel pellets of suitable quality but also to ensure a sustainable process of producing and using these pellets for energy production. This paper presents an evaluation of the quality characteristics of seven different biofuel pellets made from multi-crop plants (fibrous hemp, maize, and faba bean) and a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the heat production by burning these pellets. The physical-mechanical properties and elemental composition of the pellets are determined according to international standards, as indicated in the methodology section. The LCA was performed using the SimaPro 9.5 software. The complete life cycle from cradle-to-grave is assessed, i.e., from growing plants to spreading ash obtained from pellet burning. An analysis showed that in most cases the produced pellets met the requirements of the standard ISO 17225-6:2021. The lowest negative environmental impact associated with the production of 1 GJ of thermal energy was for pellets made from fibrous hemp and maize biomass (MIX2-1) and pellets made from fibrous hemp and faba bean biomass (MIX2-3). Production of pellets from maize biomass (S-Mz) was found to have the highest carbon footprint (29.1 CO2eq GJ−1) and was associated with the lowest crop yield compared to the other six scenarios

Investigation of Pressed Solid Biofuel Produced from Multi-Crop Biomass

The paper presents the preparation and use of pressed solid biofuel of multi-crop plants (fibrous hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), maize (Zea mays L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.)) as mono, binary and trinomial crops. The results of the investigation show that three main chemical elements (carbon, oxygen and hydrogen) accounted for 93.1 to 94.9% of the biomass pellet content. The moisture content varied from 3.9 to 8.8%, ash content from 4.5 to 6.8% and calorific value from 16.8 to 17.1 MJ·kg−1. It was found that the density (DM) of all variants of pellets was very similar; the faba bean biomass pellets had the highest density of 1195.8 kg·m−3 DM. The initial ash deformation temperature (DT) of burning biomass pellets was detected, which varied from 976 to 1322 °C. High potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) concentrations were found in all types of biomass ash. The quantities of heavy metals in pellet ash were not large and did not exceed the permissible values according to Lithuanian legislation. These chemical properties of multi-crop biomass ash allow them to be used in agriculture for plant fertilization

Investigation of Pressed Solid Biofuel Produced from Multi-Crop Biomass

The paper presents the preparation and use of pressed solid biofuel of multi-crop plants (fibrous hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), maize (Zea mays L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.)) as mono, binary and trinomial crops. The results of the investigation show that three main chemical elements (carbon, oxygen and hydrogen) accounted for 93.1 to 94.9% of the biomass pellet content. The moisture content varied from 3.9 to 8.8%, ash content from 4.5 to 6.8% and calorific value from 16.8 to 17.1 MJ·kg−1. It was found that the density (DM) of all variants of pellets was very similar; the faba bean biomass pellets had the highest density of 1195.8 kg·m−3 DM. The initial ash deformation temperature (DT) of burning biomass pellets was detected, which varied from 976 to 1322 °C. High potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) concentrations were found in all types of biomass ash. The quantities of heavy metals in pellet ash were not large and did not exceed the permissible values according to Lithuanian legislation. These chemical properties of multi-crop biomass ash allow them to be used in agriculture for plant fertilization

Evaluation of the Processing of Multi-Crop Plants into Pelletized Biofuel and Its Use for Energy Conversion

Multi-crop plants (fibrous hemp, maize, and faba bean) can potentially be an alternative to wood biomass pellets, but there is no detailed knowledge to support the suitability of this biomass for solid biofuel production. The aim of this study is to analyze and justify the suitability of multi-crop plant biomass for the production of biofuel pellets and to assess the environmental impact of burning them. This paper presents studies of physical-mechanical, thermal, and chemical characteristics of biofuel pellets from multi-crop plants and emissions during their combustion under laboratory conditions. The main parameters of the produced pellets were determined according to international standards, which are detailed in the methodology part. The length of the produced pellets ranged from 17.6 to 26.6 mm, and the diameter was about 6 mm. The density of wet pellets varied from 1077.67 to 1249.78 kg m−3. The amount of ash in the pellets varied from 5.75% to 8.02%. Determined lower calorific value of all pellets was close to 17.1 MJ kg−1. The lowest CO and CxHy emissions were determined when burning MIX2-1 pellets (biomass of the binary crop); their values were 572 and 29 ppm, respectively. The lowest content of CO2 was determined when burning S-Mz pellets (mono crop biomass), and it was 3.5%. The lowest NOx emissions were also determined when burning the pellets of this sample, with a value of 124 ppm. Research results show that multi-crop plants are a suitable raw material for the production of solid biofuel, the burning of which does not cause negative consequences for the environment