Utilización del cultivo plurianual de pataca (Helianthus tuberosus L.) para la producción de hidratos de carbono fermentables a partir de los tallos

La pataca (Helianthus tuberosus L.) es una especie de cultivo con un alto potencial en la producción de hidratos de carbono de reserva en forma de polifructanos, especialmente inulina, que se acumulan temporalmente en los tallos en forma de polisacáridos para translocarse posteriormente a los tubérculos, donde son almacenados. Aunque tradicionalmente el producto de interés del cultivo son los tubérculos, que acumulan gran cantidad de hidratos de carbono fermentables (HCF) cuando se recogen al final del ciclo de desarrollo, en este trabajo se pretende evaluar el potencial de la pataca como productor de HCF a partir de los tallos cosechados en el momento de máximo contenido en HCF, mediante un sistema de cultivo plurianual. Se han realizado los siguientes estudios: i) Determinación del momento óptimo de cosecha en ensayos con 12 clones ii) Potencial del cultivo plurianual de la pataca en términos de producción anual de biomasa aérea y de HCF en cosechas sucesivas, iii) Ensayos de conservación de la biomasa aérea, iv) Estimación de los costes de las dos modalidades de cultivo de pataca para producción de HCF y v) Estimación de la sostenibilidad energética de la producción de bioetanol mediante la utilización de los subproductos. Para la determinación del momento óptimo de la cosecha de la biomasa aérea se ensayaron 12 clones de diferente precocidad en Madrid; 4 tempranos (Huertos de Moya, C-17, Columbia y D-19) y 8 tardíos (Boniches, China, K-8, Salmantina, Nahodka, C-13, INIA y Violeta de Rennes). El máximo contenido en HCF tuvo lugar en el estado fenológico de botón floral-flor que además coincidió con la máxima producción de biomasa aérea. De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos, la cosecha de los clones tempranos se debería realizar en el mes de julio y en los clones tardíos en septiembre, siendo éstos últimos más productivos. La producción media más representativa entre los 12 clones, obtenida en el estado fenológico de botón floral fue de 23,40 t ms/ha (clon INIA), con un contenido medio en HCF de 30,30 % lo que supondría una producción potencial media de 7,06 t HCF/ha. La producción máxima en HCF se obtuvo en el clon Boniches con 7,61 t/ha y 22,81 t ms/ha de biomasa aérea. En el sistema de cultivo plurianual la cantidad de tallos por unidad de superficie aumenta cada año debido a la cantidad de tubérculos que van quedando en el terreno, sobre todo a partir del 3er año, lo que produce la disminución del peso unitario de los tallos, con el consiguiente riesgo de encamado. El aclareo de los tallos nacidos a principios de primavera mediante herbicidas tipo Glifosato o mediante una labor de rotocultor rebaja la densidad final de tallos y mejora los rendimientos del cultivo. En las experiencias de conservación de la biomasa aérea se obtuvo una buena conservación por un período de 6 meses de los HCF contenidos en los tallos secos empacados y almacenados bajo cubierta. Considerando que el rendimiento práctico de la fermentación alcohólica es de 0,5 l de etanol por cada kg de azúcar, la producción potencial de etanol para una cosecha de tallos de 7,06 t de HCF/ha sería de 3.530 l/ha. El bagazo producido en la extracción de los HCF de la biomasa aérea supondría 11,91 t/ha lo que utilizado para fines térmicos supone más de 3 veces la energía primaria requerida en el proceso de producción de etanol, considerando un poder calorífico inferior de 3.832,6 kcal/kg. Para una producción de HCF a partir de la biomasa aérea de 7,06 t/ha y en tubérculos al final del ciclo de 12,11 t/ha, los costes de producción estimados para cada uno de ellos fueron de 184,69 €/t para los HCF procedentes de la biomasa aérea y 311,30 €/t para los de tubérculos. Como resultado de este trabajo se puede concluir que la producción de HCF a partir de la biomasa aérea de pataca en cultivo plurianual, es viable desde un punto de vista técnico, con reducción de los costes de producción respecto al sistema tradicional de cosecha de tubérculos. Entre las ventajas técnicas de esta modalidad de cultivo, cabe destacar: la reducción de operaciones de cultivo, la facilidad y menor coste de la cosecha, y la posibilidad de conservación de los HCF en la biomasa cosechada sin mermas durante varios meses. Estas ventajas, compensan con creces el menor rendimiento por unidad de superficie que se obtiene con este sistema de cultivo frente al de cosecha de los tubérculos. Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) (JA) is a crop with a high potential for the production of carbohydrates in the form of polyfructans, especially inulin, which are temporarily accumulated in the stems in the form of polysaccharides. Subsequently they are translocated to the tubers, where they are finally accumulated. In this work the potential of Jerusalem artichoke for fermentable carbohydrates from stems that are harvested at their peak of carbohydrates accumulation is assessed as compared to the traditional cultivation system that aims at the production of tubers harvested at the end of the growth cycle. Tubers are storage organs of polyfructans, namely fermentable carbohydrates. Studies addressed in this work were: i) Determination of the optimum period of time for stem harvesting as a function of clone precocity in a 12-clone field experiment; ii) Study of the potential of JA poly-annual crop regarding the annual yield of aerial biomass and fermentable carbohydrates (HCF) over the years; iii) Tests of storage of the aerial biomass, iv) Comparative analysis of the two JA cultivation systems for HCF production: the poly-annual system for aerial biomass harvesting versus the annual cultivation system for tubers and v) Estimation of the energy sustainability of the bioethanol production by using by-products of the production chain. In order to determine the best period of time for aerial biomass harvesting twelve JA clones of different precocity were tested in Madrid: four early clones (Huertos de Moya, C-17, Columbia and D-19) and eight late clones (Boniches, China, K-8 , Salmantina, Nahodka, C-13, INIA and Violeta de Rennes). Best time was between the phenological stages of floral buds (closed capitula) and blossom (opened capitula), period in which the peak of biomass production coincides with the peak of HCF accumulation in the stems. According to the results, the early clones should be harvested in July and the late ones in September, being the late clones more productive. The clone named INIA was the one that exhibited more steady yields in biomass over the 12 clones experimented. The average potential biomass production of this clone was 23.40 t dm/ha when harvested at the floral buds phenological stage; mean HCF content is 30.30%, representing 7.06 t HCF/ha yield. However, the highest HCF production was obtained for the clone Boniches, 7.61 t HCF/ha from a production of 22.81 t aerial biomass/ha. In the poly-annual cultivation system the number of stems per unit area increases over the years due to the increase in the number of tubers that are left under ground; this effect is particularly important after the 3rd year of the poly-annual crop and results in a decrease of the stems unit weight and a risk of lodging. Thinning of JA shoots in early spring, by means of an herbicide treatment based on glyphosate or by means of one pass with a rotary tiller, results in a decrease of the crop stem density and in higher crop yields. Tests of biomass storing showed that the method of keeping dried stems packed and stored under cover results in a good preservation of HCF for a period of six months at least. Assuming that the fermentation yield is 0.5 L ethanol per kg sugars and a HCF stem production of 7.06 t HCF/ha, the potential for bioethanol is estimated at 3530 L/ha. The use of bagasse -by-product of the process of HCF extraction from the JA stems- for thermal purposes would represent over 3 times the primary energy required for the industrial ethanol production process, assuming 11.91 t/ha bagasse and 3832.6 kcal/kg heating value. HCF production costs of 7.06 t HCF/ha yield from aerial biomass and HCF production costs of 12.11 t HCF/ha from tubers were estimated at 184.69 €/t HCF and 311.30 €/t HCF, respectively. It can be concluded that the production of HCF from JA stems, following a poly-annual cultivation system, can be feasible from a technical standpoint and lead to lower production costs as compared to the traditional annual cultivation system for the production of HCF from tubers. Among the technical advantages of the poly-annual cultivation system it is worth mentioning the reduction in crop operations, the ease and efficiency of harvesting operations and the possibility of HCF preservation without incurring in HCF losses during the storage period, which can last several months. These advantages might compensate the lower yield of HCF per unit area that is obtained in the poly-annual crop system, which aims at stems harvesting, versus the annual one, which involves tubers harvesting

Sorgo azucarero para producción de bioetanol

Difusión del proyecto CIP SWEETHANOL sobre la producción de sorgo azucarero para la la obtención de bioetanol

A proposal for pellet production from residual woody biomass in the island of Majorca (Spain)

The use of residual biomass for energy purposes is of great interest in isolated areas like Majorca for waste reduction, energy sufficiency and renewable energies development. In addition, densification processes lead to easy-to-automate solid biofuels which additionally have higher energy density. The present study aims at (i) the estimation of the potential of residual biomass from woody crops as well as from agri-food and wood industries in Majorca, and (ii) the analysis of the optimal location of potential pellet plants by means of a GIS approach (location-allocation analysis) and a cost evaluation of the pellets production chain. The residual biomass potential from woody crops in Majorca Island was estimated at 35,874 metric tons dry matter (t DM) per year, while the wood and agri-food industries produced annually 21,494 t DM and 2717 t DM, respectively. Thus, there would be enough resource available for the installation of 10 pellet plants of 6400 t·year−1 capacity. These plants were optimally located throughout the island of Mallorca with a maximum threshold distance of 28 km for biomass transport from the production points. Values found for the biomass cost at the pellet plant ranged between 57.1 €·t−1 and 63.4 €·t−1 for biomass transport distance of 10 and 28 km. The cost of pelleting amounted to 56.7 €·t−1; adding the concepts of business fee, pellet transport and profit margin (15%), the total cost of pelleting was estimated at 116.6 €·t−1. The present study provides a proposal for pellet production from residual woody biomass that would supply up to 2.8% of the primary energy consumed by the domestic and services sector in the Balearic Islands

Potassium fertilisation and the thermal behaviour of Cynara cardunculus L.

Herbaceous biomass like Cynara is commonly high in potassium, chlorine and ash, which has been reported as a source of problems for combustion applications. An appropriate management of the potassium fertilisation is suggested as a way of improving the quality of the Cynara biomass for solid fuel applications. In this work a factorial experiment was designed involving two types of fertilisers, KCl and K2SO4, and two K rates, in order to study the effect of potassium fertilisation on the composition and thermal behaviour of Cynara biomass. The results proved that the potassium content of Cynara biomass increases with the potassium fertilisation. The thermogravimetric study showed that sintering phenomena can be expected at temperatures higher than 900 °C when the crop has been highly K-fertilised, irrespective of the type of fertiliser used, KCl or K2SO4. However, the SEM images taken of samples of the four K treatments of this experiment did not reveal signs of ash melting, although some particles with crystalline appearance appeared in the samples from highly K-fertilised treatments

GIS-Based and Outranking Approach to Assess Suitable Pig Farming Areas in the Mediterranean Region: Valencian Community

The concentration of livestock production is problematic due to environmental concerns. European regulations are guiding the sector to become increasingly sustainable and, at the same time, maintaining the population in rural areas. The aim was to determine suitable areas in municipalities where livestock is presented as a market option. The methodology applied was based on the combination of multi-criteria methods and geographic information system (GIS) techniques, following three steps: removal of unsuitable zones by sectoral regulations (STEP 1); removal of unsuitable zones due to urban planning, and environmental recommendations (STEP 2); and evaluating the resulting areas depending on the importance of socio-economic, sectoral, and environmental characteristics. This study was based in a Spanish region with ongoing conflicts over land use on the coast but with a high number of rural municipalities at risk of depopulation in the interior. The results showed that 33% of the municipalities of the Valencian Community (VC) had suitable and outranking areas for the development of the swine sector. The 43 municipalities with the highest scores were because of the socio-economic factor and confirmed that suitable livestock development in municipalities with the highest risk of depopulation and low rural tourism activity was a key issue for developmen

Determinación de zonas ganaderas aptas y sostenibles mediante indicadores socioeconomicos, sectoriales, ambientales

Las nuevas normativas europeas y nacionales, orientadas hacia una economía más sostenible, regulan nuevos escenarios para el sector ganadero, como son el Pacto Verde Europeo y el RD 306/2020. La estrategia “de la granja a la mesa”, es una de las acciones del Pacto Verde Europeo y tiene como objetivo aumentar la sostenibilidad de los sistemas alimentarios. En este plano, la ganadería debe ser cada vez más sostenible y, al mismo tiempo, ser capaz de ser una actividad rentable y generadora de rentas. Por otra parte, la producción intensiva de porcino comporta problemas medioambientales. Con el objetivo determinar zonas aptas y sostenibles donde la ganadería se presenta como una opción de mercado se ha definido y validado una metodología basada técnicas de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y métodos multicriterio que sigue tres pasos: eliminación de espacios territoriales por normativa legal del propio sector, eliminación de zonas por restricciones ambientales y análisis de la importancia de índices socioeconómicos, sectoriales y medioambientales. Es estudio se ha realizado en la Comunidad Valenciana (CV) en una región española situada en el litoral mediterráneo, con elevados conflictos por el uso del suelo en el litoral, pero con elevado número de municipios rurales con riesgo de despoblación en el interior. Los resultados muestran que se pueden poner granjas de porcino en el 32,8% de los municipios de la CV y un elevado número son municipios con riesgo de despoblación

Variability of Arundo donax growth in dry-farming as a function of soil properties

Arundo donax L., commonly known as giant reed or arundo, is a perennial rhizomatous grass that has been studied since the decade of 1980 for bioenergy. In the Mediterranean region -characterised by dry and hot summers- arundo is usually grown with the support of irrigation. However, there is evidence that this plant species can tolerate dry-farming conditions once the crop is fully established. In this work the variation observed in plant growth of a 5-year-old arundo crop when the management changed from irrigated to dry-farming, is assessed. The hypothesis underlying this work was that punctual variations of soil properties might be responsible for the differences observed in plant growt

Cosecha y almacenamiento de la biomasa de sorgo

Experiencias de demostración sobre cosecha y almacenamiento de biomasa de sorgo. En el marco del proyecto europeo LogistEC, el 24 de septiembre se realizó en Talayuela (Cáceres) una reunión técnica y jornada demostrativa de cultivos energéticos, donde se ensayó un prototipo para la cosecha de sorgo biomasa

Caña común (Arundo donax L.): Cultivo energético para biocombustibles sólidos

Artículo en Revista Española sobre la Caña común (Arundo donax L.) como cultivo energético para biocombustibles sólidos

Growing a population of Cynara cardunculus L. for further selection as a reference energy crop

A population of cultivated cardoon (Cynara cardunculus var. altilis DC) was grown in Madrid (Spain) as a reference crop to select outstanding individuals for energy applications. The work was carried out within the frame of the Spanish funded projects PROBIOCOM (INIA) and FP13-ENER. Seeds for this work were produced by one of the partners of PROBIOCOM - the Agro-Energy Group of UPM - and came from a clonal crop (in vitro propagated plants) previously grown in Madrid. IMIDRA, as Head of that Project, established the reference crop according to the protocol for cardoon energy crop and was responsible for the crop. Seeds were sown in seed trays and once the plants had true leaves they were transplanted into the field. Collection of field data involved 449 individuals at the rosette stage and the dataset comprised the measurement of plant height, rosette diameter and leaf length; leaf type was determined as well. Individuals exhibiting larger leaf size were selected and categorized into two categories: undivided-like leaf blade (16 individuals) and pinnately lobed leaf blade (12 individuals). For these individuals, leaf fresh weight, number of leaves and leaf length of previously selected leaves were determined. Furthermore, three measurements were performed with a SPAD chlorophyll meter and the Munsell color chart. Morphological features were taken according CPVO-OCVV and UPOV protocols. Most plants exhibited pinnately leaves which generally resulted in larger sizes than the undivided-like leaf plants. Results suggested that the morphological plant type could be used as a preliminary selection criterion of C. cardunculus for biomass production; however, further studies are needed at harvest time to confirm this trend