Available Agricultural Areas and the Use of Forests for Biofuel Production in Croatia

Zbog ekonomskih i ekoloških razloga nastavlja se unapređivanje proizvodnje i širenje korištenja biogoriva u svijetu i Europskoj uniji (EU). Zbog ograničene površine za proizvodnju biomase, biogoriva bi mogla zamijeniti fosilna goriva samo u jednom dijelu. Po EU do 2030. godine, uz razvoj ostalih obnovljivih izvora energije, biogoriva bi u Hrvatskoj zamijenila naftu u prometu za 25 %, što iznosi 452.325 t. Danas poljoprivredne površine zauzimaju 2,955.728 ha. Od toga su 1,074.159 ha pogodne, 1,074.510 ha ograničene, a 806,328 ha trajno nepogodne površine za poljoprivrednu proizvodnju. Potencijali obradivih površina iznose 2,150.000 ha, a obrađuje se svega 1,092.000 ha. Danas je moguće u poljoprivredi iz biomase (organskih ostataka i otpadaka) dobivati 673.530 t/godišnje biogoriva, a da se ne ugrozi stalnost prirodnog obnavljanja organske tvari u tlu. Hrvatska raspolaže s 2,688.687 ha šuma i šumskog zemljišta, gdje godišnje prirašćuje 10,526.000 m3, a sječivi etat je 6,564.000 m3. Od toga se za industrijsko drvo i ogrjev iskoristi 60 % ili 3,938.400 m3, a ostatak od 40 % ili 2,625.000 m3 ostaje kao otpad u šumi. Ako bi se otpad sveo na normalnu količinu od 15 % ili 984.600 m3 onda bi za bioenergiju ostalo 45 % ili 2,953.800 m3. Ta količina drva za bioenergiju dovoljna je za proizvodnju 600.000 t biogoriva u ekvivalentnim količinama nafte. Koristeći postojeće zalihe u poljoprivrtedi i šumarstvu danas se može proizvesti 1,273.530 t/godišnje biogoriva. Taj iznos premašuje za 2,8 puta potrebnu količinu, koju će Hrvatska, trebati koristiti 2030. umjesto fosilnih goriva. Hrvatska raspolaže s potrebnim površinama u poljoprivredi, kao i s kvalitetnim šumama u svrhu proizvodnje hrane i biogoriva po postojećim direktivima EU.The production and expansion of biofuel use in the world and the EU has been prompted by economic and ecological reasons. Fossil fuel reserves (oil and gas) are being depleted and becoming more expensive. At the same time the Kyoto Protocol stipulates the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with the goal of mitigating climatic phenomena which could cause unforeseen consequences. Land for biomass production is limited: therefore, biofuels could, following the EU strategy, replace fossil fuels only in one part. In addition to developing other renewable energies (hydro energy, solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy), the EU committed itself to replace traffic oil with biofuels by 25 % by the year 2030. As Croatia is an EU membership candidate, the first thing it is required to do is to fulfill the obligation of achieving a 5.75 % proportion of biofuels (104,034 tons), held by each member state, by the year 2010. This is followed by the fulfillment of the commitment for the year 2020 (180,930 tons) and by the year 2030 (452,325 tons). Of the total continental land area of Croatia (5,662,031 ha), agricultural land covers 2,955,728 ha or 52.2 %. In Croatia, 55.9% or 1,202,000 ha of a total of 2,150,000 ha of potentially arable land are cultivated. If pastures are excluded, then arable land amounts to only 50.8 % or 1,092,000 ha. With the application of more or less intensive ameliorative measures, agrocultures could be cultivated for food production and partially for biofuel production over as many as 947.080 ha of available land in Croatia. Permanently unsuitable land for agricultural production in Croatia amounts to 806,328 ha. This land could be used for the establishment of forest cultures where timber for industry and bioenergy could be produced. The current conditions in Croatia give us reason to believe that there are good possibilities for biodiesel production from rape seed (especially rape oil) using first generation technologies, and biodiesel from lignocellulose biomass and its residues in agriculture and forestry with the application of second generation technologies. Moreover, a large number of cattle farms in Croatia produce large quantities of organic residue (especially animal manure) which could be usefully converted into biogas for both economic and ecological reasons. The quantity of biomass from agrocultures amounts to 1,239,550 (t) annually, which is only 30 % of their value. The remaining 70 % of the biomass should be left on agricultural land to allow organic matter in the soil to regenerate naturally. The total equivalent value in crude oil from agricultural areas is 428,992 t/annually. Apart from biomass from agricultures, significant biomass quantities also exist in cattle breeding. Animal manure and organic residue from cattle are used for biofuel production – biogas. Annual quantities of overall animal manure in Croatia amount to 381,480,000 t and represent 25 % of the existing annual quantities. This biomass quantity (organic residue in husbandry) may provide a total of 244,538 t of annual equivalent values of crude oil. Present agricultural production may provide 673,530 t/annually of biofuels from biomass (organic residue and waste) in the equivalent value of crude oil without jeopardizing permanent natural regeneration of organic matter in the soil. Croatia possesses 2,688,687 ha of forests and forestland with 397,963,000 m3 of growing stock which increments annually by 10,526,000 m3. The annual cut or the prescribed cut is 6,564,000 m3 of gross volume. Of the total annual cut, about 40 % or 2,625,600 of timber is used for processing, 20 % or 1,312,800 m3 for of fuelwood for energy and the remaining 40 % or 2,625,000 m3 is left in the forest as waste. Of this residue, 62.5 % or 1,641,000 m3 could be used for bioenergy production, while 37 % or 984,000 m3 would remain in the forest as waste. If this amount suitable for bioenergy is added to the quantity of 1,312,800 m3 of fuelwood, the total quantity of energy wood that could already be placed on the energy market amounts to 2,953,800 m3, which is 45 % of the total annual cut. This quantity could provide 600,000 t/annually of biofuel in the equivalent value of crude oil. Therefore, Croatia can produce an annual biofuel quantity of 1,273,539 t from the existing reserves in agriculture and forestry. This amount is 2.8 times higher than the quantity (452,325 t) which Croatia is obliged to use in traffic instead of fossil fuels by 2030 (the EU Directive of 2003). Taking into account realistic potential possibilities of biofuel production in agriculture and forestry, we believe that a strategy on biomass use and biofuel production should be developed in Croatia with the goal of achieving economic and ecological bene

Available Agricultural Areas and the Use of Forests for Biofuel Production in Croatia

Zbog ekonomskih i ekoloških razloga nastavlja se unapređivanje proizvodnje i širenje korištenja biogoriva u svijetu i Europskoj uniji (EU). Zbog ograničene površine za proizvodnju biomase, biogoriva bi mogla zamijeniti fosilna goriva samo u jednom dijelu. Po EU do 2030. godine, uz razvoj ostalih obnovljivih izvora energije, biogoriva bi u Hrvatskoj zamijenila naftu u prometu za 25 %, što iznosi 452.325 t. Danas poljoprivredne površine zauzimaju 2,955.728 ha. Od toga su 1,074.159 ha pogodne, 1,074.510 ha ograničene, a 806,328 ha trajno nepogodne površine za poljoprivrednu proizvodnju. Potencijali obradivih površina iznose 2,150.000 ha, a obrađuje se svega 1,092.000 ha. Danas je moguće u poljoprivredi iz biomase (organskih ostataka i otpadaka) dobivati 673.530 t/godišnje biogoriva, a da se ne ugrozi stalnost prirodnog obnavljanja organske tvari u tlu. Hrvatska raspolaže s 2,688.687 ha šuma i šumskog zemljišta, gdje godišnje prirašćuje 10,526.000 m3, a sječivi etat je 6,564.000 m3. Od toga se za industrijsko drvo i ogrjev iskoristi 60 % ili 3,938.400 m3, a ostatak od 40 % ili 2,625.000 m3 ostaje kao otpad u šumi. Ako bi se otpad sveo na normalnu količinu od 15 % ili 984.600 m3 onda bi za bioenergiju ostalo 45 % ili 2,953.800 m3. Ta količina drva za bioenergiju dovoljna je za proizvodnju 600.000 t biogoriva u ekvivalentnim količinama nafte. Koristeći postojeće zalihe u poljoprivrtedi i šumarstvu danas se može proizvesti 1,273.530 t/godišnje biogoriva. Taj iznos premašuje za 2,8 puta potrebnu količinu, koju će Hrvatska, trebati koristiti 2030. umjesto fosilnih goriva. Hrvatska raspolaže s potrebnim površinama u poljoprivredi, kao i s kvalitetnim šumama u svrhu proizvodnje hrane i biogoriva po postojećim direktivima EU.The production and expansion of biofuel use in the world and the EU has been prompted by economic and ecological reasons. Fossil fuel reserves (oil and gas) are being depleted and becoming more expensive. At the same time the Kyoto Protocol stipulates the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with the goal of mitigating climatic phenomena which could cause unforeseen consequences. Land for biomass production is limited: therefore, biofuels could, following the EU strategy, replace fossil fuels only in one part. In addition to developing other renewable energies (hydro energy, solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy), the EU committed itself to replace traffic oil with biofuels by 25 % by the year 2030. As Croatia is an EU membership candidate, the first thing it is required to do is to fulfill the obligation of achieving a 5.75 % proportion of biofuels (104,034 tons), held by each member state, by the year 2010. This is followed by the fulfillment of the commitment for the year 2020 (180,930 tons) and by the year 2030 (452,325 tons). Of the total continental land area of Croatia (5,662,031 ha), agricultural land covers 2,955,728 ha or 52.2 %. In Croatia, 55.9% or 1,202,000 ha of a total of 2,150,000 ha of potentially arable land are cultivated. If pastures are excluded, then arable land amounts to only 50.8 % or 1,092,000 ha. With the application of more or less intensive ameliorative measures, agrocultures could be cultivated for food production and partially for biofuel production over as many as 947.080 ha of available land in Croatia. Permanently unsuitable land for agricultural production in Croatia amounts to 806,328 ha. This land could be used for the establishment of forest cultures where timber for industry and bioenergy could be produced. The current conditions in Croatia give us reason to believe that there are good possibilities for biodiesel production from rape seed (especially rape oil) using first generation technologies, and biodiesel from lignocellulose biomass and its residues in agriculture and forestry with the application of second generation technologies. Moreover, a large number of cattle farms in Croatia produce large quantities of organic residue (especially animal manure) which could be usefully converted into biogas for both economic and ecological reasons. The quantity of biomass from agrocultures amounts to 1,239,550 (t) annually, which is only 30 % of their value. The remaining 70 % of the biomass should be left on agricultural land to allow organic matter in the soil to regenerate naturally. The total equivalent value in crude oil from agricultural areas is 428,992 t/annually. Apart from biomass from agricultures, significant biomass quantities also exist in cattle breeding. Animal manure and organic residue from cattle are used for biofuel production – biogas. Annual quantities of overall animal manure in Croatia amount to 381,480,000 t and represent 25 % of the existing annual quantities. This biomass quantity (organic residue in husbandry) may provide a total of 244,538 t of annual equivalent values of crude oil. Present agricultural production may provide 673,530 t/annually of biofuels from biomass (organic residue and waste) in the equivalent value of crude oil without jeopardizing permanent natural regeneration of organic matter in the soil. Croatia possesses 2,688,687 ha of forests and forestland with 397,963,000 m3 of growing stock which increments annually by 10,526,000 m3. The annual cut or the prescribed cut is 6,564,000 m3 of gross volume. Of the total annual cut, about 40 % or 2,625,600 of timber is used for processing, 20 % or 1,312,800 m3 for of fuelwood for energy and the remaining 40 % or 2,625,000 m3 is left in the forest as waste. Of this residue, 62.5 % or 1,641,000 m3 could be used for bioenergy production, while 37 % or 984,000 m3 would remain in the forest as waste. If this amount suitable for bioenergy is added to the quantity of 1,312,800 m3 of fuelwood, the total quantity of energy wood that could already be placed on the energy market amounts to 2,953,800 m3, which is 45 % of the total annual cut. This quantity could provide 600,000 t/annually of biofuel in the equivalent value of crude oil. Therefore, Croatia can produce an annual biofuel quantity of 1,273,539 t from the existing reserves in agriculture and forestry. This amount is 2.8 times higher than the quantity (452,325 t) which Croatia is obliged to use in traffic instead of fossil fuels by 2030 (the EU Directive of 2003). Taking into account realistic potential possibilities of biofuel production in agriculture and forestry, we believe that a strategy on biomass use and biofuel production should be developed in Croatia with the goal of achieving economic and ecological bene

Agricultural model of biodiesel fuel production

Kako Republika Hrvatska općenito nema modele korištenja biogoriva, u ovom radu istraživali su se tehničko – tehnološko – troškovni agrarni modeli iskorištenja jednog od najzanimljivijih poljoprivrednih biogoriva – biodizelskoga goriva. Na temelju dobivenih modela i ocjenom rentabilnosti strukture troškova, odredio se najučinkovitiji te najpovoljniji model proizvodnje biodizelskoga goriva u Republici Hrvatskoj, odnosno neposredno povećanje proizvodnje u poljoprivredi. Iz dobivenih rezultata vidi se da model proizvodnje bio-dizelskoga goriva s nositeljem proizvodnje, poljoprivrednom tvrtkom s pogonom za rafinaciju sirovoga ulja ima najbolju ocjenu rentabilnosti uz najbržu amortizaciju uloženih sredstava. Međutim, zbog trenutnih neriješenih vlasničkih odnosa i loše financijske situacije poljoprivrednih tvrtki, model proizvodnje biodizelskoga goriva s nositeljem proizvodnje, poljoprivrednom zadrugom prihvaćen je kao najpovoljniji model proizvodnje biodizelskoga goriva u ovom trenutku za Republiku Hrvatsku.Since the Republic of Croatia does not have the biofuel utilization models, in this paper technical, technological, cost and agrarian models of utilization of one of the most interesting agricultural biofuels – biodiesel were investigated. Based on the obtained models and the cost-effectiveness evaluation of the costs, the most efficient and the most convenient model of biodiesel fuel production in the Republic of Croatia was determined. In the obtained results, it was observed that the biodiesel production model with producer an agricultural company with the machinery for raw oil refining, had the best cost-effectiveness evaluation together with a high amortization of invested capital. However, because of the current unresolved proprietary conditions and unsatisfactory financial situation of agricultural companies, the biodiesel fuel production model with the producer an agricultural cooperative society was accepted as currently the most prosperous biodiesel fuel production model in the Republic of Croatia

The quality of digested residue after anaerobic digestion of chicken manure

Cilj ovog rada je utvrditi kakvoću digestiranog ostatka nakon anaerobne digestije pilećeg gnoja. Istraživanja su provedena na postrojenju za proizvodnju bioplina u Republici Austriji anaerobnom digestijom pri 35°C. Istraživanja su obuhvatila kemijske analize (pH, elektroprovodljivost, suha tvar, žareni ostatak i gubitak žarenjem, organska tvar, C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb, Cd) i bakteriološke pretrage uzoraka. Utvrđeno je da digestirani ostatak u svim uzorcima, koji su blago alkalni, sadrži niski udio suhe tvari od koje je oko 75% organska tvar. Biogeni elementi su u svim istraživanim uzorcima u umjerenoj koncentraciji, vrijednost teških metala nalazi se u dopuštenim granicama. Analizom N:P:K, vrijednosti biogenih elemenata i teških metala može se zaključiti da se digestirani ostatak nakon anaerobne digestije pilećeg gnoja može primijeniti u poljoprivrednoj proizvodnji, posebice u ratarstvu i travnjaštvu. U digestiranom ostatku su pronađeni mezofilni i termofilni mikroorganizmi, dok kriofilnih nije bilo. Ni u jednom uzorku nisu pronađene patogene bakterije. Sve izolirane bakterije potpuno su uništene nakon sterilizacije.The aim of this paper is to determine the quality of the digested residue after the process of anaerobic digestion by using chicken manure as a raw material. The research was conducted in the Republic of Austria in a plant for biogas production by means of anaerobic digestion at 35°C. The research comprised chemical analysis (pH, electrical conductivity, dry matter, burning residue, burning loss, organic matter, C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb, Cd) and bacteriological tests of samples. .It was found that the digested residue in all of the samples, all of which were mildly alkaline, contained a low level of dry matter, 75% of which was organic matter. Biogenic elements in all investigated samples were present in moderate concentration; the values of heavy metals were within approved limits. The analysis of the N:P:K ratio, values of the biogenic elements and heavy metals, leads to the conclusion that the digested residues of chicken manure can be used in agricultural production, especially in plant production and grassland cultivation. Mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms were found in the digested residue samples, but there were no criophilic microorganisms. Not one sample showed proof of pathogenic bacteria. All isolated bacteria were destroyed in the process of sterilization

The quality of digested residue after anaerobic digestion of chicken manure

Cilj ovog rada je utvrditi kakvoću digestiranog ostatka nakon anaerobne digestije pilećeg gnoja. Istraživanja su provedena na postrojenju za proizvodnju bioplina u Republici Austriji anaerobnom digestijom pri 35°C. Istraživanja su obuhvatila kemijske analize (pH, elektroprovodljivost, suha tvar, žareni ostatak i gubitak žarenjem, organska tvar, C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb, Cd) i bakteriološke pretrage uzoraka. Utvrđeno je da digestirani ostatak u svim uzorcima, koji su blago alkalni, sadrži niski udio suhe tvari od koje je oko 75% organska tvar. Biogeni elementi su u svim istraživanim uzorcima u umjerenoj koncentraciji, vrijednost teških metala nalazi se u dopuštenim granicama. Analizom N:P:K, vrijednosti biogenih elemenata i teških metala može se zaključiti da se digestirani ostatak nakon anaerobne digestije pilećeg gnoja može primijeniti u poljoprivrednoj proizvodnji, posebice u ratarstvu i travnjaštvu. U digestiranom ostatku su pronađeni mezofilni i termofilni mikroorganizmi, dok kriofilnih nije bilo. Ni u jednom uzorku nisu pronađene patogene bakterije. Sve izolirane bakterije potpuno su uništene nakon sterilizacije.The aim of this paper is to determine the quality of the digested residue after the process of anaerobic digestion by using chicken manure as a raw material. The research was conducted in the Republic of Austria in a plant for biogas production by means of anaerobic digestion at 35°C. The research comprised chemical analysis (pH, electrical conductivity, dry matter, burning residue, burning loss, organic matter, C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb, Cd) and bacteriological tests of samples. .It was found that the digested residue in all of the samples, all of which were mildly alkaline, contained a low level of dry matter, 75% of which was organic matter. Biogenic elements in all investigated samples were present in moderate concentration; the values of heavy metals were within approved limits. The analysis of the N:P:K ratio, values of the biogenic elements and heavy metals, leads to the conclusion that the digested residues of chicken manure can be used in agricultural production, especially in plant production and grassland cultivation. Mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms were found in the digested residue samples, but there were no criophilic microorganisms. Not one sample showed proof of pathogenic bacteria. All isolated bacteria were destroyed in the process of sterilization