Development of Harvesting Machines for Willow Small-Sizes Plantations in East-Central Europe

The production of plant biomass in small farms within the Central and Eastern European countries requires the application of agricultural machines adjusted to the scale of production. In the article, new machines for small-sized plantations of energy crops have been presented. Furthermore, the results of strength analysis of three-point linkage mower frame are presented by finite element method. The advantage of the proposed solutions is their simple construction, which is connected with low production cost and simple machine operation. The energy-crop harvesting machines are especially intended for small biomass producers in East-Central Europe, and the purchase of professional machines is financially inaccessible. The proposed machines are mounted in front or at the back of a typical farm tractor and the chipping units are power-take-off driven. The numerical simulation was carried out using finite element method to study the structural strength of a mower frame. All machine designs proposed by the Rzeszow University of Technology are legally protected by patents and utility models. The presented agricultural solutions have been worked out by authors and a part of them is still being developed in cooperation with biomass producers

Development of small-scale low-cost methods of drying herbs and agricultural products

Herbs are characterised by different contents of biologically active substances, hence they are widely used in various branches of industry. Herb cultivation in East-Central Europe focuses on small-sized areas requiring machines and equipment adapted to the scale of production. The processing of herb plants involves drying, which is one of the most important stages of herb preservation, conditioning the right quality of the raw material. This article presents a short description of the methods for herb preservation and a classification of drying systems using solar energy and hot air. Looking for ways to assure the drying of the crops in unfavourable atmospheric conditions, variants of solar collectors with the biomass-powered furnace for heating drying air in driers of herbs have been invented. The solutions developed by authors of this paper to provide small-scale low-cost technological devices for the drying of herbs and specialty crops are also presented. The installations presented use hot air from solar radiation and heat generated from the combustion of biomass in the form of wood chips. These installations and equipment do not require an electricity supply. The elimination of natural drying through the use of drying chambers eliminates the unfavourable effect of ultraviolet radiation on the loss of essential oils. The drying installations and devices presented in this article are under patenting procedure

Development of small-scale low-cost methods of drying herbs and agricultural products

Herbs are characterised by different contents of biologically active substances, hence they are widely used in various branches of industry. Herb cultivation in East-Central Europe focuses on small-sized areas requiring machines and equipment adapted to the scale of production. The processing of herb plants involves drying, which is one of the most important stages of herb preservation, conditioning the right quality of the raw material. This article presents a short description of the methods for herb preservation and a classification of drying systems using solar energy and hot air. Looking for ways to assure the drying of the crops in unfavourable atmospheric conditions, variants of solar collectors with the biomass-powered furnace for heating drying air in driers of herbs have been invented. The solutions developed by authors of this paper to provide small-scale low-cost technological devices for the drying of herbs and specialty crops are also presented. The installations presented use hot air from solar radiation and heat generated from the combustion of biomass in the form of wood chips. These installations and equipment do not require an electricity supply. The elimination of natural drying through the use of drying chambers eliminates the unfavourable effect of ultraviolet radiation on the loss of essential oils. The drying installations and devices presented in this article are under patenting procedure

METHOD OF FERTILIZATION OF ENERGY WILLOW PLANTATION USING SEWAGE SLUDGE

Sewage sludge deriving from biofiltrationof municipal waste abound in soil processed organic substances and mineral fertilization components which may be used for fertil-ization of energy willow plantations. In the article the potential of natural utilization of sewage sludge and the patented device for injection dosage of sludge has been pre-sented. The device enables putting into soil mineral and organic fertilizers with loose consistency and their immediate covering by soil in order to reduce unpleasant smell and limit loss of volatile components of fertilizer

METHOD OF FERTILIZATION OF ENERGY WILLOW PLANTATION USING SEWAGE SLUDGE

Sewage sludge deriving from biofiltrationof municipal waste abound in soil processed organic substances and mineral fertilization components which may be used for fertil-ization of energy willow plantations. In the article the potential of natural utilization of sewage sludge and the patented device for injection dosage of sludge has been pre-sented. The device enables putting into soil mineral and organic fertilizers with loose consistency and their immediate covering by soil in order to reduce unpleasant smell and limit loss of volatile components of fertilizer

Agricultural utilisation of municipal sludge in willow plantation

This paper presents the results of analyses of the monitoring selected energetic willow plantations (30 ha) located in Podkarpackie Province (Poland), which have been fertilised using a prototype trailer for land-applying municipal sludge. The fertilisation of the willow plantation is undertaken using this prototype for the subsurface application of municipal sewage sludge into soil. The presented prototype is a component of technology of energetic plant production that has been developed at the Rzeszow University of Technology. The results of soil investigations allow to us conclude that the deposition of sewage sludge using the presented prototype of the agricultural trailer is conducted in accordance with legal regulations and does not cause significant perturbation of the natural trophic chain