engleski

Potential analysis of postharvest residues for energy utilization in Croatia

Every year in agricultural production large amounts of postharvest residues are created, and remain unused. There is also a potential danger to the environment. Recognizing the need to restore a certain amount of organic matter in soil, there still remains a considerable amount of post harvest residues, or biomass, which can be used for energy production. Also, it depends on the choice of crops and ecological conditions of breeding places. It is believed that energy can be utilized for 30% remnants post harvest certain agricultural crops such as straw, corn, seeds and oilseed residues. The aim of this paper is to determine the potential for exploiting post harvest remains of major cereals and oilseeds for the production of renewable energy sources in Croatia, the projections from year 2000 to 2008. The total yield of postharvest residues after the total cereal production that can be used for energy production in Croatia since 2000 to 2008 was 7.064.446.00 tons and the total biomass yield of oilseeds was amounted to 476, 155.00 tons. Using biomass for energy production, except in cases where forests are being destroyed and not renewed, does not contribute to increasing greenhouse gases and can be considered to be CO2 neutral.

agricultural biomass; postharvest residues; energy potential; cereals; oilseed

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