Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1.6
Summary of Chapters
This chapter has provided a broad introduction to the topic of bioenergy and the
importance of BFPP for a sustainable bioenergy system. The chapter discussed the
important tasks within BFPP, reviewed the current status, and identifi ed challenges in
each of these tasks. System-level issues requiring solutions were also highlighted.
As highlighted earlier, biomass feedstock properties play an important role in all
the tasks. Standardized methods to estimate these properties are being developed.
Chapter 2 reviews these methods with particular focus on estimating properties rele-
vant to engineering design of the BFPP system. The properties considered include
bulk density, particle density, particle size, color, moisture content, ash content, heat-
ing value, and fl owability. The chapter reviews the recent developments in the char-
acterization techniques. These properties are referred to in all the subsequent chapters.
Therefore, it is appropriate to discuss this topic before the specifi c tasks are covered.
Chapter 3 discusses the agronomy of Miscanthus and switchgrass, two of the most
promising dedicated, perennial energy crops. Since these crops are relatively novel,
knowledge on cultivation, establishment, and management of these crops is very lim-
ited. The chapter summarizes the important fi ndings from studies published in the
literature, including studies conducted by authors themselves, to provide useful rec-
ommendations and guidelines. This includes recommendations on seeding rates, pre-
ferred seasons, fertilization practices, irrigation practices, and more. Farmers and farm
consultants who want to grow these grasses should fi nd this information very useful.
Chapter 4 focuses on preharvest crop monitoring of the energy crops. The impor-
tance of monitoring is fi rst discussed and the theory behind remote sensing tools as
applied to agricultural crops is briefl y presented. Since very little work has been
done in this area specifi c to the novel energy crops, the authors summarize their own
research in developing three different near-real-time remote sensing platforms for
crop monitoring. The basic concepts of these three platforms are discussed and
some preliminary results for Miscanthus and switchgrass are also presented.
In Chap. 5 , the focus shifts to the harvesting of biomass to convert it into a feed-
stock for further operations. Engineering properties relevant to machinery design
are discussed and different harvesting subsystems, such as cutting and condition-
ing, are described in detail. The chapter then reviews the harvesting technologies
for four bioenergy crop options: energy grasses (Miscanthus and switchgrass), short
rotation woody crops (willow, poplar), green crops (energy cane, sorghum, sugar-
cane), and agricultural crop residue (corn stover, orchard residue). The discussion in
this chapter, aided by a number of illustrations, provides an excellent summary of
the knowledge in this fi eld.
Chapter 6 discusses the long-distance transportation of biomass feedstock to a
biorefi nery or storage facility. Preprocessing, such as baling or pelletization; size
reduction, also known as comminution; and densifi cation play a key role in deciding
the effi ciency of transportation operations. Therefore, the chapter provides a com-
prehensive summary of the different preprocessing options, their advantages, and
their drawbacks. The different transportation modes are discussed and the chal-
lenges in optimizing the transportation logistics are also presented. Various chal-
lenges in biomass transportation that need to be addressed are also presented.
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