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Biogas Production from Steam-Exploded Miscanthus and Utilization of Biogas Energy and CO2 in Greenhouses

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Abstract

The costs of producing protected vegetables comprise up to 78 % of the total operating costs in greenhouses. These expenses mainly result from energy consumption. Increasing energy efficiency and expanding the use of renewable energy sources are essential for global competitiveness. The aim of this study is to optimize methane production from miscanthus and to evaluate the potential use of miscanthus as a source of electrical energy, heat, and CO2 in vegetable greenhouses. To optimize methane yield, miscanthus was pretreated by steam explosion using different time/temperature combinations. Pretreatment resulted in a more than threefold increase of methane yield from anaerobic digestion (374 lN kgVS−1) compared with untreated miscanthus. Based on technical parameters from two greenhouses (in Northern and Southern Europe), four different energy balances were established. The balances showed that using methane produced by pretreated miscanthus in vegetable greenhouses can enhance the entire process and therefore make it more sustainable.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. alpS, Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Technologies, Grabenweg 68, Innsbruck, Austria

    Simona Menardo & Alexander Bauer

  2. Mechanics Section, Department of Agriculture, Forestry, Environmental Engineering and Land based Economics (DEIAFA), University of Turin, via Leonardo da Vinci 44, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy

    Simona Menardo & Paolo Balsari

  3. Division of Agricultural Engineering, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Peter Jordan-Strasse 82, A, 1190, Vienna, Austria

    Alexander Bauer, Franz Theuretzbacher, Gerhard Piringer, Oksana Pavliska & Thomas Amon

  4. CAMBI, P.O. Box 78, 1371, Asker, Norway

    Paal Jahre Nilsen

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  1. Simona Menardo
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Correspondence to Alexander Bauer.

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Menardo, S., Bauer, A., Theuretzbacher, F. et al. Biogas Production from Steam-Exploded Miscanthus and Utilization of Biogas Energy and CO2 in Greenhouses. Bioenerg. Res. 6, 620–630 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-012-9280-5

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