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Suitability of biomass from riparian areas of the Notec River Valley for renewable energy production
Author
Golinski, T
Golinski, P
Publisher
XII International Rangeland Congress
Publication Year
2025
Body

In the Wielkopolskie region (western-central Poland), the largest protected area under the Natura 2000 network is located along the Notec River Valley. The problem of these riparian areas is lack of utilis ation and abandonment of grass communities. The production of storable biofuel from harvested biomass using the IFBB (Integrated generation of solid Fuel and Biogas from Biomass) technology of such communities should be a suitable strategy for conservation and maintenance of semi-natural grassland in this region. Analysis of natural conditions and harvesting tests showed that the middle and lower parts of the Notec River Valley – an area of 770 –790 km2 covering the 180 km-long and 2 –13 km-wide floodplain – are the most appropriate areas for the implementation of the IFBB technology. The dominant species were Phalaris arundinacea, Carex acutiformis and Carex gracilis. The briquettes from this biomass after IFBB processing had a high heating value (on average 17.54 MJ/kg) and high level of combustion. The concentration of nitrogen in the biomass was very low, on average 1.23% in DM. The biomass after IFBB processing had a low level of ash in comparison to typical grassland used for forage purposes. The average yield of harvested grass communities was ca. 5 t DM /ha. A plant in Osów village was proposed for applying the IFBB technology in the Notec River Valley. This was considered profitable with an Internal Rate of Return of 11.05%. Economies of scale apply since, with an IFBB plant of that size, investment costs disproportionately decrease relative to the large amount of output (grass briquettes, power). Cash flow calculations show a positive result from Year 1. With an annuity of 68.814 ‚¬/annum, the entrepreneurial risk of investing in a new technology such as IFBB might not be covered entirely. However, potentially reducing investment costs – e.g. by making use of regional investment subsidy program mes for investments in new renewable energy technologies – should make this investment attractive.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Additional Information
This paper is part of the larger XII International Rangelands Congress Proceedings. Page Numbers: 2034-2037. Theme: Theme 7 / Poster presentations – Theme 7
ISSN
978-0-646-72121-7
Conference Name
International Rangeland Congress
Collection
International Rangelands Congress
Keywords
biomass
IFBB technology
renewable energy
riparian areas
storable biofuel