In recent decades, the European Union's interest in the sustainability of transportation has grown, and the issuance of the third edition of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) in November 2023 is evidence of this commitment. Among other objectives, this directive aims to achieve a share of at least 42.5% of renewable energy in the total energy consumption within the European Union by 2030. Specifically, it mandates a renewable energy share of at least 29% in the transportation sector. This thesis investigates the potential for renewable energy production from biomass cultivated on marginal lands in Europe, which could contribute to achieving this target. Particular attention is paid to avoiding exacerbation of the food-energy dilemma, which arises when land is cultivated for energy rather than food purposes. Therefore, the lands considered in this thesis are those classified as marginal, meaning they are unsuitable for cultivating food crops. Additionally, all the plants selected for this study are non-food species: Miscanthus, Reed Canary Grass, Switchgrass, and Jatropha. To quantify the described energy contribution and assess the behaviour of the plants, five indicators are considered: GJ/ha, GJ/m³, GJ/(ha*m³), and total GJ, using two different allocation methods. The first method allocates the plant to each unit of land that maximizes energy production without considering the water requirements, while the second method minimizes the water demand. This analysis is conducted under various RCP scenarios (2.6, 4.5, and 8.5) for the period 2036-2040 and for the historical reference period of 2011-2020. For each indicator, year, and RCP scenario, two maps are produced: (1) optimal allocation of which plant to cultivate and where, and (2) a ranking of intervention priorities. Additionally, these maps are compared a posteriori using a water scarcity map, to avoid cultivation in areas currently experiencing critical water scarcity. The analysis concludes that, by cultivating the entire quota of European marginal lands and allocating cultivation based on the above indicators, a contribution of between 3% and 4% towards the target can be achieved. However, cultivating the totality of these lands is neither feasible nor advisable. Therefore, the realistic contribution is significantly lower, rendering the cultivation of marginal lands for biofuel production a viable option for supporting local activities, but one that is unlikely to have a substantial impact on a larger scale.
Negli ultimi decenni l’interesse dell’Unione Europea alla sostenibilità dei trasporti è cresciuto e l’emanazione della terza edizione della normativa RED III (Renewable Energy Directive) nel novembre 2023 ne è la prova. Tra gli altri, un obiettivo di tale direttiva è quello di raggiungere una quota di almeno il 42.5% di energia rinnovabile nel consumo totale di energia all’interno dell’Unione Europea entro il 2030. In particolare, viene richiesta una quota di energia rinnovabile di almeno il 29% nei consumi del settore dei trasporti. La seguente tesi indaga il potenziale di produzione di energia rinnovabile proveniente da biomassa coltivata sui terreni marginali europei, utile al raggiungimento di tale quota. Nel farlo, si pone particolare attenzione a non inasprire il dilemma cibo-energia, il quale sorge nel momento in cui un terreno viene coltivato per scopi energetici e non alimentari. Infatti, i terreni considerati in questa tesi sono i cosiddetti marginali, ovvero non indicati per la coltivazione di piante per il mercato del cibo. Inoltre, le piante selezionate per questo studio sono tutte non alimentari: Mischantus, Reed Canary Grass, Switchrgass e Jatropha. Per quantificare il contributo energetico descritto e valutare il comportamento delle piante, vengono considerati 5 indicatori: GJ/ha, GJ/m3, GJ/(ha*m3) e GJ totali con due modalità differenti: una allocando al terreno la pianta che localmente massimizza la produzione di energia non considerando quanta acqua viene richiesta, l’altra opera il contrario, minimizzando tale richiesta. Tutto ciò viene fatto considerando diversi RCP (2.6, 4.5 e 8.5) per il periodo 2036-40 e per il periodo 2011-2020, preso come riferimento storico. Per ogni indicatore, per ogni anno e per ogni scenario RCP, vengono prodotte due mappe: (1) allocazione ottimale di quale pianta coltivare e dove e (2) classifica di priorità di intervento. Inoltre, esse vengono confrontate a posteriori utilizzando una mappa di water scarcity, per non coltivare laddove la situazione risulta attualmente critica. Il risultato dell’analisi condotta afferma che, coltivando l’intera quota di terreni marginali europei allocando la coltivazione sulla base degli indicatori sopra descritti, si contribuisce al raggiungimento della quota obiettivo con un range percentuale del 3-4%. Naturalmente, coltivare la totalità dei terreni non è né fattibile né consigliabile. Pertanto, la quota reale si abbassa notevolmente, rendendo la coltivazione di terreni marginali per la produzione di biocarburante una valida opzione per un sostentamento alle attività limitrofe, ma che difficilmente può avere un impatto significativo ad una scala più ampia.
Sustainable biofuel production: biomass cultivation on marginal lands supporting the achievement of REDIII targets
Raineri, Francesco
2023/2024
Abstract
In recent decades, the European Union's interest in the sustainability of transportation has grown, and the issuance of the third edition of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) in November 2023 is evidence of this commitment. Among other objectives, this directive aims to achieve a share of at least 42.5% of renewable energy in the total energy consumption within the European Union by 2030. Specifically, it mandates a renewable energy share of at least 29% in the transportation sector. This thesis investigates the potential for renewable energy production from biomass cultivated on marginal lands in Europe, which could contribute to achieving this target. Particular attention is paid to avoiding exacerbation of the food-energy dilemma, which arises when land is cultivated for energy rather than food purposes. Therefore, the lands considered in this thesis are those classified as marginal, meaning they are unsuitable for cultivating food crops. Additionally, all the plants selected for this study are non-food species: Miscanthus, Reed Canary Grass, Switchgrass, and Jatropha. To quantify the described energy contribution and assess the behaviour of the plants, five indicators are considered: GJ/ha, GJ/m³, GJ/(ha*m³), and total GJ, using two different allocation methods. The first method allocates the plant to each unit of land that maximizes energy production without considering the water requirements, while the second method minimizes the water demand. This analysis is conducted under various RCP scenarios (2.6, 4.5, and 8.5) for the period 2036-2040 and for the historical reference period of 2011-2020. For each indicator, year, and RCP scenario, two maps are produced: (1) optimal allocation of which plant to cultivate and where, and (2) a ranking of intervention priorities. Additionally, these maps are compared a posteriori using a water scarcity map, to avoid cultivation in areas currently experiencing critical water scarcity. The analysis concludes that, by cultivating the entire quota of European marginal lands and allocating cultivation based on the above indicators, a contribution of between 3% and 4% towards the target can be achieved. However, cultivating the totality of these lands is neither feasible nor advisable. Therefore, the realistic contribution is significantly lower, rendering the cultivation of marginal lands for biofuel production a viable option for supporting local activities, but one that is unlikely to have a substantial impact on a larger scale.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/227935