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Plant cultivation for energy purposes in a short rotation coppice system not only provides biomass for industry and power generation, but it is also beneficial for the environment. This study examined the effect of the species (cultivar/clone), harvest cycle and fertilization on selected soil parameters. A four-factorial strip-split-split-plot experiment was conducted in the north-east section of Poland. The treatment were two willow - Ekotur and Żubr (Salix viminalis L.) and one poplar cultivar (P. nigra x P. maximowiczii Henry) that were grown in one- and three-year harvest cycles. The species were fertilized with mineral and organic fertilizers (0, 85 and 170 kg ha-1 N). Soil samples were collected prior to the growing season (early spring) in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The experiment demonstrated that the annual cycle contained significantly more organic carbon (1.09%) than the triennial cycle. Moreover, organic carbon content was higher (p=0.0009) at sites where cultivars of S. viminalis L. were grown compared to those where the poplar clone was grown. Furthermore, total nitrogen content, phosphorus and potassium were higher at sites with the annual cycle. In contrast, these parameters were similar at most sites in the triennial cycle. These results indicate that fertilization did not affect soil organic carbon, pH, total nitrogen and macronutrients content in the triennial harvest cycle. The research needs to be continued during longer plantation use to confirm or refure these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Willow bark is an interesting source of bioactive substances. However, the extremely wide diversity of willow species and genotypes makes it necessary to search for the most useful ones. Preferably, the bark of the best willow genotypes should come from field plantations, which would guarantee the high quality and stability of this bioresource. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the phenolic and flavonoid content, the antioxidant capacity as well as the potential yield of bioactive substances from bark of ten willow genotypes harvested in two annual cutting cycles. The research material consisted of the bark of four genotypes of Salix purpurea, two genotypes of S. americana, two genotypes of S. triandra and two genotypes of interspecies hybrids of S. purpurea × S. daphnoides. One-year-old willow shoots where harvested in March 2018 and 2019 from a field experiment conducted by the Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Bioresource Engineering. The highest total flavonoid content was found in the bark of S. purpurea UWM 166, whereas the total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity were the highest for S. triandra UWM 197. The highest potential yield of total phenolic was obtained from S. americana UWM 094 and S. triandra UWM 197. The highest potential yield of total flavonoids was obtained from S. purpurea × S. daphnoides UWM 193 genotype. The content of bioactive substances and their potential yields were the highest in the second year of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Willow biomass can be collected in the form of entire or chipped shoots. The method depends on the harvest cycle of the plants, availability of necessary machines and the expected use of harvested raw material. Methods of harvesting influence on biomass quality during its acquisition and further in the storage period. Therefore, the aim of the research was to characterize the harvest of willow plantation with the use of a biobaler WB 55 and to assess the quality of the obtained biomass during the 9-month period of its storage. Willow was harvested with biobaler WB 55 in January 2010 on a commercial plantation. The 3.5 ha plantation was situated in the north-east of Poland, in the village of Dorotowo (53°42'9.88" N 20°25'11.02" E). An analysis of the biomass quality in terms of its thermophysical and chemical properties was carried out at the laboratory of the Department of Plant Breeding and Seed Production of the UWM in Olsztyn. Willow harvesting with a unit consisting of a 129 kW tractor and biobaler WB 55 was conducted efficiently. The average harvesting efficiency was about 18 bales per hour of the unit operation (8.75 Mg h-1 FM). The fresh matter density in the bales averaged 358.10 kg m-3 FM, whereas in dry matter it was 166.16 kg m-3 DM. With extended duration of storage, the quality of willow biomass as an energy raw material improved. The biomass in the bales steadily lost its moisture, from 53.06% in January to 17.48% in September. On the other hand, the lower heating value increased during that same period from 7.75 MJ kg-1 to 15.65 MJ kg-1. It has been found based on the observations made during the study period that the advantages of a biobaler WB 55 are the easy and efficient harvesting of plants on a plantation and bales can be used for energy production as needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a consequence of increasing air pollution, the European Commission has decided to introduce special directives laying down the measures to achieve climate and energy neutrality. Renewable energy (RE) sources play an important role in the pursuit of these goals, which has been taken into account in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The aim of this article is to describe patterns and trends in the achievements of the energy policy of European Union (EU) countries in the field of renewable energy in sustainable development. The identification of leaders in this field gives the possibility to analyse actions taken by the governments of these countries and the possible implementation of the introduced solutions on the ground of individual Member States at the regional and national levels. At the beginning Main goal of energy policy on the field of renewable energy sources (RES) is to increase production from environmentally friendly sources that is why trends were determined in order to assess the rate of achievement of the national target for changes the share of energy from renewable sources in total gross energy consumption. Groups of similar countries were then identified on the basis of three indicators corresponding to the targets set in the climate and energy package. In the group of analysed countries, 14 have achieved the 2020 targets and 4 have exceeded the 2030 targets. The main renewable energy sources (RES) are biofuels, wind, and hydropower. In the assessment of the achievement of energy policy targets, the best situation was observed in the case of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. These countries have significantly increased the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption. Compared to other EU countries, they have reduced the economy's energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions the most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass is an abundant energy source, particularly in Canada, as an alternative or primary source for electricity generation. However, low economy of scale could cause a loss of efficiency for bioenergy adoption in small remote communities. In this sense, coordination among the players could promote the efficiency and profitability of bioenergy supply chains for these communities. There are different coordination strategies with varying impacts on supply chain players' profit or cost. Therefore, analyzing and comparing them could provide insights on how to decide about the choice of coordination strategy. In doing so, this study considers the coordination strategies of quantity discounts and cost-sharing. The study adopts a system dynamics approach for simulating these coordination scenarios, obtaining their corresponding optimal supply chain decisions, followed by a comparative analysis. For a case study, the study considers multiple suppliers providing biomass for electricity generation in three communities in northern Quebec. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to identify and assess the relationship between the investment attractiveness of regions for agricultural enterprises and the energy factor. Classical theories of the location of agriculture emphasise the importance of the market factor. The energy factor has so far been ignored, despite the global trend related to the increasing importance of production scales and rising energy consumption in agriculture. There are also no methodological proposals that allow a comprehensive assessment of the investment attractiveness of regions for agricultural enterprises, taking into account the leading location factors. The article presents the author's methodological model based on the weight-correlation method of valorisation of investment attractiveness of regions for economic entities that invest in agricultural production. It contains a sub-aggregate describing the energy factor. This proposal is a contribution to the theory of the location of agriculture in the field of location factor analysis. The developed methodological model is used to explain location decisions of agricultural enterprises at the regional level. Access to energy as well as energy management increase locational advantages and reduce the economic risk of carrying out agricultural activities in economic units, which contributes to an increase in the sustainability of agricultural production. This is especially true in areas dominated in the past by state-owned and cooperative enterprises, which are the dominant group of enterprises in this area after privatization. The proposed methodology was positively verified on the example of Polish regions, as a significant influence of the energy factor on investment attractiveness at the local level was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabis plant has long been execrated by law in different nations due to the psychoactive properties of only a few cannabinoids. Recent scientific advances coupled with growing public awareness of cannabinoids as a medical commodity drove legislation change and brought about a historic transition where the demand rose over ten-fold in less than five years. On the other hand, the technology required for cannabis processing and the extraction of the most valuable chemical compounds from the cannabis flower remains the bottleneck of processing technology. This paper sheds light on the downstream processing steps and principles involved in producing cannabinoids from Cannabis sativa L. (Hemp) biomass. By categorizing the extraction technology into seed and trichome, we examined and critiqued different pretreatment methods and technological options available for large-scale extraction in both categories. Solvent extraction methods being the main focus, the critical decision-making parameters in each stage, and the applicable current technologies in the field, were discussed. We further examined the factors affecting the cannabinoid transformation that changes the medical functionality of the final cannabinoid products. Based on the current trends, the extraction technologies are continuously being revised and enhanced, yet they still fail to keep up with market demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pennycress can be used as a renewable biomass because its harvested seeds can be converted into biofuel, supplying, for example the aviation industry. Pennycress can be adopted as a winter cover crop to make extra profit in addition to summer cash crops. This study ascertains influences on row crop farmers' interest in growing pennycress to supply a biofuels industry. The study uses data from a survey of row-crop farmers in seven US states. Effects of farm and farmer attributes on acceptance of a farmgate pennycress price are measured. Nearly 58% were interested in growing pennycress if profitable. Among those interested, 54.4% would accept the farmgate pennycress price offered. Positive influences on interest included farm size, education, and familiarity with pennycress, while concern about knowledge on growing pennycress, and use of no-till practices had negative influences. Farmers aged 40 to 65 were more likely to accept the price, while share of rented hectares and no debt had positive influences. More risk-averse farmers and those using no-till were less likely to accept. Results suggest that the majority of row crop farmers would be interested in growing pennycress if profitable, while the overall willingness to accept the farmgate price was when it was at $0.28/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural land abandonment is a process observed in most European countries. In Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, it was initiated with the political transformation of the 1990s. Currently, in Poland, it concerns over 2 million ha of arable land. Such a large acreage constitutes a resource of land that can be directly restored to agricultural production or perform environmental functions. A new concept for management of fallow/abandoned areas is to start producing biomass for the bioeconomy purposes. Production of perennial crops, especially on poorer soils, requires an appropriate assessment of soil conditions. Therefore, it has become crucial to answer the question: What is the real impact of the fallowing process on soil, and is it possible to return it to production at all? For this purpose, on the selected fallowed land that met the marginality criteria defined under the project, physicochemical tests of soil properties were carried out, and subsequently, the results were compared with those of the neighboring agricultural land and with the soil valuation of the fallow land, which was conducted during its past agricultural use. The work was mainly aimed at analyzing the impact of long-term fallowing on soil pH, carbon sequestration and nutrient content, e.g., phosphorus and potassium. The result of the work is a positive assessment of the possibility of restoring fallowed land for agricultural production, including the production of biomass for non-agricultural purposes. Among the studied types of fallow plots, the fields where goldenrod (Solidago L.—invasive species) appeared were indicated as the areas most affected by soil degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Polish agricultural economy has a chance to dynamically develop and influence the innovation policy in the EU model of bioeconomy. The research aims to assess the spatial diversification of the level and structure of spending funds for two Rural Development Program (RDP) measures: agri-environment-climate measures (AECM) and organic farming scheme (OFS) aimed at supporting proenvironmental forms of agricultural management in the context of bioeconomy development. The EU financial perspective determined the time range for 2014–2020. The study was conducted on the example of Poland in two spatial scales: regional (province) and local (community). The analysis was based on partial indicators, which were then subjected to the standardisation procedure and included in the total as a synthetic indicator of the utilisation of RDP 2014–2020 funds aimed at supporting proenvironmental forms of farming. The following information was included in the evaluation: the number of farms, the size of utilised agricultural area (UAA) covered by support and the amounts of payments made under the two analysed RDP measures. In the research, the size and distribution of farms benefiting from AECM and OFS were determined. Besides, the relationship between funds absorption and socioeconomic development, as well as natural and non-natural conditions, were identified. The synthetic indicator of AECM/OFS usage showed a strong spatial differentiation, determined by the impact of several conditions: the level of socioeconomic development, the level of agriculture development, natural conditions of agriculture, land with significant natural and ecological values, and proenvironmental forms of land use on farms. Spatial diversification is more often the result of the impact of proenvironmental or natural-ecological factors than of socioeconomic conditions, or the level of agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]