Clean Energy Supply and Energy Efficiency Analysis in Agricultural Production Systems

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Biosystem and Biological Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 2644

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Guest Editor
Center for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Institute for Bio-economy and Agri-technology (iBO), Charilaou-Thermi Rd., 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: energy in agriculture; renewable energy; precision agriculture; conservation agriculture
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sources of fossil energy have been one of the main drivers of the continuous development of agricultural production systems from the Green Revolution era (1950s and 1960s) until today. This has led in increased yields and reduced worker fatigue in both open-field crop production and controlled environment agricultural construction but has also been accompanied by the associated greenhouse gas emissions that make significant contributions to global warming potential and climate change.

In the last three decades, a series of technologies and strategies with the ability to increase energy use efficiency as well as others producing energy using alternative methods (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, etc.) have been developed and have become commercial after continuous research and innovation progress. They have mainly found applications in urban and industrial environments, and in the meantime, they have become technically optimized and cheaper. Agricultural systems have not adopted such solutions to a great extent, but today, the technical, economic, and political circumstances seem to be optimal for the high integration of clean energy production and energy efficient systems in crop production.

To do so, this Special Issue is devoted to technical, economic and social solutions that assist in defossilising the agricultural sector by considering how combined energy and crop production that do not affect yield output can be major drivers for rural development and make great contributions for climate change mitigation.

Dr. Thanos Balafoutis
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • renewable energy sources
  • energy efficiency
  • carbon compensation
  • defossilisation
  • agricultural systems
  • direct energy use
  • indirect energy use
  • life cycle assessment
  • greenhouse gases emission
  • climate change

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 5886 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Bioenergy Potential of Novel Non-Edible Biomass Resources via Ultrastructural Analysis of Seed Sculpturing Using Microscopic Imaging Visualization
by Maria Ameen, Muhammad Zafar, Mushtaq Ahmad, Mohamed Fawzy Ramadan, Heba F. Eid, Trobjon Makhkamov, Akramjon Yuldashev, Oybek Mamarakhimov, Maxsuda Nizomova, Rima J. Isaifan, Shaista Jabeen and Salman Majeed
Agronomy 2023, 13(3), 735; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030735 - 28 Feb 2023
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2099
Abstract
Recently, intensifying energy crises accompanying ecological crises due to the decline in fossil-fuel reserves and extensive greenhouse gas emissions have triggered the exploration of renewable substitutes for petro-diesel. In this scenario, biodiesel is the best alternative to non-renewable finite conventional fuels due to [...] Read more.
Recently, intensifying energy crises accompanying ecological crises due to the decline in fossil-fuel reserves and extensive greenhouse gas emissions have triggered the exploration of renewable substitutes for petro-diesel. In this scenario, biodiesel is the best alternative to non-renewable finite conventional fuels due to its cost-effectiveness, sustainability, renewability, biodegradability, and eco-friendly nature. Hence, the current research was designed to utilize scanning electron microscopy to investigate and identify the micro-morphological characteristics of selected seed-bearing crops. Light-microscopy (LM) indicated discrete variations in macro-morphological characters such as seed shape (ovoid, ovate, oblong, semi-spheroid, or discoid), seed size (3.5–14 mm in length and 2.25 to 6.5 mm in width), seed color (yellow to black), and number of seeds per kilogram (from 6000 to 260,000). Chemical extraction via Soxhlet apparatus resulted in the estimation of oil content within the range of 20.3–48.0% (wt./wt.), FFA content (0.63–6.91 mg KOH/g), and maximum product, i.e., 98% biodiesel yield was achieved. Multivariate analysis via principal component analysis (PCA) was done using PAST 3 software to investigate similarities and differences among factors/variables. SEM examination exhibited ultra-morphological characters and distinct variation in cell-wall ornamentation; hilum occurrence, position, and level; wall-sculpturing variations such as ruminate, verrucate, wrinkled, or striate; cell arrangement (anticlinal or periclinal); and cell shape and margins. To conclude, SEM could be an advanced technique to disclose the ultra-micromorphological characteristics of oil-bearing energy crops providing a convenient way for scientists to determine correct identification, authentication, and classification. Full article
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