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Agricultural activities in Europe cover half of the total area of the continent and are simultaneously a cause of environmental impact and victims of the same impact. Horticultural or fruit crops are considered highly intensive and often employ many crop inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and various materials. Strawberry falls into this group, and it has grown in acreage and production more than others globally. The aim of this study is to compare the environmental impact of two strawberry cultivation systems in central Italy, a mulched soil tunnel and a soilless tunnel system. The method used to assess the impact is LCA, widely applied in agriculture and supported by international standards. The data used are mainly primary, related to 2018, and representative of the cultivation systems of central Italy. For impact assessment, the method selected was the CML_IA baseline version. From the results obtained, the two systems show a similar impact per kg of strawberries produced (e.g., for global warming: 0.785 kg CO2 eq for soilless, 0.778 kg CO2 eq for mulched soil tunnel). Reduced differences can be observed for the use of crop inputs (greater for the tunnel) and the use of materials and technology (greater for soilless). The mitigation measures considered concern the replacement of the packaging (excluding plastic) and the growing medium of the soilless using perlite and compost from insect breeding.
Alessio Ilari; Giuseppe Toscano; Kofi Boakye-Yiadom; Daniele Duca; Ester Foppa Pedretti. Life Cycle Assessment of Protected Strawberry Productions in Central Italy. Sustainability 2021, 13, 4879 .
AMA StyleAlessio Ilari, Giuseppe Toscano, Kofi Boakye-Yiadom, Daniele Duca, Ester Foppa Pedretti. Life Cycle Assessment of Protected Strawberry Productions in Central Italy. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (9):4879.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlessio Ilari; Giuseppe Toscano; Kofi Boakye-Yiadom; Daniele Duca; Ester Foppa Pedretti. 2021. "Life Cycle Assessment of Protected Strawberry Productions in Central Italy." Sustainability 13, no. 9: 4879.
Near infrared spectroscopy is a non-invasive and rapid technique to support the analysis of solid biofuels such as woodchip, which is considered as a suitable alternative for energy production, according to European goals for fossil fuel reduction. Chemical and physical properties of the woodchip influence combustion performance, so the most discriminant parameters such as moisture and ash content and gross calorific value were constantly monitored. The aim of this study was the development of prediction models for these three parameters with the use of a hand-held NIR spectrometer. Laboratory analyses were carried out to evaluate the quality of several Italian samples from a power plant, and PLS regression models were developed to test prediction accuracy. Moreover, the most relevant wavelengths were investigated to discriminate chemical compounds influence. Prediction models demonstrated the capacity of handheld MicroNIR instrument to be considered a practical tool for solid biofuel quality assessment. As a consequence, NIR spectroscopy improved real-time analysis and made it suitable for practical and industrial applications, as supported by the recent Italian standard UNI/TS 11765.
Elena Leoni; Manuela Mancini; Daniele Duca; Giuseppe Toscano. Rapid Quality Control of Woodchip Parameters Using a Hand-Held Near Infrared Spectrophotometer. Processes 2020, 8, 1413 .
AMA StyleElena Leoni, Manuela Mancini, Daniele Duca, Giuseppe Toscano. Rapid Quality Control of Woodchip Parameters Using a Hand-Held Near Infrared Spectrophotometer. Processes. 2020; 8 (11):1413.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElena Leoni; Manuela Mancini; Daniele Duca; Giuseppe Toscano. 2020. "Rapid Quality Control of Woodchip Parameters Using a Hand-Held Near Infrared Spectrophotometer." Processes 8, no. 11: 1413.
In the latex production chain, rubber tree seeds (Hevea brasiliensis) represent an underutilized fraction with high potentialities, which can increase the sustainability of the whole process if rightly valorized. In the present study, the quality of all the fractions obtained from the rubber fruit were evaluated, with the aim to identify possible applications for their valorization with a circular economy perspective. Seeds from five different varieties of rubber tree were analyzed. Furthermore, a whole mass and energy balance was defined, which has allowed us to define hypothetical production scenarios. The obtained results show negligible differences among varieties. Shells and capsules have shown a composition similar to woody biomass, with high heating values (more than 16.5 MJ kg−1), low nitrogen content (below 0.5% on weight basis (w/w)) and reduced ash content (0.51% w/w and 1.90% w/w, respectively). Kernels were chemically extracted comparing two different solvents: n-hexane and ethanol. Both solvents showed similar extraction yields, i.e., 49% w/w and 46% w/w for n-hexane and ethanol, respectively. The resulting extraction flour was characterized by a high protein content (around 40% w/w) making it suitable for animal feeding. The rubber seed oil could be used in blends of different vegetable oils for biodiesel production. All this information is useful for improving the sustainability of the latex production chain and to assess the sustainability of possible bioenergy value chains.
Andrea Pizzi; Daniele Duca; Giorgio Rossini; Sara Fabrizi; Giuseppe Toscano. Biofuel, Bioenergy and Feed Valorization of By-Products and Residues from Hevea brasiliensis Cultivation to Enhance Sustainability. Resources 2020, 9, 114 .
AMA StyleAndrea Pizzi, Daniele Duca, Giorgio Rossini, Sara Fabrizi, Giuseppe Toscano. Biofuel, Bioenergy and Feed Valorization of By-Products and Residues from Hevea brasiliensis Cultivation to Enhance Sustainability. Resources. 2020; 9 (9):114.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndrea Pizzi; Daniele Duca; Giorgio Rossini; Sara Fabrizi; Giuseppe Toscano. 2020. "Biofuel, Bioenergy and Feed Valorization of By-Products and Residues from Hevea brasiliensis Cultivation to Enhance Sustainability." Resources 9, no. 9: 114.
The impact of heat production from vineyard pruning pellets has been evaluated in this paper. The study considers two different systems: the first one based on a mobile pelletizer (PS1) and the second one based on a stationary pellet plant (PS2). The analysis conducted is from “cradle to grave”; the systems under analysis includes pruning harvesting, transport to storage area, pelletization (mobile system or stationary production plant), transport to consumer and combustion. The functional unit selected is 1 MJ of thermal energy produced. The impact assessment calculation methods selected are Eco-Indicator 99 (H) LCA Food V2.103/Europe EI 99 H/A with a midpoint and endpoint approach, and ReCiPe Midpoint (H) V1.10. Considering Life Cycle Assessment results, Eco-indicator shows a total impact of 4.25 and 4.07 mPt for mobile pelletizer and stationary pellet plant, respectively. Considering the three damage categories, PS1 has values of 2.4% (Human Health), 3.8% (Ecosystem Quality) and 17.3% (Resources), more impactful than PS2. Contribution analysis shows that direct emissions are the major damage contributor, followed by wood ash management. From a comparison between the baseline scenario and a scenario with an avoided product (wood ash as a standard potassium fertilizer), PS1 and PS2 with an avoided product approach are 41% and 40% less impactful than in the baseline scenarios. When testing the impact of mobile pelletizer while considering transportation as a factor, a reduction of distance for pellet has been evaluated. Reducing the distance from 100 to 10 km, the total impact of PS1 almost reaches the impact of PS2 with a difference of around 4.6% (Eco-indicator 99 method). The most impactful processes are pellet production, direct emissions and ash management, while a less impactful factor is the electricity consumption. Transportation shows the lowest impact. Considering the ReCiPe impact calculation method with a midpoint approach, the results confirm what was found with Eco-indicator 99; the PS1 shows a slightly higher impact than PS2.
Alessio Ilari; Giuseppe Toscano; Ester Foppa Pedretti; Sara Fabrizi; Daniele Duca. Environmental Sustainability of Heating Systems Based on Pellets Produced in Mobile and Stationary Plants from Vineyard Pruning Residues. Resources 2020, 9, 94 .
AMA StyleAlessio Ilari, Giuseppe Toscano, Ester Foppa Pedretti, Sara Fabrizi, Daniele Duca. Environmental Sustainability of Heating Systems Based on Pellets Produced in Mobile and Stationary Plants from Vineyard Pruning Residues. Resources. 2020; 9 (8):94.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlessio Ilari; Giuseppe Toscano; Ester Foppa Pedretti; Sara Fabrizi; Daniele Duca. 2020. "Environmental Sustainability of Heating Systems Based on Pellets Produced in Mobile and Stationary Plants from Vineyard Pruning Residues." Resources 9, no. 8: 94.
In recent years, pellet has received increasing attention among other biofuels due to its low storage costs and high combustion efficiency. The traceability of pellet quality along the entire supply chain is a critical issue, since fraudulent behaviours, such as the replacement with lower quality pellet, may both cause an economic damage and harm consumers’ health. Traditionally, pellet quality is evaluated through laboratory analysis, which is costly and time-consuming. To overcome these limitations, in this work we define a methodology for quick and low-cost evaluation of pellet quality, which may be used along the entire supply chain. The proposed technique is based on the classification of pellet spectra through machine learning techniques. Spectra are obtained by means of a near-infrared (NIR) spectrophotometer, which is a relatively cheap instrument of small dimensions (even portable) that is suitable for on-site analysis at any phase of the supply chain. We propose two different approaches, namely an automatic classification of pellet, which does not require laboratory analysis, and a semi-automatic approach, that increases the overall accuracy but requires laboratory analysis for uncertainly classified samples. We validate the methodology by performing several experiments on real-world data, by training different machine learning algorithms and evaluating the impact of several transformations introduced to reduce the scattering effect, which is a well-known issue related to NIR data.
Manuela Mancini; Alex Mircoli; Domenico Potena; Claudia Diamantini; Daniele Duca; Giuseppe Toscano. Prediction of pellet quality through machine learning techniques and near-infrared spectroscopy. Computers & Industrial Engineering 2020, 147, 106566 .
AMA StyleManuela Mancini, Alex Mircoli, Domenico Potena, Claudia Diamantini, Daniele Duca, Giuseppe Toscano. Prediction of pellet quality through machine learning techniques and near-infrared spectroscopy. Computers & Industrial Engineering. 2020; 147 ():106566.
Chicago/Turabian StyleManuela Mancini; Alex Mircoli; Domenico Potena; Claudia Diamantini; Daniele Duca; Giuseppe Toscano. 2020. "Prediction of pellet quality through machine learning techniques and near-infrared spectroscopy." Computers & Industrial Engineering 147, no. : 106566.
Eucalyptus spp. has received attention from the research and industrial field as a biomass crop because of its fast growth and high productivity. The features of this species match with the increasing demand for wood for energy production. Commonly, the wood used for energy production is converted in chips, a material susceptible to microbial degradation and energy losses if not properly stored before conversion. This study aims at investigating two outdoor storage systems of Eucalyptus wood chips (covered vs. uncovered), assessing the variation in moisture content, dry matter losses and fuel characteristics. The class size of the material was P16, which was obtained using a commercial chipper appositely searched to conduct the study. The results highlighted how the different storage methods were influenced by the climatic condition: the woody biomass covered showed the best performances in terms of dry matter losses achieving 2.7% losses vs. the 8.5% of the uncovered systems. However, fuel characteristics displayed minor changes that affected the final energy balance (∆En = −0.2% in covered; ∆En = −6.17% in uncovered). Particle size varied in both methods with respect to the start conditions, but the variation was not enough to determine a class change, which remained P16 even after storage.
Luigi Pari; Simone Bergonzoli; Paola Cetera; Paolo Mattei; Vincenzo Alfano; Negar Rezaei; Alessandro Suardi; Giuseppe Toscano; Antonio Scarfone. Storage of Fine Woodchips from a Medium Rotation Coppice Eucalyptus Plantation in Central Italy. Energies 2020, 13, 2355 .
AMA StyleLuigi Pari, Simone Bergonzoli, Paola Cetera, Paolo Mattei, Vincenzo Alfano, Negar Rezaei, Alessandro Suardi, Giuseppe Toscano, Antonio Scarfone. Storage of Fine Woodchips from a Medium Rotation Coppice Eucalyptus Plantation in Central Italy. Energies. 2020; 13 (9):2355.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLuigi Pari; Simone Bergonzoli; Paola Cetera; Paolo Mattei; Vincenzo Alfano; Negar Rezaei; Alessandro Suardi; Giuseppe Toscano; Antonio Scarfone. 2020. "Storage of Fine Woodchips from a Medium Rotation Coppice Eucalyptus Plantation in Central Italy." Energies 13, no. 9: 2355.
The determination of strawberry fruit quality through the traditional destructive lab techniques has some limitations related to the amplitude of the samples, the timing and the applicability along all phases of the supply chain. The aim of this study was to determine the main qualitative characteristics through traditional lab destructive techniques and Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) in fruits of five strawberry genotypes. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to search for spectral differences among all the collected samples. A Partial Least Squares regression (PLS) technique was computed in order to predict the quality parameters of interest. The PLS model for the soluble solids content prediction was the best performing—in fact, it is a robust and reliable model and the validation values suggested possibilities for its use in quality applications. A suitable PLS model is also obtained for the firmness prediction—the validation values tend to worsen slightly but can still be accepted in screening applications. NIR spectroscopy represents an important alternative to destructive techniques, using the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum to investigate in a non-destructive way the chemical–physical properties of the samples, finding remarkable applications in the agro-food market.
Manuela Mancini; Luca Mazzoni; Francesco Gagliardi; Francesca Balducci; Daniele Duca; Giuseppe Toscano; Bruno Mezzetti; Franco Capocasa. Application of the Non-Destructive NIR Technique for the Evaluation of Strawberry Fruits Quality Parameters. Foods 2020, 9, 441 .
AMA StyleManuela Mancini, Luca Mazzoni, Francesco Gagliardi, Francesca Balducci, Daniele Duca, Giuseppe Toscano, Bruno Mezzetti, Franco Capocasa. Application of the Non-Destructive NIR Technique for the Evaluation of Strawberry Fruits Quality Parameters. Foods. 2020; 9 (4):441.
Chicago/Turabian StyleManuela Mancini; Luca Mazzoni; Francesco Gagliardi; Francesca Balducci; Daniele Duca; Giuseppe Toscano; Bruno Mezzetti; Franco Capocasa. 2020. "Application of the Non-Destructive NIR Technique for the Evaluation of Strawberry Fruits Quality Parameters." Foods 9, no. 4: 441.
Near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) is a technique widely used for the prediction of different chemical-physical features of wood. In this study, the technique was used to assess its potential to predict the mechanical characteristics of wood. Castanea sativa samples of three different European provenances were collected and laboratory tests were performed to assess the mechanical properties of wood samples. Modulus of elasticity (MOE), load-deflection curve and modulus of rupture (MOR) were calculated by using INSTRON machine with three points bending strength with elastic modulus, while density (D) was calculated according to the current standard. Samples were then analysed by means of NIR spectroscopy. The raw spectra were pre-processed and regression models were developed. Variables selection techniques were used to improve the model performance. In detail, MOE regression model returned an error of 696.01 MPa (R2=0.78). Instead, MOR and D prediction models must be further investigated on a wider number of samples considering the high variability in physical characteristics of chestnut wood. The results demonstrated the possibility to use NIR technique for the prediction of the mechanical properties of wood providing useful indications in evaluation-screening processes. Indeed, the presence of the principal wood compounds (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) and their influence in the characterisation of mechanical stress reactions were confirmed.
Manuela Mancini; Elena Leoni; Michela Nocetti; Carlo Urbinati; Daniele Duca; Michele Brunetti; Giuseppe Toscano. Near infrared spectroscopy for assessing mechanical properties of Castanea sativa wood samples. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2019, 50, 191 -197.
AMA StyleManuela Mancini, Elena Leoni, Michela Nocetti, Carlo Urbinati, Daniele Duca, Michele Brunetti, Giuseppe Toscano. Near infrared spectroscopy for assessing mechanical properties of Castanea sativa wood samples. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2019; 50 (4):191-197.
Chicago/Turabian StyleManuela Mancini; Elena Leoni; Michela Nocetti; Carlo Urbinati; Daniele Duca; Michele Brunetti; Giuseppe Toscano. 2019. "Near infrared spectroscopy for assessing mechanical properties of Castanea sativa wood samples." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 50, no. 4: 191-197.
Alessio Ilari; Daniele Duca; Giuseppe Toscano; Ester Foppa Pedretti. Evaluation of cradle to gate environmental impact of frozen green bean production by means of life cycle assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 236, 1 .
AMA StyleAlessio Ilari, Daniele Duca, Giuseppe Toscano, Ester Foppa Pedretti. Evaluation of cradle to gate environmental impact of frozen green bean production by means of life cycle assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 236 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlessio Ilari; Daniele Duca; Giuseppe Toscano; Ester Foppa Pedretti. 2019. "Evaluation of cradle to gate environmental impact of frozen green bean production by means of life cycle assessment." Journal of Cleaner Production 236, no. : 1.
Giuseppe Toscano; Gabriele Feliciangeli; Giorgio Rossini; Sara Fabrizi; Ester Foppa Pedretti; Daniele Duca. Engineered solid biofuel from herbaceous biomass mixed with inorganic additives. Fuel 2019, 256, 1 .
AMA StyleGiuseppe Toscano, Gabriele Feliciangeli, Giorgio Rossini, Sara Fabrizi, Ester Foppa Pedretti, Daniele Duca. Engineered solid biofuel from herbaceous biomass mixed with inorganic additives. Fuel. 2019; 256 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiuseppe Toscano; Gabriele Feliciangeli; Giorgio Rossini; Sara Fabrizi; Ester Foppa Pedretti; Daniele Duca. 2019. "Engineered solid biofuel from herbaceous biomass mixed with inorganic additives." Fuel 256, no. : 1.
Sunflower is one of the most important oilseed crops cultivated in the world for different purposes. In Italy, the production is mostly located in the central area, representing 70% of Italian production. The market demand for sunflower oil is higher than the national production. There is an increasing request for cold pressed sunflower oil for food application. The success of this activity is linked to a correct setting up and management of the production and supply chain with a valorization of products and by-products. To this aim, information is needed, and this paper is focused on the cultivation of sunflower in central Italy using suitable hybrids, as well as on the study of the cold extraction performance of the sunflower seed produced and the quality of by-products and residues. Results indicate that, on average, a range of about 1.0–1.5 t ha−1 of cold pressed oil and different amounts of by-products can be obtained. According to a proposed scenario, 30 ha cultivated with sunflower are needed to create a complete supply chain within the farm, avoiding many additional passages and maintaining all the value for the farmer. It is important to use suitable hybrids for obtaining good yield, but also the cold extraction performances are important because they also affect the quality of by-products and residues that can be valorized themselves to improve sustainability.
Ester Foppa Pedretti; Andrea Del Gatto; Sandro Pieri; Lorella Mangoni; Alessio Ilari; Manuela Mancini; Gabriele Feliciangeli; Elena Leoni; Giuseppe Toscano; Daniele Duca. Experimental Study to Support Local Sunflower Oil Chains: Production of Cold Pressed Oil in Central Italy. Agriculture 2019, 9, 231 .
AMA StyleEster Foppa Pedretti, Andrea Del Gatto, Sandro Pieri, Lorella Mangoni, Alessio Ilari, Manuela Mancini, Gabriele Feliciangeli, Elena Leoni, Giuseppe Toscano, Daniele Duca. Experimental Study to Support Local Sunflower Oil Chains: Production of Cold Pressed Oil in Central Italy. Agriculture. 2019; 9 (11):231.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEster Foppa Pedretti; Andrea Del Gatto; Sandro Pieri; Lorella Mangoni; Alessio Ilari; Manuela Mancini; Gabriele Feliciangeli; Elena Leoni; Giuseppe Toscano; Daniele Duca. 2019. "Experimental Study to Support Local Sunflower Oil Chains: Production of Cold Pressed Oil in Central Italy." Agriculture 9, no. 11: 231.
Considering the European goal to promote clean, sustainable, and affordable energies, solid biofuels could play an important role in increasing the share of renewable energies. Given the huge variability of solid biofuel characteristics and in order to determine their best application, it is important to assess their quality before the intended use. Technical standards EN ISO 17225 divide the solid biofuels in several quality classes on the basis of chemical‐physical parameters and qualitative features (ie, origin and source of the material). These last are quite hard to be determined in densified solid biofuels like pellet and briquettes using conventional lab analysis, and near‐infrared spectroscopy could represent a rapid and economic method to overcome this problem. To this aim, three near‐infrared spectral datasets have been investigated to evaluate the possibility to get information about qualitative features of the densified solid biofuels and in detail: (a) discrimination between treated/virgin wood; (b) discrimination between bark/wood; and (c) discrimination between herbaceous/woody biomass. Three different classification methods have been taken into consideration—support vector machines (SVM), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA), and principal component analysis linear discriminant analysis (PCA‐LDA)—and the classification performance were compared. All the methods were carefully validated using two different new modifications of repeated double cross‐validation.
Manuela Mancini; Veli‐Matti Taavitsainen; Giuseppe Toscano. Comparison of three different classification methods performance for the determination of biofuel quality by means of NIR spectroscopy. Journal of Chemometrics 2019, 33, 1 .
AMA StyleManuela Mancini, Veli‐Matti Taavitsainen, Giuseppe Toscano. Comparison of three different classification methods performance for the determination of biofuel quality by means of NIR spectroscopy. Journal of Chemometrics. 2019; 33 (7):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleManuela Mancini; Veli‐Matti Taavitsainen; Giuseppe Toscano. 2019. "Comparison of three different classification methods performance for the determination of biofuel quality by means of NIR spectroscopy." Journal of Chemometrics 33, no. 7: 1.
Scattering effect is a really common physical phenomenon during near‐infrared analysis. It is an undesired variation in the spectral data due to a deviation of light from a straight trajectory into different paths. The nonlinearities introduced can be handled by using spectral preprocessing techniques. The situation is completely different when the parameter of interest is physical by nature, such as ash content, in this case removing the physical artifacts of scattering would be negative for the final model. In this study, we have decided to investigate the ash content parameter trying to figure out if the information useful for its prediction is related to the scattering effects, the chemical features, or a mixture of them. To this aim, two near‐infrared spectral datasets were taken into consideration: woodchip for energy sector and pellet samples for feed sector. A new regression model (CORR‐PLS) was developed by including principal components analysis scores and extended multiplicative scatter correction (EMSC) factors as physical parameters into the partial least squares (PLS) regression model. The prediction performance of the regular PLS models (PLS on the raw data and MSC pre‐treated data) were compared with that of the CORR‐PLS model both with regard to prediction uncertainty and model complexity in order to evaluate which is the relevant information for prediction of the ash content.
Manuela Mancini; Giuseppe Toscano; Åsmund Rinnan. Study of the scattering effects on NIR data for the prediction of ash content using EMSC correction factors. Journal of Chemometrics 2019, 33, e3111 .
AMA StyleManuela Mancini, Giuseppe Toscano, Åsmund Rinnan. Study of the scattering effects on NIR data for the prediction of ash content using EMSC correction factors. Journal of Chemometrics. 2019; 33 (4):e3111.
Chicago/Turabian StyleManuela Mancini; Giuseppe Toscano; Åsmund Rinnan. 2019. "Study of the scattering effects on NIR data for the prediction of ash content using EMSC correction factors." Journal of Chemometrics 33, no. 4: e3111.
The European target of ensuring reliable and sustainable energy has led to the increase in biofuel demand. This growth makes necessary the check of the product quality in order to prevent environmental and technical problems during combustion. Technical standard EN ISO 17225 divided the different biofuels into quality classes on the basis of their chemico-physical characteristics and the origin and source. In addition, they define the laboratory methodologies to be performed. These conventional analyses can determine these quality parameters but they are lengthy and expensive compared to the real need of the market. In this study, Vis-NIR spectroscopy coupled with partial least squares regression was used to predict the most important chemical-physical parameters of woodchip and pellet samples as a possible alternative to the conventional laboratory analysis. The results showed the possibility to use spectroscopy to obtain information about biofuel quality. In detail, moisture content and net calorific value of woodchip samples were predicted with RMSEP of 3.78% (r2(pred) = 0.97) and RMSECV of 0.37 MJ/kg (r2(CV) = 0.92), respectively. Ash content and gross calorific value of pellet samples were predicted with RMSECV of 0.44% (r2(CV) = 0.81) and 0.20 MJ/kg (r2(CV) = 0.78), respectively, while ash content and gross calorific value on ground pellet samples were predicted with RMSECV of 0.47% (r2(CV) = 0.78) and 0.19 MJ/kg (r2(CV) = 0.80), respectively. The best results were obtained considering only the near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, suggesting that the visible part is not influential for the prediction of the parameters of this study. Having such a rapid and economic tool will be fundamental for the biofuel processors in order to check different quality characteristics of the products directly in real time without the time delay of the laboratory analysis and complications of sampling representation.
M Mancini; D Duca; G Toscano. Laboratory customized online measurements for the prediction of the key-parameters of biomass quality control. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy 2019, 27, 15 -25.
AMA StyleM Mancini, D Duca, G Toscano. Laboratory customized online measurements for the prediction of the key-parameters of biomass quality control. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy. 2019; 27 (1):15-25.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM Mancini; D Duca; G Toscano. 2019. "Laboratory customized online measurements for the prediction of the key-parameters of biomass quality control." Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy 27, no. 1: 15-25.
The goal of this work was to test a patented pruning harvester and a mobile pelleting system specifically designed for the vineyard agripellet chain. Biomass was characterized before and after storage and after the pelleting stage. The performance, the fuel consumption, and the work quality of the harvester were assessed together with the productivity and the power consumption of the mobile pelleting system. Production costs of pellet were estimated for the whole logistic chain, considering two scenarios: Storage and pelleting directly at the farm site or at a dedicated location at variable distance from the fields. For comparison, the direct production of chips without pelleting was considered. Results indicate that harvester performance was quite good and comparable with commercial solutions; the chips produced exhibited excellent storage performance, allowing direct pelleting without forced drying; the pellet quality was good comparable with that produced from forestry biomass. From an economic point of view, in-field pelleting was the most cost-effective solution, with a good margin of profit up to 57€ t−1; on the other hand, when transport to an intermediate storage center is necessary, profit margin reduces gradually and fades off at an average 50 km distance from the fields.
Giuseppe Toscano; Vincenzo Alfano; Antonio Scarfone; Luigi Pari. Pelleting Vineyard Pruning at Low Cost with a Mobile Technology. Energies 2018, 11, 2477 .
AMA StyleGiuseppe Toscano, Vincenzo Alfano, Antonio Scarfone, Luigi Pari. Pelleting Vineyard Pruning at Low Cost with a Mobile Technology. Energies. 2018; 11 (9):2477.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiuseppe Toscano; Vincenzo Alfano; Antonio Scarfone; Luigi Pari. 2018. "Pelleting Vineyard Pruning at Low Cost with a Mobile Technology." Energies 11, no. 9: 2477.
Vine is one of the most widespread crop cultivated in Italy. The management of these residues is linked to an additional cost for the operator and determines environmental issues mainly due to open field combustion. A better exploitation of these residues could be the use for thermal energy production in residential heating devices fuelled with pellet. In the present work vineyard pruning residues were collected, pelletised, then characterised according to the standard for solid biofuels. Combustion tests were performed in a 150 kWth boiler fuelled with pruning pellet and the related TSP, CO, NOx emissions were measured. In order to make a comparison with the open field combustion emissions of the vineyard pruning residues, simulation tests were conducted at lab scale. Open field emissions are up to 120 times for CO emission and 30 times for TSP more than the boiler emission Results highlighted that by avoiding open field combustion and using this residual biomass for energy production, a significant reduction of environmental pollution together with an increase in renewable energy production can be obtained. The results can be useful as support for policy makers engaged in developing the strategy for the promotion of renewable energy and air quality improvement.
A. Pizzi; E. Foppa Pedretti; D. Duca; Giorgio Rossini; C. Mengarelli; Alessio Ilari; M. Mancini; G. Toscano. Emissions of heating appliances fuelled with agropellet produced from vine pruning residues and environmental aspects. Renewable Energy 2018, 121, 513 -520.
AMA StyleA. Pizzi, E. Foppa Pedretti, D. Duca, Giorgio Rossini, C. Mengarelli, Alessio Ilari, M. Mancini, G. Toscano. Emissions of heating appliances fuelled with agropellet produced from vine pruning residues and environmental aspects. Renewable Energy. 2018; 121 ():513-520.
Chicago/Turabian StyleA. Pizzi; E. Foppa Pedretti; D. Duca; Giorgio Rossini; C. Mengarelli; Alessio Ilari; M. Mancini; G. Toscano. 2018. "Emissions of heating appliances fuelled with agropellet produced from vine pruning residues and environmental aspects." Renewable Energy 121, no. : 513-520.
M. Mancini; Åsmund Rinnan; Andrea Pizzi; C. Mengarelli; Giorgio Rossini; D. Duca; Giuseppe Toscano. Near infrared spectroscopy for the discrimination between different residues of the wood processing industry in the pellet sector. Fuel 2018, 217, 650 -655.
AMA StyleM. Mancini, Åsmund Rinnan, Andrea Pizzi, C. Mengarelli, Giorgio Rossini, D. Duca, Giuseppe Toscano. Near infrared spectroscopy for the discrimination between different residues of the wood processing industry in the pellet sector. Fuel. 2018; 217 ():650-655.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Mancini; Åsmund Rinnan; Andrea Pizzi; C. Mengarelli; Giorgio Rossini; D. Duca; Giuseppe Toscano. 2018. "Near infrared spectroscopy for the discrimination between different residues of the wood processing industry in the pellet sector." Fuel 217, no. : 650-655.
Andrea Pizzi; Giuseppe Toscano; E. Foppa Pedretti; D. Duca; Giorgio Rossini; C. Mengarelli; Alessio Ilari; A. Renzi; M. Mancini. Energy characteristics assessment of olive pomace by means of FT-NIR spectroscopy. Energy 2018, 147, 51 -58.
AMA StyleAndrea Pizzi, Giuseppe Toscano, E. Foppa Pedretti, D. Duca, Giorgio Rossini, C. Mengarelli, Alessio Ilari, A. Renzi, M. Mancini. Energy characteristics assessment of olive pomace by means of FT-NIR spectroscopy. Energy. 2018; 147 ():51-58.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndrea Pizzi; Giuseppe Toscano; E. Foppa Pedretti; D. Duca; Giorgio Rossini; C. Mengarelli; Alessio Ilari; A. Renzi; M. Mancini. 2018. "Energy characteristics assessment of olive pomace by means of FT-NIR spectroscopy." Energy 147, no. : 51-58.
M. Mancini; Åsmund Rinnan; Andrea Pizzi; Giuseppe Toscano. Prediction of gross calorific value and ash content of woodchip samples by means of FT-NIR spectroscopy. Fuel Processing Technology 2018, 169, 77 -83.
AMA StyleM. Mancini, Åsmund Rinnan, Andrea Pizzi, Giuseppe Toscano. Prediction of gross calorific value and ash content of woodchip samples by means of FT-NIR spectroscopy. Fuel Processing Technology. 2018; 169 ():77-83.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Mancini; Åsmund Rinnan; Andrea Pizzi; Giuseppe Toscano. 2018. "Prediction of gross calorific value and ash content of woodchip samples by means of FT-NIR spectroscopy." Fuel Processing Technology 169, no. : 77-83.
Elisa Venturini; Ivano Vassura; Francesca Agostini; Andrea Pizzi; Giuseppe Toscano; Fabrizio Passarini. Effect of fuel quality classes on the emissions of a residential wood pellet stove. Fuel 2018, 211, 269 -277.
AMA StyleElisa Venturini, Ivano Vassura, Francesca Agostini, Andrea Pizzi, Giuseppe Toscano, Fabrizio Passarini. Effect of fuel quality classes on the emissions of a residential wood pellet stove. Fuel. 2018; 211 ():269-277.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElisa Venturini; Ivano Vassura; Francesca Agostini; Andrea Pizzi; Giuseppe Toscano; Fabrizio Passarini. 2018. "Effect of fuel quality classes on the emissions of a residential wood pellet stove." Fuel 211, no. : 269-277.