GREENHOUSES GAS AND ENERGY BALANCE OF BIOENERGY CROPS FOR SOLID AND LIQUID BIOFUELS Facciotto, G.*, Bergante, S.*, Coaloa, D.*, Zenone, T.**, Nervo, G.*, Mughini, G.*** *CRA- Unità di Ricerca per le Produzioni Legnose fuori Foresta (PLF) St. Frassineto Po 35, 15033 Casale Monferrato (AL) Italy Tel: 0039 0142 330960 Fax: 0039 0142 5558 . E-mail: gianni.facciotto@entecra.it **Department of Environmental Sciences. University of Toledo (Ohio USA) 2801 W. Bancroft, Toledo, OH 43606 1.800.586.5336 Tel: 419.530.2009 Fax: 419.530.442. E-mail: zenone@msu.edu *** CRA- Unità di Ricerca per le Produzioni Legnose fuori Foresta (PLF) Via Valle della Questione 27, 00100 Roma – Italy Tel: +39 06 61571011 - Fax: +39 06 61571030. E-mail: giovanni.mughini@entecra.it ABSTRACT: Purpose of this work was to evaluate the greenhouses (GHG) budget and energy balance of several type of bioenergy crops, that have replaced sugar beet after the application of the EU sugar Common Market Organisation reform, to show their potentialities in mitigation effects. In the period 2008 - 2009 have been monitorated 347 new commercial energy crops for solid and liquid bio-fuels production, that cover totally 2591 ha all over the Italy. Species utilized are: poplar, black locust, eucalyptus, sunflower, sorghum, giant reed, Ethiopian mustard and rapeseed. In order to evaluate the GHG budget of these crops, data of biomass production (seeds and/or dry matter) and management practices were collected. The CO2 stored by the vegetation, emission of CO2, CH4 and N20 coming from fossil fuel combustion, production of fertilizers and pesticides were evaluated for all the sites investigated. Considering above ground dry biomass and seeds production, GHG and energy balance result positive but we still need to consider the effect of land use change on soil carbon content. Fertilizer production and irrigation seem to be the main sources of GHG emission. Keywords: biomass, energy balance, greenhouse gases. 1 INTRODUCTION In Italy the application of the EU sugar Common Market Organisation (CMO) reform has involved a reduction more of the 50% of the national productive ability and accordingly also a sensitive reduction of the sugar beet productions. After the CMO reform the Italian most important sugar industries (SI): Sadam Eridania, Società Fondiaria Industriale Romagnola (SFIR) and Coprob Italia Zuccheri have decided to change their refineries into biopower or biofuel plants. To support this change the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (MiPAAF) has financed the project “Scientific support to the agricultural conversion toward the energetic crops” (SUSCACE). The Project of triennial duration have the objective to provide technical and scientific support to the actors of the different energetic chains, finding solutions to the problem pointed out by SI. Particularly to inform the farmers in order to choose the proper species, variety and cultural techniques for their site characteristic. It is important to carried out a correct management of the environment and of the territory with the purpose to improve the situation of this national agricultural sector in terms of competitiveness and occupation. Among the actions of the project, investigations directed to appraise the environmental aspects with particular reference to the potential sequestration of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and to the substitution of the fossils fuels with the biomass produced are inclusive. 2 MATERIALS AND METHODS In the first three years of the project (2007 ÷ 2009) have been monitored 350 new commercial energy crops (Table I) for solid and liquid bio-fuels production, that cover totally 2513 hectares all over the Italy (Table II). The species utilized are: poplar (Populus L. spp.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus L’Her spp.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), giant reed (Arundo donax L.), Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) and rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). Table I: Surface (ha) allocated to each bioenergy crop. Crops ha Poplar 257.50 Black locust 43.94 Eucalyptus 2.50 Giant reed 7.80 Sorghum 103.83 Sunflower 779.36 Rapeseed 1234.33 Ethiopian mustard 84.02 Total 2513.28 Table II: Surface (ha) and farms (n°) allocated to each Regions. Crops ha n° Lombardia 15.00 1 Veneto 36.02 10 Friuli Venezia Giulia 7.23 2 Emilia Romagna 1325.85 164 Toscana 267.30 49 Marche 379.93 67 Umbria 39.64 15 Abruzzo 23.53 10 Basilicata 139.51 5 Puglia 276.27 24 Sardegna 3.00 3 Total 2513.28 350 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 May 2010, Lyon, France 296