Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) is a technical plant that manages to adapt very well to unfriendly environments, even in polluted or poor in nutrients soils and may serve in the near future as an important raw material for the food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Furthermore, the plant is growing rapidly, producing large amounts of biomass and offers the possibility to be harvested up to 2 times a year, therefore presents a high potential to be used in the field of biofuel production. The plant's capacity to multiply easily by developing small tubers in the soil, allowing the production of economically advantageous crops, can be considered an advantage for biofuel producers, however this feature might be a drawback for agricultural land owners considering the very invasive behavior. The present paper aim to assess two Jerusalem Artichokes crops established on marginal soils, assessing productivity and the extensive impact on the ecosystem, paying a special attention to plant invasiveness tendencies.
Due to the recent rise in the price of energy and grains, purchasing high-quality pelletized food has caused significant challenges for small and medium-sized fishing farms. The present article aims to assist breeders and farmers with limited financial resources in producing high quality feeder by providing in detail the design and performance of a wet pelletizing equipment. The proposed pelletizing technology demonstrated high efficiency in use, reduced operating expenses, and a high productivity. Four different feed mixes were processed with the pelleting equipment, functioning with a 5 mm die. The experiment results indicated a maximum processing rate of 100 kg/h at an average pelletizing efficiency of 91.5%. The total pelletizing capacity of 0.8 - 1 tons per day is sufficient to provide feed for a medium-sized fishing farm, reducing dependence on the feed market and allowing for a simple nutritional mix customization.
The challenges we face today envisaging environmental protection, starting from global warming and climate change, up to natural resources depletion, creates opportunities for developing new technologies for biofuel production. Considering that most biofuels used at the moment are based on energy-intensive crops, the question arises whether occupying large areas of land to the detriment of food is justified or not, especially as these crops generally deplete the soil of nutrients. In the present paper we propose a different approach for assessing an easily adaptable energy plant named Sweet Sorghum, that can grow with low input requirements, in difficult growing conditions, on contaminated or poor-nutrient and dry soils, and yet having a high productivity potential. Our research directions are targeted towards identifying the best opportunities for producing bioethanol from Sweet sorghum testing different varieties and sustainable planting conditions. We have been established several experimental cultures and evaluated the potential for producing biofuels using different techniques, such as juice extraction and fermentation and lignocellulose processing.
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