Comparison of moist vs. air-dry biomass provision chains for energy generation from annual crops

Annual crops for energy generation from agriculture are usually processed as cereal bales with air-dry biomass. As a promising alternative a novel concept of moist biomass has been developed. In this concept biomass is produced in a "double-cropping system" and processed via ensiling and mechanical dehydration. The aim of this paper is to describe the concept of moist biomass provision in comparison with air-dry biomass provision. To assess the advantages and disadvantages of the two concepts, they are compared with each other regarding environmental and economic aspects. The methodological approaches used as well as selected results are presented. Among others, the results show that the provision of moist biomass could be advantageous concerning some environmental aspects but the energy provision costs are significantly higher. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.