ACTIVATION OF BIOMASS STREAMS FROM BUFFER STRIPS ALONG WATER BODIES ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT

Riparian buffer strips represent edges of land that can be implemented along water bodies in order to reduce nutrients and pesticides runoffs from the agricultural fields. Based on a demonstration pilot in the Netherlands, an economic and environmental impact assessment of grassy and cereal buffer strips, as a potential source of biomass for energetic or material valorisation, was conducted. The impacts generated during extensive cultivation and harvesting of the buffer strip were significantly lower than those indicated by intensive agriculture. Agricultural use of the harvested products turned out to be the better best valorisation option from both environmental and economic perspective. This scenario generated lower environmental impacts in total but also with regard to the water protection linked impact categories. Additionally the total net cultivation costs for agricultural use were nearly equal to the greening costs, while for energetic use, additional net costs were generated through biomass valorisation. In general, the results showed that the biomass streams from buffer strips can only be activated, if certain buffer strips subsidy schemes will be sustained or even extended to support this type of biomass sourcing.