Cotton Stalk as a Potential Energy Source

Abstract

Policymakers have a growing interest in the development of domestic energy sources. One renewable energy source, biomass, is receiving consideration as a potential energy source. Among agricultural biomass materials, crop residue has energy value in direct combustion and gasification as well as in the manufacture of hydrocarbon fuels. The main objective of the present study is to investigate many aspects of cotton stalk (CS) as a potential energy source, including major properties and characteristics of CS and ways to evaluate CS. An illustrative example of Turkey's CS potential is also given. Cotton is planted on a large scale in Turkey and is one of Turkey's most important agricultural crops as Turkey is one of the 8 countries producing 85% of the world's cotton. It is estimated that the maximum amount of CS available in Turkey is 4.41 million tons annually, and Turkey's energy equivalence of CS is 75.62 PJ (1.717 million tons of oil equivalent), which corresponds to 6.3% of Turkey's primary energy production in 1999. A net energy of 39,028 MJ/ha may be produced from a cotton field every year, which is why there is interest in CS use. A good residue management system should also be installed throughout the country for the optimum use of these residues. It is also expected that the results of this study will be helpful in developing highly applicable and productive planning for energy policies.