Abstract
Aim of the current paper is the monitoring of feedstock losses during a five-month storage period of olive tree pruning (OTP) hog fuel, by comparing two storage solutions: i) uncovered, open-air storage and ii) fleece-covered open-air storage. For this task, two identical conical piles of harvested prunings were built and monitored for calculating the changes in dry matter and energy value of the stored material over time. One pile was left uncovered, while the other was covered with a breathable fleece. For each pile, net bags were used in order to obtain samples for analysis. Overall, the covered pile showed improved storage performance than the uncovered pile, which was much more influenced on weather conditions. The covered pile presented i) lower dry matter losses after five months of storage with an average value of 1.1% compared to 4.6% of the uncovered pile; ii) stable moisture content throughout the storage period at around 10% (as received), compared to the fluctuating moisture content of the uncovered pile from 11% to 24%; and finally, iii) recoverable energy gain with an average pile value of 12.1% compared to recoverable energy loss of 5.1% in the uncovered pile after the storage period.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.