Soil fertility and cultivation of energy crops
The European Commission, DG XII, has published a report on the "Soil fertility and cultivation of energy crops" project, funded by the AIR specific RTD programme in the field of agriculture and agro-industry, part of the Third RTD Framework Programme. The aim of the project was to investigate the feasibility of growing biomass energy crops with reduced input of synthetic chemical fertilisers by substitution with organic fertilisers. The reason for this is that the environmental costs of using chemical fertilisers, although acceptable for food production, are too high for energy production. The project used waste-derived plant nutrients for the growth of energy crops, therefore limiting environmental damage and contributing to the disposal of the high quantities of organic waste in the EU. The project investigated two processes for the conversion of organic waste to fertiliser, composting and anaerobic digestion. These have different characteristics which make them suited to the treatment of different types of waste. The project found that the nutrient value of treated waste was a major factor in its economic viability, with products which might be used for biomass growth of low nutrient value. In this case, the amounts of fertiliser needed to produce sufficient quantities of biomass energy would involve major transport costs and therefore would probably only be viable at a local level. The political and environmental considerations which affect the addition of large quantities of fertiliser to land for the production of energy, are of greater consequence than for the production of food. The report suggests that the deciding factor in the extent of the use of organic waste products for the growth of energy material is the fiscal environment put in place by governments in relation to energy use, since at current market values, biomass energy cannot compete with fossil fuels and organic fertilisers cannot compete with chemical fertilisers.