GREENHOUSE GAS FROM CASTOR BEAN PRODUCTION AND THEIR SUBPRODUCTS

Authors

  • Felipe José Cury Fracetto Departamento de Agronomia, UFRPE, Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, 52171-900, Recife (PE).
  • Giselle Gomes Monteiro Fracetto Departamento de Agronomia, UFRPE, Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, 52171-900, Recife (PE).
  • Brigitte Josefine Feigl Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental, CENA/USP, Av. Centenário, 303, 13400-970, Piracicaba (SP).
  • Carlos Clemente Cerri Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental, CENA/USP, Av. Centenário, 303, 13400-970, Piracicaba (SP).
  • Marcos Siqueira Neto Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental, CENA/USP, Av. Centenário, 303, 13400-970, Piracicaba (SP).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252015v28n410rc

Keywords:

Brazilian semiarid. Land use change. Castor bean phytomass. Biofuel.

Abstract

The largest production of castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) focuses on Bahia savanna, where the change of land use to their cultivation has been considered a strategy of degraded areas recovery. However, changes in the native soil can arise environmental impacts as greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. We have assumed that higher GHG emissions come from a change of land use for castor bean cultivation and their subproducts contribute to GHG emissions. The objective of this study was to make the inventory of the emission of GHG resulting from the castor bean cultivation and their sub-products. It was done a study in the municipality of Irecê-BA and were evaluated: changes in carbon (C) soil stocks in cultivated areas with castor bean and Local native forest; a number of senescent leaves and the biomass produced epigeal; GHG emissions from the sub- products of castor bean. The results showed that the sum of senescent leaves and epigeal biomass obtained by castor bean pruning is more than 1.6 Mg ha-1ano-1 and the castor bean residues used in this soil presented N2O emissions close to 600 μg m-2. The emissions from the use of castor oil biodiesel represented less than 10% of the emissions. The change in land use handled high emissions of greenhouse gases, accounting for 87% of the total in CO2eq. Compared to emissions estimated for sugarcane ethanol, castor biodiesel showed emissions 32% lower.

Author Biography

  • Felipe José Cury Fracetto, Departamento de Agronomia, UFRPE, Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, 52171-900, Recife (PE).
    Conclui o doutorado na Universidade de Sao Paulo-ESALQ. Atualmente sou pós doc na UFRPE.

Published

18-11-2015

Issue

Section

Agronomy