Introductory Agroforestry

Advantages of Energy Plantations

Advantages:-

• Emit little or no sulphur and less nitrogen dioxide than fossil fuel
• Helps in rehabilitation of degraded lands
• Provide rural employment
• Alive and active growing forest and other plant biomass absorb the green house gas in quantities broadly equivalent to amount emitted when plant material decay or burned. They are thus called as “Carbon neutral” fuel sources
• Growing energy crops creates a “carbon sink” which includes storing carbon underground through the tree root system
• Lower energy cost per unit area as lower inputs are require as compared to agriculture crops.
• Energy plantations are thought to remove the entire nutrient from soil. However, by use of thermo chemical process of biomass conversion it is feasible to recover all nutrients as ash which can be returned to the plantation sites
• Dependable & renewable source of energy along with afforestation of marginal lands & employment generation.
• Aesthetic value, Windbreak and Shelterbelts.
• Fodder, NTFP etc.
• Handling & disposal of by products is safe.
• Energy plantations are both ecologically as well as sociologically much sounder investments

Table 5.1 A few species used in energy plantations with their respective calorific value and specific gravity

Sr. No.	Species	Sp. gravity	Calorific value K cal/kg
1.	Acacia auriculiformis	0.60-0.78	4800-4900
2.	Acacia catechu	1.00	5142-5244
3.	Acacia dealbata	0.70-0.85	3500-4000
4.	Acacia leucophloea	0.78	4899-4886
5.	Acacia mearnsii	0.70-0.85	3500-4000
6.	Acacia nilotica	0.67-0.68	4800-4950
7.	Acacia senegal	-	3200
8.	Acacia tortilis	-	4400
9.	Adina cordifolia	-	3855
10.	Aegle marmelos	0.91	4495
11.	Albizia lebbek	0.55-0.64	5163-5166
12.	Albizia odoratissima	0.73	5131-5266
13.	Albizia procera	0.68	4870-4865
14.	Alnus nepalensis	0.32-0.37	4600
15.	Anogeissus latifolia	0.94	4948
16.	Anogeissus pendula	0.94	4900
17.	Anthocephalus cadamba	0.94-0.53	4800
18.	Artocarpus heterophyllus	0.51	5318
19.	Azadirachta indica	0.75	-
20.	Baringtonia acutangula	0.58	5078
21.	Bauhinia retusa	0.72	5027
22.	Bauhinia variegata	-	4800
23.	Butea monosperma	0.54	4909
24.	Bischofia javanica	0.74	5162
25.	Cajanus cajan	-	4594
26.	Cassia siamea	0.60-0.80	-
27.	Casuarina equisetifolia	0.80-1.2	4950
28.	Cedrela toona	0.57	5113-5168
29.	Chloroxylon swietenia	-	4759
30.	Dalbergia sissoo	0.75-0.80	4908-5181
31.	Diospyros melanoxylon	0.79-0.87	4957-5030
32.	Diospyros montana	0.70-0.80	5125
33.	Dodonaea viscosa	1.20-1.28	5035-4939
34.	Emblica offcinalis	0.70-0.80	5200
35.	Eucalyptus camaldulensis	0.6	4800
36.	Eucalyptus globulus	0.80-1.00	4800
37.	Eucalyptus grandis	0.40-0.70	4900
38.	Eucalyptus tereticornis	0.70	4800
39.	Gmelina arborea	0.42-0.64	4763-4800
40.	Grevillea robusta	0.57	4904-4914
41.	Grewia spp.	0.67	5292
42.	Hardwickia binata	1.08	4891-4952
43.	Holoptelia integrifolia	0.63	5228
44.	Lannea coromandelica	0.55	4933
45.	Leucaena leucocephala	0.55-0.70	4200-4600
46.	Madhuca longifolia	0.56	5043-5156
47.	Mangifera indica	0.58	4610
48.	Melia azedarach	0.56	5043-5176
49.	Morus alba	0.63	4371-4773
50.	Michelia champaca	0.45	5068
51.	Ougeinia oojeinensis	0.85	5178
52.	Pithecellobium dulce	0.64	5177-5600
53.	Pongamia pinnata	0.75	4600
54.	Populus euphratica	0.48	5008-5019
55.	Prosopis chilensis	0.80-0.92	5000-5500
56.	Prosopis cineraria	0.77-0.94	5000
57.	Prosopis juliflora	0.70	4800
58.	Pterocarpus marsupium	0.79	4904-5141
59.	Pterygota alata	0.25-0.62	5160
60.	Quercus leucotrichophora	0.74	4633
61.	Schleichera oleosa	0.91-1.08	4928-4950
62.	Sesbania grandiflora	0.55	4407
63.	Shorea robusta	0.68-0.82	5095-5433
64.	Syzygium cuminii	0.67-0.78	4834
65.	Tamarindus indica	0.91-1.28	4909-4969
66.	Tamarix aphylla	0.60-0.75	4835
67.	Tectona grandis	0.55-0.70	4989-5535
68.	Terminalia alata	0.71-0.94	5047-5373
69.	Terminalia arjuna	0.74-0.82	5030-5128
70.	Terminalia chebula	0.77	3967
71.	Trema orientalis	0.48	3095
72.	Xylia xylocarpa	0.92	4975-5044
73.	Zizyphus mauritiana	0.93	4900