The utilisation potential of urban greening waste: Tartu case study

In light of climate change and the increasingly limited availability of energy resources, any form of renewable raw materials that can be used for energy production should be accounted for. One of the most promising renewable sources is considered to be that of lignocellulosic feedstock. In urban forestry and greening, millions of tons of lignocellulosic waste is produced every year but that biomass mostly goes unused. The aim of this research project was to investigate the utilisation potential of this very form of waste biomass using a medium-sized town as a sample for the work (Tartu in Estonia, with a population circa 100,000). Woody and non-woody vegetation representing greening waste from different seasons was investigated: spring and autumn leaves, and mixed waste from urban greening which contained grass, twigs, and leaves. BMP assays were conducted to estimate the biogas production potential and the three step bio-ethanol production process was used to estimate the bio-ethanol production potential. In the bio-ethanol production process, an N2 explosion pre-treatment was used, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. Map analysis was used to assess the area that was manageable by urban forestry and greening in the city of Tartu in order to estimate the amount of greening and forestry waste that was available for bioconversion and the volumes of biofuel that could be produced.