Energy embodiment on life cycle of agricultural machinery

• Grant number: 15/01613-1
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Regular Program Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2015
• End date: June 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agricultural Engineering - Agricultural Machinery and Implements
• Principal Investigator: Thiago Libório Romanelli
• Grantee: Thiago Libório Romanelli
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Leandro Maria Gimenez ; Rafael Cesar Tieppo

Abstract

Technological innovations that aim to increase biomass yield, usually require more energy in the production systems, due to input demand, such as agricultural machinery. Thus, to evaluate how production systems demand and make energy available is vital for the management policies to be defined, since energy is mandatory for all economic sectors. The indicators currently available are mostly old, based on the car industry from USA in the 1960s. So, it is necessary to specifically analyze the agricultural machinery industry for the indicators to be updated. Moreover, there are notable differences between cars and agricultural machinery compositions. Recent indicators for sugarcane harvesters showed discrepancy compared to the traditional ones, because on their determination indirect and direct inputs and repair and maintenance were evaluated based on the physical demand. Due to the specificity of sugarcane harvester (work time and field conditions), its data are not suitable for extrapolation for other machinery. This project aims to evaluate, in the context of material and energy demand, the direct and indirect inputs besides those requested in repair and maintenance throughout the life cycle of eight machinery: four tractors with distinct power (55, 90, 172 e 246 kW), grain combine, self-propelled sprayer, driller and coffee harvester. The expected results are: to detail the material flows of distinct kinds of machinery, for further environmental indicators to be established (for instance, LCA); to identify the critical points in the life cycle of agricultural machinery, to compare repair and maintenance suggested by manufacturer and actually performed by producers, and to verify relation between energy demand and power of tractors to check environmental performance of agricultural machinery. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MANTOAM, EDEMILSON J.; ROMANELLI, THIAGO L.; GIMENEZ, LEANDRO M.. Energy demand and greenhouse gases emissions in the life cycle of tractors. BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING, v. 151, p. 158-170, NOV 2016. (15/01613-1)