Farming and harvesting
Résumé
The competitiveness and sustainability of the biodiesel and vegetable oil market can be achieved through increasing the quantity of total biomass cultivated and the yield of the vegetable oil. Furthermore, pre-treatment technologies aiming to increase the bulk density and decrease the water content of the biomass can be employed to reduce the cost of biomass transportation and storage. The valorisation of the by-products (straw, stalk, leaves) through conversion processes into high-value-added chemicals and biomaterials as well as energy also contributes to improving the economics of the whole biorefinery scheme.