Possibilities of Using By-Products and Residues of Avocado Tree for Energy Generation in Chania, Crete, Greece

The use of renewable energies, including solid biomass, for energy generation is important in modern societies for coping with the current environmental challenges like climate change. The avocado-related biomass in Chania, Crete, Greece has been evaluated and its energy potential has been estimated. The reason of implementing the present study was the investigation of the possibilities of using the by-products and residues of the avocado tree in Chania for the production of valuable products and energy. Avocado’s fruit production in Crete is estimated at 6,300 tons annually while its by-products and residues have been evaluated at 550 dry tons annually. The avocado-related biomass in Chania is very low compared with the total biomass produced in Crete which is estimated in the range of 82,555 to 123,172 tons/year. Agriculture-related biomass in Crete is mainly produced from by-products and residues of olive trees, citrus trees, vineyard pruning and greenhouse wastes. The energy content of the avocado-related biomass in Crete has been estimated at 2.43 x 109Kcal/year which is very low compared with the heat content of the total biomass production in the island. It is concluded that due to the low quantity of avocado by-products and residues produced in Chania, Crete the best options for their utilization are either their use for heat generation in rural areas or their disposal into the fields enriching the soil with nutrients.