CERES · Cereal Excess as a Renewable Energy Resource

The present proposal aims at the development of a retrofit-able straw burner with integral scrubber, powered by straw pellets, for use in grain drying. The proposed technology will address EU legislation regarding the use of biomass in heating, emissions of harmful gases, transport emissions, and the common agricultural policy (CAP), as well as the development of a knowledge based economy in line with the Lisbon strategy, and the securing of jobs within the EU agricultural sector. There are two main innovations associated with this project. The first is a tripartite scrubbing system which is a novel combination of separate technologies in a different application. The second is a pellet additive to improve the efficiency and quality of the burn. These two combined will allow the burning of straw to take place legally and efficiently. The carbon dioxide emitted from the cleaned gas will not contribute to global warming as it is negated by the carbon dioxide absorbed by the crops as they grow.