cultivation and characterization of cynara cardunculus for solid biofuels production in the mediterranean region培养和表征cynara cardunculus固体生物燃料生产在地中海地区.pdf

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 1241-1258; DOI: 10.3390/ijms9071241 OPEN ACCESS International Journal of Molecular Sciences ISSN 1422-0067 /ijms Article Cultivation and Characterization of Cynara Cardunculus for Solid Biofuels Production in the Mediterranean Region Panagiotis Grammelis 1,*, Anastasia Malliopoulou 1, Panagiotis Basinas 1 and Nicholas G. Danalatos 2,* 1 Institute for Solid Fuels Technology and Applications/Centre for Research Technology Hellas, 4thkm N.R. Ptolemaida-Kozani, 50200 Ptolemaida, Greece. E-Mail: grammelis@certh.gr 2 Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Fytokou Street, N. Ionia, 348446 Volos, Greece. E-Mail: danal@uth.gr * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed Received: 22 May 2008; in revised form: 7 July 2008 / Accepted: 10 July 2008 / Published: 15 July 2008 Abstract: Technical specifications of solid biofuels are continuously improved towards the development and promotion of their market. Efforts in the Greek market are limited, mainly due to the climate particularity of the region, which hinders the growth of suitable biofuels. Taking also into account the increased oil prices and the high inputs required to grow most annual crops in Greece, cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.) is now considered the most important and promising sources for solid biofuel production in Greece