CYNARA CARDUNCULUS L. TO PRODUCE BIOFUEL IN SEMI-ARID ENVIRONMENT OF MEDITERRANEAN BASIN

Cynara cardunculus L. is a perennial Mediterranean species. The main plant growth stages in this area follows: plant sprouting in September-October; winter leaf rosette in November; stem elongation in April-May; full blossom in June; ripe fruits in July; fully dry aerial biomass in August. As a result of this cycle, C. cardunculus helps to conserve the fragile agro-systems of the Mediterranean area, because of its effect of soil erosion control. Besides the good adaptability of the species to the Mediterranean climate, C. cardunculus L. plants offer a wide spectrum of different biomass uses. The utilisation of the lignocellulosic biomass for alternative energy production (solid biofuel) by combustion, pyrolysis and gasification, or fermentation (liquid biofuels). Research has been carried out to prepare biodiesel from C. cardunculus oil, using methanol to characterise the methyl esters, for biodiesel engines or after trans esterification with ethanol to characterise the obtained ethyl esters, for compression ignition engines. The mean yields of the domestic and wild genotypes cropped in Sicily during different years trials, under the low input management, were 18 t ha-1 dry biomass, 1.2 t ha-1 grain and 0.30 t ha-1 oil. The use of C. cardunculus grains for oil production would have the advantage of being compatible with the exploitation of the aerial biomass for energy production. In this way, crop production could have a double application: the lignocellulosic biomass for energy production and the grain for oil production.