A pre-feasibility study of vine shoots and grape marc biomass suitability for solid biofuels production

Grapes, one of the most cultivated fruits at global level represent, in the same time, a significant biomass source in the renewable energy production. The present review discusses conditions required for a pre-feasibility study for the vine waste biomass conversion to commercial densified biofuels. The purpose is to gather preliminary information in the scope of the energy production commercial applications of the vine wastes biomass.The vine shoots and grape marc biomass supply is approached from three perspectives: (1) economic performance of the biomass supply chain for higher productivity and cost effective operations; (2) technical performance of the biomass, with physical, chemical properties characterization; (3) environmental performance summary of the contaminants content. Results highlighted that biomass densification represents one of the most viable solutions for the energy production.