Green tractor

In organic farming, the aim is to have production based on the use of natural, biological and renewable resources. However, organic farming in Sweden consumes large amounts of diesel oil as tractor fuel. Since 2002, the Dept. of Energy and Technology has been working together with JTI (Swedish Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering) on the Green Tractor project. The aim is to develop and analyse systems for rendering organic farms self-sufficient in renewable tractor fuel. Systems capable of being implemented at present have been studied, as well as future solutions such as hydrogen cells

Publications:

• Ahlgren, S., Baky, A., Bernesson, S., Nordberg, Å., Norén, O., Hansson, P.A., 2008. Future fuel supply systems for organic production based on Fischer-Tropsch diesel and dimethyl ether from on-farm-grown biomass. Biosystems Engineering, 99, 145-155.
• Baky, A., Hansson, P.-A., Norén, O., Nordberg, Å., 2002. Grön traktor - Alternativa drivmedel för det ekologiska lantbruket. Green tractor - Bio-based fuels for use in organic farming JTI-rapport Lantbruk & Industri 302, Uppsala.
• Fredriksson, H., Baky, A., Bernesson, S., Nordberg, A., Noren, O., Hansson, P.A., 2006. Use of on-farm produced biofuels on organic farms - Evaluation of energy balances and environmental loads for three possible fuels. Agricultural Systems, 89, 184-203.
• Hansson, P.A., Baky, A., Ahlgren, S., Bernesson, S., Nordberg, A., Noren, O., Pettersson, O., 2007. Self-sufficiency of motor fuels on organic farms - Evaluation of systems based on fuels produced in industrial-scale plants. Agricultural Systems 94, 704 - 714..