FAIR-CT96-1707 Concerted action on Miscanthus

Contacts
Summary Information



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Biocomposites/Boards : Crops for Biocomposites/Boards : Crops for Paper/Pulp : Crops for Solid Biofuels : Drying/Pretreatment : FAIR Area 4.3 - Diversification : Fibre : Paper/Pulp : Solid Biofuels : Thermochemical Conversion

	Contract No:	FAIR-CT96-1707
	Date Prepared:	2000
	Source:	Final Report Book: Miscanthus for Energy and Fibre

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Final Report

Source: Summary Leaflet 2000

Introduction

The main aim of this concerted action was to present the current state of the art concerning Miscanthus in Europe, in the form of a handbook. Further objectives were as follows:

• Maintain and expand the network of researchers and industrial organisations involved in Miscanthus research in Europe.
• Consolidate all data from Miscanthus R&D and present it in a format suited to the EC researchers and industrial organisations
• Organise a Workshop on Miscanthus to discuss new developments and to identify specific R&D, pilot actions and demonstrations.
• Promote the results of Miscanthus R&D through technical and industrial publications at EU and National level.
• Liase with international activities, in particular the International Energy Agency (IEA) Task XII Identify R&D requirements of Miscanthus.

Results

Database of trial results A database of Miscanthus trial results was compiled using information from the Miscanthus Productivity Network (AIR-CT92-0294) and other trials that were carried out by members of the concerted action. This database was a valuable source of information used during the compilation of the Miscanthus handbook; however, it is also expected to be of use to other groups (e.g. research groups, agricultural organisations, etc.).

Database of publications Many publications relevant to Miscanthus have been produced by the members of the Concerted Action and others. A large number of these publications have been collected and compiled. These were used as a source of information and reference during the preparation of the Handbook; they will also be a valuable source of information to other groups involved in Miscanthus research.

Workshops Two workshops on Miscanthus were held during the reporting period, these were:

One was held in conjunction with the kick-off meeting, the participants at this workshop were the project partners. The then current state-of-the-art of all aspects of Miscanthus including taxonomy, agronomy, crop breeding, harvesting and storage, utilisation and economics was presented and discussed by the partners. Further R&D topics were also identified and discussed. The discussions and conclusions on the state-of-the-art were used in the preparation of the Handbook.

A second workshop was held in Brussels (DG VI), the participants at this workshop were the partners and EC personnel from DG VI and DG XII.

Liaison with International Activities The Concerted Action has liased with international activities on Miscanthus in a number of ways, these include:

A number of the members of the Concerted Action were also members of the IEA Task XII on "Biomass Production, Harvesting and Supply". The involvement of these people in the IEA activity facilitated information exchange between the two groups. Many of the members of the Concerted Action were also members of other research projects that concern Miscanthus; this also facilitated the exchange of information between research groups.

Promotion of Miscanthus R&D results The results of the Concerted Action are being promoted in a number of ways, these are:

• Publication and distribution of the Miscanthus Handbook.
• Presentation of papers / posters at international conferences.
• Publication of papers in national and EU journals.
• Publication of information relating to the Concerted Action on the World Wide Web.

Identification of Miscanthus R&D requirements The R&D requirements for Miscanthus were identified by each of the partners as:

• Artificial breeding experiments to determine the phylogeny of Miscanthus.
• Measurement of mature yields and the productive lifetime of a plantation.
• Development of standard protocols for (i) establishment, (ii) crop management, (iii) weed control, (iv) disease control and (v) harvesting.
• Screening of genotypes.
• Identification of the physiological and ecological determinants of frost tolerance and assessment of different frost protection methods.
• Optimisation of harvest time at different locations throughout Europe.
• Demonstration of the whole system from crop production to energy generation.
• Investigate the elimination of the alkaline leaching stage in paper pulp production.
• Demonstration of soil remediation, sludge treatment and groundwater protection
• Quantification of the environmental impacts of production and utilisation.
• Monitoring of the economics of crop production.
• Combination of economic and physiological models for cost-benefit analysis of potential improvements.

Miscanthus Handbook The Handbook on Miscanthus is the principal result of the Concerted Action, it is a large document (> 200 pages) which provides a comprehensive overview of the (then) current state-of- the-art of the crop in Europe. The Handbook is divided into a number of sections that describe Miscanthus in terms of taxonomy, physiology, agronomy, productivity, crop breeding and improvement, harvesting, utilisation, economics and environmental aspects. The key findings of each of these sections are outlined below.

Background

Originates in Southeast Asia, China and Japan. M. x giganteus is a M. sinensis x M. sacchariflorus hybrid.

Agronomy

• Planting: - Rhizomes (20cm long) at soil depths of 20 cm.
• Fertiliser: - minimum.
• Irrigation: - Southern EU sites.
• Weed Control: - During establishment.

Physiology

• Light Use 3.6 g MJ^{-1 PAR} (typical of C4 plants grown under optimum conditions).
• Nitrogen use lower than other C4 plants.

Crop breeding Genotypic variability recorded in:

• Leaf expansion rate.
• Threshold temperature for leaf expansion
• Yield and dry matter content.
• Maturation date.
• Frost tolerance

Productivity

Dry matter yield 15 - 25 t per ha per year, yields affected by:

• Water availability.
• Soil quality.
• Ambient temperatures.
• Planting density (in later years).

Harvesting

The stem and leaves of the crop are harvested annually, after senescence has occurred and stem moisture contents are low. Harvesting can be multi-phase (mower and baler) or single-phase (chopping, baling, bundling, etc.).

Utilisation

• Energy Production
• Paper Production
• Construction / building materials
• Bioremediation

Economics

• Viable feedstock for speciality paper.
• Viable fuel for energy if high crop yields (>18 t per ha) are obtained on large farms (low fixed costs). Moderate yielding crops at around 15 t per ha require grant support to be a viable fuel for energy.

Environment

Low pesticide and fertiliser inputs (low impact on biodiversity compared to other crops). Use of Miscanthus as a fuel leads to reductions in greenhouse and acidifying gas emissions.