Title:
Effect of Harvest Time on the Composition of Tall Wheatgrass Biomass under Mediterranean Conditions
Author(s):
Barro, R., Cortés, R., Pérez, J., Ciria, C.S., Ciria, P., Fernández, M., Carrasco, J.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
Cool season grasses, drought-resistant perennials, are being considered nowadays as energy crops for solid biomass production in the European Mediterranean region, particularly for marginal lands where traditional crops are not economically viable. However, summer harvested cool season grasses, the traditional harvest time, are prone to cause sintering, corrosion and emission problems during the combustion of this biomass due to their high levels of troublesome elements. In a previous study, tall wheatgrass (Elytrigia elongata [Host]) has been identified as the most productive species among different cool season grasses grown in constraint marginal Spanish areas. This work shows how harvest time affects biomass production and the composition of the biomass obtained from three cultivars of tall wheatgrass (var. Alkar, Bamar, and Szarvasi-1). The most frequently fuel indexes used in the literature to predict the combustion of a fuel were also discussed. Delaying harvest causes dry matter losses but provides a high-quality herbaceous biofuel.
Keywords:
harvesting, quality, grass, yield, chemical composition, characterization
Topic:
Biomass Resources
Subtopic:
Biomass crops and energy grasses
Event:
26th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
1BO.5.3
Pages:
88 - 95
ISBN:
978-88-89407-18-9
Paper DOI:
10.5071/26thEUBCE2018-1BO.5.3
Price:
FREE
