Assessing the short rotation woody biomass production on marginal post-mining areas

Abstract

the lusatian lignite-mining district (eastern Germany) is characterized by a high share of marginal post-mining areas. At these sites, crop yield is generally low, and hence, conventional land use systems often fail in terms of reliable and efficient crop production. in this paper the attempt is made to evaluate the production of woody biomass for bioenergy in short rotation coppices (src) and alley cropping systems (Acs) with black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia l.) and lucerne (Medicago sativa l.) from the aspect of possible ecological and economic benefits compared to the conventional agricultural recultivation practice. the results show that, due to both high establishment and harvesting costs and comparatively low prices of energy wood, land use systems such as src or Acs are currently hardly profitable compared to conventional agriculture. However, the cultivation of black locust resulted in a higher humus accumulation and in a lower harvest-related nutrient export than the cultivation of lucerne as a typical recultivation crop in this region. therefore, it can be concluded that for an improvement of soil fertility woody biomass production is more beneficial than the conventional agricultural recultivation practice.

Ecological benefits provided by alley cropping systems for production of woody biomass in the temperate region: a review

“…On average, Grüne-wald et al (2007) calculated higher yields of alfalfa in the center of the alley compared to areas near the SRC stripes at post-mining sites in Eastern Germany. Böhm et al (2011) and Surböck et al (2005) measured the highest yields of alfalfa directly adjacent to the hedgerows, which were consisting of black locust and several tree and shrub species which had a height of 2.5 and 8.0 m, respectively. Both authors justified this with the higher water availability near trees due to an improved microclimate, particularly during the summer months.…”

Willow Short Rotation Coppice Trial in a Former Mining Area in Northern Spain: Effects of Clone, Fertilization and Planting Density on Yield after Five Years

“…Incorporation of annual leaf litter fall can make a large contribution to soil N, increasing soil fertility and organic matter [85]. Thus, the increased yield over time is probably due to improved soil fertility [86].…”

Rekultivierung

“…Das führt dazu, dass die Stickstoff-Immobilisation in den kohlehaltigen Kippsubstraten deutlich grö-ßer ist als die Stickstofffreisetzung aus der Kohle (Katzur 1971;Laves et al 1993). Die fossile organische Substanz wirkt somit insbesondere zu Beginn der Rekultivierung als N-Senke und erfordert bereits bei der Grundmelioration der schwefelsauren Substrate eine kräftige N-Grunddüngung sowie hohe P-und K-Gaben (Bungart 1999;Schneider et al 2004;Landgraf et al 2006;Böhm et al 2011 (Heinsdorf 1996). Pyrithaltige (FeS 2 ) Tertiärsubstrate, wie sie im Lausitzer Revier vorherrschen, weisen zudem eine starke Versauerung (pH < 3,5) bzw.…”