Switchgrass - practical issues in developing a fuel crop.

Abstract

The biomass-based energy sector will play an important role in our drive towards renewable energy. Switchgrass has been identified as one of the candidate-dedicated energy crops in the USA because of its various desirable traits. However, many challenges still exist in ensuring a commercially viable switchgrass crop that is sustainable and techno-economically feasible. This article reviews the existing literature to highlight those challenges and potential solutions and recommendations to address those in the future. Various stages in the switchgrass-based biofuel system, namely crop production, provision and logistics, and conversion, are analysed. For each of these stages, the important challenges as reported in the literature are mentioned, and research gaps are identified. The systems-level issues as well as the challenges associated with the practical implementation of switchgrass production are also highlighted. The review illustrates that although switchgrass is a viable biofuel feedstock, considerable progress is necessary to achieve large-scale practical success.

Comprehensive rheological characterization of chopped and ground switchgrass

“…Some of the longer particles of Grind-Sm were also removed, however, less than 10% of the particles were removed by mass, so removing the large particles is not likely to have affected the shear results. [27] Supplementary Figures 18 and 19 display shear strength data similar to Figure 6, except the preshear stress for the measurements are 1 kPa and 7 kPa, respectively. The results at higher preshear stress are similar with the shear strengths of Chop-Sm being lower than that of the other samples.…”

“…Jensen et al measured the bridging tendency of wood chips from whole trees, logging residues, and roundwood cut to different particle sizes and shapes and at different moisture contents using an adjustable slot opening and found that most of the variation was due to the fraction of particles longer than 100 mm and moisture content. [26] Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has been identified as a potential cellulosic energy crop for biofuel production [27] and, similar to other energy crops, switchgrass poses challenges for harvesting, transportation, storage, and handling. In particular, the low bulk density and poor handling properties of switchgrass prompted the USDOE to award Genera Energy and the University of Tennessee a US$4.9 million grant to develop high-tonnage equipment systems to efficiently supply switchgrass to commercial-scale biofuels facilities, with the unit in Vonore, Tennessee, as an example.…”

The effect of the storage conditions on the quality of switchgrass seeds of different 1000-kernel weight

“…Однією з найперспективніших багаторічних рослин для виробництва біопалива є просо прутоподібне -свічграс (Panicum virgatum L.). Основними перевагами свічграсу, як біоенергетичної культури вважають відносно високий урожай, низьку потребу у воді та підживленні, надійну продуктивність у широкому географічний ареал, зменшена ерозія ґрунту, поглинання вуглецю та покращення середовища існування дикої природи [5].…”

The quality of seed of different years of vegetation depends from the period of its storage

“…Ґрунтовокліматичні умови України сприятливі для вирощування біоенергетичних культур і вона має великий потенціал створення стабільного ринку енергетичних культур та використання їх сировини для виробництва біопалива [5]. Однією з найперспективніших багаторічних рослин для виробництва біопалива є просо прутоподібне -свічграс (Panicum virgatum L.), основними перевагами якої є відносно висока урожайність, низька потреба у воді та підживленні, надійна продуктивність у широкому географічний ареал, зменшена ерозія ґрунту, поглинання вуглецю та покращення середовища існування природи [6].…”