Biogas production from boreal herbaceous grasses--specific methane yield and methane yield per hectare.

The objective of this study was to determine the specific methane yields of four grass species (cocksfoot, tall fescue, reed canary grass and timothy) cultivated under boreal conditions as well as how harvesting time and year of cultivation affects the specific methane yields per ha. The specific methane yields of all grasses and all harvests varied from 253 to 394 Nl CH4/kg volatile solids (VS) added. The average specific methane yield of the 1st harvest of all grasses was higher than the 2nd harvests. In this study the methane and energy yields from different harvest years were ranged from 1200 to 3600 Nm(3) CH4/ha/a, corresponding from 12 to 36 MWh(CH4)/ha/a. The methane yield per hectare of the 1st harvest was always higher than that of the 2nd harvest per hectare because of the higher dry matter yield and specific methane yield. High biomass yield per hectare, good digestibility and regrowth ability after harvesting are important factors when choosing grass species for biogas production. If 30% of fallow and the second harvest of grassland were cultivated grasses and harvested for biogas production in Finland, the energy produced could be 4.9 TWh(CH4).

[1]  Peter Weiland,et al.  Anaerobic waste digestion in Germany – Status and recent developments , 2004, Biodegradation.

[2]  M. Bruinenberg,et al.  Factors affecting digestibility of temperate forages from seminatural grasslands: a review , 2002 .

[3]  A. Schapendonk,et al.  Timothy growth in Scandinavia : Combining quantitative information and simulation modelling , 2001 .

[4]  T. Gilliland.  Changes induced by defoliation in the yield and digestibility of leaves and stems of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) during reproductive development , 1997 .

[5]  A Salter,et al.  Establishing an energy balance for crop-based digestion. , 2009, Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research.

[6]  R. C. Weast.  CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics , 1973 .

[7]  Per-Anders Hansson,et al.  Logistics for forage harvest to biogas production-Timeliness, capacities and costs in a Swedish case study , 2008 .

[8]  Siegfried Schittenhelm,et al.  Chemical composition and methane yield of maize hybrids with contrasting maturity. , 2008 .

[9]  W. Zollitsch,et al.  Biogas production from maize and dairy cattle manure - influence of biomass composition on the methane yield. , 2007 .

[10]  J. M. Owens,et al.  Biochemical methane potential of biomass and waste feedstocks , 1993 .

[11]  Sven Bernesson,et al.  Use of on-farm produced biofuels on organic farms - evaluation of energy balances and environmental loads for three possible fuels. , 2006 .

[12]  W. Holmes,et al.  Grass: Its Production and Utilization , 1983 .

[13]  H. Yamaguchi,et al.  Seasonal Trends of Tiller Emergence and Senescence in Several Temperate Herbage Grasses Grown under Sward Conditions , 1997 .

[14]  Jean-Marc Jossart,et al.  Energy and CO2 balance of maize and grass as energy crops for anaerobic digestion. , 2008, Bioresource technology.

[15]  Barbara Amon,et al.  Methane production through anaerobic digestion of various energy crops grown in sustainable crop rotations. , 2007, Bioresource technology.

[16]  J. Rintala,et al.  Screening boreal energy crops and crop residues for methane biofuel production , 2008 .

[17]  P. Kaparaju,et al.  Co-digestion of energy crops and industrial confectionery by-products with cow manure: batch-scale and farm-scale evaluation. , 2002, Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research.

[18]  U. Geber,et al.  Cutting frequency and stubble height of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.): influence on quality and quantity of biomass for biogas production , 2002 .

[19]  K. Pahkala,et al.  Different plant parts as raw material for fuel and pulp production , 2000 .

[20]  Monika Heiermann,et al.  Batch- and Semi-continuous Biogas Production from Different Grass Species , 2005 .

[21]  T. Griffin,et al.  Yield response of long‐term mixed grassland swards and nutrient cycling under different nutrient sources and management regimes , 2002 .

[22]  Juha Helenius,et al.  Comparison of energy and greenhouse gas balances of biogas with other transport biofuel options based on domestic agricultural biomass in Finland. , 2008 .

[23]  Katri Pahkala,et al.  Liikenteen biopolttoaineiden ja peltoenergian kasvihuonekaasutaseet ja uudet liiketoimintakonseptit , 2006 .

[24]  T. Sawamoto,et al.  Efficient use of digested cattle slurry from biogas plant with respect to nitrogen recycling in grassland , 2006 .