Reed Canary Grass as Biofuel

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Global Bioenergy Industry News

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

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Reed Canary Grass as Biofuel

FINLAND - Growing reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) as a biofuel, has also been found to reduce emissions of agricultural nutrients into waterways, according to studies in Finland.

A report in the Finnish newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, says that nitrogen emissions per hectare go down by as much as 40 per cent compared with the cultivation of traditional barley.

The newspaper says that researchers believe that the energy crop can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as more carbon is tied into the soil through the cultivation of reed canary grass than is released into the atmosphere during combustion, and from the manufacture of fertiliser.

Reed canary grass is grown on more than 20,000 hectares of farmland in the country. The biggest user of the biofuel is the bioenergy producer Vapo, which is expected to sign cultivation agreements for another 500 hectares.

Energy from the use of reed canary grass could reach levels in Finland this year that comes close to the energy produced by wind power.

Farmers of reed canary grass are entitled to normal agricultural subsidies of € 500-600 a hectare. This year, the EU is paying an additional € 30 per hectare for energy plant subsidies, but not next year.

TheBioenergySite News Desk