EU-funded research finds grass to be a source of clean energy

A research project led by the Contaminated Land and Water Centre at Teesside University in the UK found that grass can be used to produce energy that is safe for the environment. The main goal behind the EU-funded research was to show the possibility of reusing brownfield sites to grow energy crops for renewable energy. The BIOREGEN ("Biomass, remediation, re-generation: reusing brownfield sites for renewable energy crops") project that initiated in 2004 received EUR 1.2 million under the EU's LIFE-Environment research program.

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Through the study, the researchers found that Phalaris arundinacea, better known as "reed canary grass," is a great candidate for growth on brownfield sites and is capable of being converted into fuel for biomass power stations and even boilers in school buildings. The grass is said to be safe for the environment, as it neither increases greenhouse gas emissions nor fuels global warming. It can easily grow on poor soils and contaminated industrial sites, meaning it can be grown without taking away land that would otherwise be used in food production.

The grass takes nearly two years to reach maturity, after which it is harvested and baled up before its conversion into bricks and pellets. Reed canary grass was not the only plant tested by the researchers. They also checked Miscanthus and switchgrass, four plant types and willow trees. The energy produced by the burning of crops is considered as renewable energy for the simple reason that the amount of CO2 released released into the atmosphere when the biomass is burned is equivalent to the amount removed from the atmosphere when crops are regrown.

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Via: Cordis