An argument for using biomethane generated from grass as a biofuel in Ireland

Murphy, Jerry D.; Power, Niamh

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2008.08.018

Cited by 131 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Perennial forage grasses with low annual energy inputs and high soluble sugar content are also ideal crops for bioethanol and biogas production (up to 4500 liters of ethanol and 375 m 3 of methane per ha, respectively) (Murphy and Power, 2009). Furthermore, biofuel from grass need not displace food production.…”

Section: Modification Of Lignin Biosynthesis For Improvement Of Foragmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Analyses of Caffeic Acid O-Methyltransferase and Cinnamoyl-CoA-Reductase Genes from Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

et al. 2010

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Cinnamoyl CoA-reductase (CCR) and caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyze key steps in the biosynthesis of monolignols, which serve as building blocks in the formation of plant lignin. We identified candidate genes encoding these two enzymes in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and show that the spatio-temporal expression patterns of these genes in planta correlate well with the developmental profile of lignin deposition. Downregulation of CCR1 and caffeic acid O-methyltransferase 1 (OMT1 ) using an RNA interference-mediated silencing strategy caused dramatic changes in lignin level and composition in transgenic perennial ryegrass plants grown under both glasshouse and field conditions. In CCR1-deficient perennial ryegrass plants, metabolic profiling indicates the redirection of intermediates both within and beyond the core phenylpropanoid pathway. The combined results strongly support a key role for the OMT1 gene product in the biosynthesis of both syringyl-and guaiacyl-lignin subunits in perennial ryegrass. Both field-grown OMT1-deficient and CCR1-deficient perennial ryegrass plants showed enhanced digestibility without obvious detrimental effects on either plant fitness or biomass production. This highlights the potential of metabolic engineering not only to enhance the forage quality of grasses but also to produce optimal feedstock plants for biofuel production.

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Section: Modification Of Lignin Biosynthesis For Improvement Of Foragmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Analyses of Caffeic Acid O-Methyltransferase and Cinnamoyl-CoA-Reductase Genes from Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

et al. 2010

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“…The botanical composition of the grassland, environmental factors (soil fertility, precipitation) and cultivation factors (fertilization, harvest date) can have a significant impact on herbage chemical composition, specific methane yield and TS yield per hectare. The biogas production of grasses has been considered to be one way to produce indigenous biofuel, biomethane, with environmental and economic consideration in Ireland, where the grasses are cultivated in over 90 % of the field areas (Murphy & Power 2009, Korres et al 2010, Smyth et al 18 2010. According to Prochnow et al (2009), in developed countries, the production of biogas from surplus grassland has high potential for bioenergy to contribute to maintaining biodiversity, and at the same time create an economic incentive for farmers.…”

Section: Energy Crops and Novel Energy Crops For Biogas Production Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Screening of novel plants for biogas production in northern conditions

Seppälä

Laine

Rintala

2013

Bioresource Technology

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Esitetään Jyväskylän yliopiston matemaattis-luonnontieteellisen tiedekunnan suostumuksella julkisesti tarkastettavaksi yliopiston Ylistönrinteellä salissa YAA303 syyskuun 27. päivänä 2013 kello 12.Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, In this thesis, the methane production potential of traditional and novel energy crops was evaluated in boreal conditions. The highest methane yield per hectare was achieved with maize (4 000-9 200 m 3 CH4 ha -1 a -1 ) and the second highest with brown knapweed (2 700-6 100 m 3 CH4 ha -1 a -1 ). Recently, the most feasible energy crop, grass, produced 1 200-3 600 m 3 CH4 ha -1 a -1 . The specific methane yields of traditional and novel energy crops varied from 170-500 l kg -1 volatile solid (VS). The highest specific methane yields were obtained with maize, while the novel energy crops were at a lower range. The specific methane yields decreased in the later harvest time with maize and brown knapweed, and the specific methane yield of the grasses decreased from the 1 st to 2 nd harvests. Maize and brown knapweed produced the highest total solid (TS) yields per hectare 13-23 tTS ha -1 , which were high when compared with the TS yields of grasses (6-13 tTS ha -1 ). The feasibility of maize and brown knapweed in co-digestion with liquid cow manure, in continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR), was evaluated. According to the CSTR runs, maize and brown knapweed are suitable feeds and have stable processes, producing the highest methane yields (organic loading rate 2 kgVS m -3 d -1 ), with maize at 259 l kgVS -1 and brown knapweed at 254 l kgVS -1 . The energy balance (input/output) of the cultivation of the grasses, maize and brown knapweed was calculated in boreal conditions, and it was better when the digestate was used as a fertilizer (1.8-4.8 %) than using chemical fertilizers (3.7-16.2 %), whose production is the most energy demanding process in cultivation. In conclusion, the methane production of maize, grasses and novel energy crops can produce high methane yields and are suitable feeds for anaerobic digestion. The cultivation managements of maize and novel energy crops for biogas production require further research.

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“…240-litre) are more suited to garden waste than small (23-litre) UK type food waste bins. But the addition of non-woody garden waste does not necessarily need to be a disadvantage as apples and grass cuttings are good substrates for anaerobic digestion ( [48], [34], [36]). The amount of organic waste collected in tonnes is plotted in Figure 6 for all four local authorities in 12 consecutive months.…”

Section: Seasonal Variation and Garden Waste In Bring And Door-to-doomentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Yield and Fuel Consumed for Domestic, Organic Waste Collections in Currently Operational Door-to-Door and Bring-Type Collection Systems

Gredmaier

Riley

Vaz³

et al. 2013

Waste Biomass Valor

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The European Commission is tightening waste laws, and many local authorities, particularly in countries with low recycling rates, face the question of what system to introduce for the sourceseparate collection of food waste from householders. This study provides empirical data in form of fuel consumed and waste yield from four councils that already have source separate organic waste collections in operation. Two systems were compared: (i) door-to-door collection and (ii) bring systems where the householder walks to the bin in her/his street to drop off organic waste. Fuel consumption for the collection operation with the bring system was dramatically lower compared to the door-to-door system. Organic waste yield was constant over the observation year in the door-to-door system employing small 20-to 30-litre bins, but increased notably in the summer with the bring system that used 240-litre bins. The metric used to quantify seasonality was the summer/winter yield ratio. As commercial waste companies do not normally allow the making of data public, this is a rare opportunity to learn from collection systems currently in operation.

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An argument for using biomethane generated from grass as a biofuel in Ireland

Cited by 131 publications

References 9 publications

Functional Analyses of Caffeic Acid O-Methyltransferase and Cinnamoyl-CoA-Reductase Genes from Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

Functional Analyses of Caffeic Acid O-Methyltransferase and Cinnamoyl-CoA-Reductase Genes from Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

Screening of novel plants for biogas production in northern conditions

Seasonal Yield and Fuel Consumed for Domestic, Organic Waste Collections in Currently Operational Door-to-Door and Bring-Type Collection Systems

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