Effect of Harvest Time and Frequency on Biomass Quality and Biomethane Potential of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) Under Paludiculture Conditions

Abstract

This study examined the effect of harvest time (from May to September) and dry matter partitioning on biomethane potential and methane yield per unit area of Phragmites australis cultivation under paludiculture conditions. The experimental site is part of a larger experimental platform (San Niccolò, Pisa) located within the Massaciuccoli Lake Basin in Central Italy (Tuscany, IT). The study also took into account the double cut strategy by evaluating the regrowth from June to September. Biomethane potentials ranged from 384 to 315 and from 412 to 283 NL CH4 kg VSâ\u88\u921(normal liters of methane per kg of volatile solids) for leaves and stems, respectively. About digestion kinetics, maximum daily production rate (Rmax) was significantly affected by harvest time and not by plant partitioning. Along the harvest season, biomethane yield per unit area was mostly driven by the biomass yield showing an increasing trend from May (1659 Nm3 haâ\u88\u921) to September (3817 Nm3 haâ\u88\u921). The highest value was obtained with the double harvest option (4383 Nm3 haâ\u88\u921), although it was not statistically different from the single harvest carried out in September. Owing to its remarkably lower yields, P. australis cannot be considered along the same lines as crops conventionally used for biogas production, but it may represent an interesting option for paludiculture cropping systems by coupling peatland restoration with bioenergy production. September harvest management seemed the most feasible option, although further investigation on crop lifespan is needed

Nutrient removal potential and biomass production by Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia on European rewetted peat and mineral soils

“…Summer biomass can be used for the production of biogas or fiberrich fodder (Sahito et al, 2015;Dragoni et al, 2017). To obtain an optimal fodder value, T. latifolia biomass should be harvested in spring when protein content is highest (Pijlman et al, 2019).…”

“…The main questions addressed by this large-scale study concern nutrient dynamics in rewetted fen peat soils. In particular, how effectively T. latifolia (broadleaf cattail) and P. australis (common reed) accumulate nutrients and carbon (C), how much nutrients can potentially be removed by harvesting at either peak biomass or in other periods (Dragoni et al, 2017), and how this is related to stand age, nutrient availability in the soil, and other abiotic soil characteristics. More specifically, we wanted to know: 1) whether T. latifolia and P. australis can absorb as much N, P, and K in rewetted peatlands as in other eutrophic wetlands, 2) whether both species are equally suitable to prevent nutrient mobilization and downstream eutrophication, and 3) how harvesting date influences nutrient stoichiometry and biomass production in the long term.…”

Effects of Vapothermal Pretreatment on Anaerobic Degradability of Common Reed

“…[19] A possible reason therefore is the long life of the plants before the harvest (plants were harvested after 8 years without previous pruning) and the relatively hot climate at the sampling location, which both promote lignification. [46]…”

The energy potential of soft rush (Juncus effusus L.) in different conversion routes

“…The composition of each plant, including the soft rush, changes in the course of phenological development. From an economic point of view, however, early developmental stages are irrelevant for biomass production because they are associated with insufficient harvest yields [44]. In addition, wetlands where rush-dominated stands develop have a limited trafficability in spring when groundwater levels are high [45].…”