Perennial Grass Species for Bioenergy Production: The State of the Art in Mechanical Harvesting

Walter Stefanoni (), Francesco Latterini and Luigi Pari
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Walter Stefanoni: Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA)—Centro di Ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, Via della Pascolare 16, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
Francesco Latterini: Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, 62-035 Kórnik, Poland
Luigi Pari: Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA)—Centro di Ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, Via della Pascolare 16, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-12

Abstract: Future European strategies to reduce dependence on foreign markets for energy supply and energy production will rely on the further exploitation of the primary sector. Lignocellulosic feedstock for bioenergy production is a valuable candidate, and dedicated crops such as giant reed ( Arundo donax L.), miscanthus ( Miscanthus × giganteus ), reed canary grass ( Phalaris arundinacea L.), and switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) have been proven to be suitable for extensive cultivation on marginal lands. The present review aimed at providing a comprehensive picture of the mechanical strategies available for harvesting giant reed, miscanthus, reed canary grass, and switchgrass that are suitable for the possible upscaling of their supply chain. Since harvesting is the most impactful phase of a lignocellulosic supply chain in dedicated crops, the associated performance and costs were taken into account in order to provide concrete observations and suggestions for future implementation. The findings of the present review highlighted that the investigated species have a sufficient technology readiness level concerning mechanical harvesting for the upscaling of their cultivation. All the species could indeed be harvested with existing machinery, mostly derived from the context of haymaking, without compromising the work productivity.

Keywords: Arundo donax; Miscanthus × giganteus; Phalaris arundinacea; Panicum virgatum; machine performance; supply chain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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