![]() ![]() This assumes that they reach maturity before being cut down as raw material for construction and other processes, burnt in forest fires or left to rot. ![]() Miscanthus can fill that gap and offer an enhancement to forestry which prevents deforestation (through provision of raw materials) and produces results in a much faster time frame as the examples below illustrate.ġ) Newly planted trees take more than 20 years on average before they start becoming carbon neutral. However, given that we are now in a “climate emergency”, an interim solution to the time taken for trees to grow, mature and sequent carbon is needed. Why is Elephant Grass a serious contributor to combating Climate Change?Ĭurrent methods of carbon sequestration are mainly based around tree planting and forestry. when used with *CCS)īioenergy crops are faster growing than new woodlands and are needed as part of the overall mix of land-based measures! The Climate Change Committee in its latest Land Use Report (January 2020) has made supportive statements with regard to bio-energy crops (biomass).īioenergy Crops: Expanding the growing of energy crops by around 23,000 hectares each year would deliver 2 million tonnes CO2e emissions savings in the land sector and an extra 11 million tonnes CO2e from the harvested biomass (e.g. The cane is 48% carbon (4.8 tonnes to the hectare 10 tonne yield) and can be used for energy for carbon neutral solutions or locked up in other products such as construction materials, animal bedding, textiles, and plastics alternatives. This makes Miscanthus vital in maintaining soil stability and facilitating the long-term sequestration (carbon capture) and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) or other forms of carbon to mitigate or defer global warming.Ĭarbon is sequestered by the soil on average of 1 tonne per hectare per annum (about the size of an international football pitch) in the soil. It contributes positively to the carbon sink from year two (carbon is stored in the soil and cane), a process that lasts, taken from data collected, for more than 20 years without the need to re-plant. It can be grown on marginal land which compliments traditional food production.Īs a high yield crop, it is a serious contributor to the bioeconomy combining raw materials such as biocarbon, lignin, cellulose, and ethanol. The crop grows naturally by resourcing most of its own nutrients intensifying Biodiversity by providing a safe habitat for wildlife and reducing our over reliance on woodland. Unlike other crops, there is no need for any chemicals to support growth. Once established it is harvested annually in the Spring when the crop has completed its annual growth cycle. It is a Spring planted non-invasive, perennial 2nd generation Bio-energy grass that grows up to 3 metres tall. Elephant Grass is the common name for Miscanthus x Giganteus, which is a sterile hybrid of Miscanthus Sinensis and Miscanthus Sacchariflorus. ![]()
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