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MDPI, Energies, 24(12), p. 4680, 2019

DOI: 10.3390/en12244680

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Methane Yield Potential of Miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus (Greef et Deuter)) Established under Maize (Zea mays L.)

Journal article published in 2019 by Moritz von Cossel ORCID, Anja Mangold ORCID, Yasir Iqbal ORCID, Iris Lewandowski ORCID
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

This study reports on the effects of two rhizome-based establishment procedures ‘miscanthus under maize’ (MUM) and ‘reference’ (REF) on the methane yield per hectare (MYH) of miscanthus in a field trial in southwest Germany. The dry matter yield (DMY) of aboveground biomass was determined each year in autumn over four years (2016–2019). A biogas batch experiment and a fiber analysis were conducted using plant samples from 2016–2018. Overall, MUM outperformed REF due to a high MYH of maize in 2016 (7211 m3N CH4 ha−1). The MYH of miscanthus in MUM was significantly lower compared to REF in 2016 and 2017 due to a lower DMY. Earlier maturation of miscanthus in MUM caused higher ash and lignin contents compared with REF. However, the mean substrate-specific methane yield of miscanthus was similar across the treatments (281.2 and 276.2 lN kg−1 volatile solid−1). Non-significant differences in MYH 2018 (1624 and 1957 m3N CH4 ha−1) and in DMY 2019 (15.6 and 21.7 Mg ha−1) between MUM and REF indicate, that MUM recovered from biotic and abiotic stress during 2016. Consequently, MUM could be a promising approach to close the methane yield gap of miscanthus cultivation in the first year of establishment.