Research Summary: Sequestration of Carbon by Shrub Willow Offsets Greenhouse Gas Emissions

shrub willow biomass energy crop in the third growing season at SUNY-ESF
View down the alley of a shrub willow biomass energy crop in the third growing season at SUNY-ESF. Photo: Timothy Volk.

Grown for biofuel, energy-efficient shrub willow sequesters carbon below-ground, life-cycle assessment shows.

 

Abstract

Shrub willow is a short-rotation woody biomass crop that could be an important part of our renewable energy future. By sequestering carbon in below-ground biomass, it can …

Bioenergy Resources from the Sun Grant Initiative

The Sun Grant Initiative is a national network of land-grant universities and national laboratories partnering to help build a bio-based economy.

The Sun Grant Initiative facilitates communication and partnership development between universities, national laboratories, federal and state governments, the private sector and public interest groups to lead the nation towards a renewable, sustainable, domestic energy industry. Sun Grant Centers are also charged with reviving America’s farming communities by placing an emphasis on rural economic

Research Summary: Small Scale Biomass Pellet Production Project

Research identifies processes and factors to produce best biomass pellets.

Table of Contents

About The Pelletizing Process

Pelletizer. Photo: Dan Ciolkosz, Penn State U.

Pelletizing biomass is a multi-step process. Each of these steps must be done properly if you want a high quality final product:

  • Feed Stock

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) for Biofuel Production

Mature stand of switchgrass in its third year of production at Michigan State University. Photo: Dennis Pennington.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a native warm-season grass that is a leading biomass crop in the United States. More than 70 years of experience with switchgrass as a hay and forage crop suggest switchgrass will be productive and sustainable on rain-fed marginal land east of the 100th meridian. Long-term plot trials and farm-scale studies in the Great Plains and plot trials in the