Miscanthus, a promising biomass crop

The annual meeting of the International Society for Miscanthus and Perennial Energy Grasses was hosted by LIST's Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN) department in Belvaux on December 18, 2015.

Miscanthus (commonly known as Elephant Grass) is a high yielding energy crop that grows over 3 meters tall, resembles bamboo and produces a crop every year without the need for replanting. The rapid growth, low mineral content, and high biomass yield of Miscanthus increasingly make it a very promising biomass crop. Miscanthus is predominantly used for feedstock production for both energy and non-energy end uses, like in the construction sector. It is a valuable new crop, offering thus major benefits to many sectors, both inside and outside of agriculture. Besides its high yielding, Miscanthus is environmentally friendly, easy to grow and needs no pesticides or fertilisers.

After a general introduction by Dr Lucien Hoffmann, the ERIN director, the following topics were more specifically addressed: culture of Miscanthus as an alternative in groundwater protection zones, pelletizing of Miscanthus for biofuel production, smart sensors to monitor Miscanthus crop growth, presentation of a new machine to harvest Miscanthus rhizomes.