Miscanthus ethanol yields are 2-1/2 times corn in 3-year trial; switchgrass disappoints

A study that will be published in Global Change Biology reveals that miscanthus will produce up to two and a half times the per-acre ethanol yields as corn. In the same 3-year field trial, in Illinois, switchgrass produced only half the yield of ethanol as corn. Yields of 30-61 tonnes per hectare were achieved “with minimal agricultural inputs”, while switchgrass yielded 10 tonnes per hectare, according to the study. The researchers reported that 20 percent of US fuel needs could be satisfied with miscanthus grown on 9.3 percent of US cropland at the low end of the yields realized from the trial, with fewer nitrogen and fossil energy inputs.

A slideshow of the findings is here.

Miscanthus background

Researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign surveyed local farmers and report that the major challenge in developing cellulosic ethanol will be to persuade farmers to grow the crop. Farmers indicated in the survey that they would only grow cellulosic crops if they could be persuaded that the cellulosic crops such as switchgrass and miscanthus can compete with soybeans and corn in terms of profitability.

Free Subscription to the Daily Biofuels Digest e-newsletter

Related Stories

EdeniQ to commence multi-year trial of energy crops in California’s Central Valley

In California, EdeniQ said that it has commenced a multi-year, field-to-fuel trial to evaluate low-carbon, non-food energy crops, like switchgrass, in the Central Valley. The company commenced a pilot...

“Corn-Based Ethanol in Illinois and the U.S” report records 30,000 downloads in first month

In Illinois, more than 30,000 downloads have been recorded in one month for a report titled "Corn-Based Ethanol in Illinois and the U.S". The 160-page report was authored by 14 members of the College ...

Algae biofuel yields 154 times more miles per acre than soy biodiesel; solar is king, but as yet expensive

Miles per acre is the subject of an article at ecogeek on the productivity of various renewable energy sources. The article credited soybean biodiesel with a productivity of 2,400 miles per acre per y...

Free, online crop radius calculator available from Ceres; calculates land required for biomass for bioenergy plants

In Florida, energy crop developer Ceres highlighted its free, web-based crop radius calculator for calculating the radius of land required for biomass around a prospective bioenergy processing plant i...

Illinois researchers says farmers won’t switch to cellulosic feedstocks until more profitable than corn, soy

In Illinois, researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign surveyed local farmers and report that the major challenge in developing cellulosic ethanol will be to persuade farmers to grow t...

USDA, DOE award $11 million for 10 advanced biofuels genetic projects: switchgrass, miscanthus, sunflower, poplar in focus

The Department of Energy and the USDA jointly announced $11 million in funding for 10 genetic research projects aimed at accelerating cellulosic feedstock development. The DOE will provide $8.8 millio...