Award details

15AGRITECHCAT4: MUST: Miscanthus Upscaling Technology

Reference	BB/N016149/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor John Clifton-Brown
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Paul Robson, Dr Reza Shafiei
Institution	Aberystwyth University
Department	IBERS
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	901,885
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/02/2016
End date	30/06/2019
Duration	41 months

Abstract

UK demand for biomass for electricity generation exceeds 5 million tonnes/year, >75% of which is imported. UK grown biomass would shorten supply chains, assist with balance of trade payments for energy and help the rural economy. Miscanthus is a perrenial biomass crop that is burnt for bioenergy. The commercial crop is rhizome planted which limits planting rates and market expansion. Seed based hybrids are now being developed. We will develop methods to upscale seed production and then plant them at 4 trial sites across the UK and 2 in Continental Europe. We aim to optimise agronomy to achieve a commercially harvestable crop in year 2 (compared to years 3/4 in our rhizome planted crop). We will trial several harvest approaches to maximise crop quality and quantity. The overall goal is to develop new systems for Miscanthus based agriculture that increase profitability and so enable transition of today's niche crop into a large scale biomass supply system.

Summary

Approximately 8000 ha of Miscanthus are currently grown in the UK. It is a C4 perennial crop biomass crop, and is harvested in spring and used for bioenergy and bioproducts. The commercial crop is rhizome planted and this limits planting rates and hence market growth; the annual multiplication factor for seed is more than 200 times that from rhizomes. We will develop the technologies associated with delivering a seed based Miscanthus crop which can rapidly upscale the crop. Firstly, we will establish the environmental conditions for seed production in the glasshouse in the UK, and in southern Europe for 10 novel cross combinations identified in the a former project, known as GIANT LINK, that are potential varieties. Secondly, we will take three novel seed based Miscanthus hybrids and plant them at four trial sites in the UK. The planting of trials at two continental sites (Southern Germany and Central Poland) with more extreme climates will help us to understand the resilience of the hybrids we are testing to summer droughts and cold winters which occur only occasionally in the UK. We will explore the scope for improving establishment by optimising agronomy at planting time (e.g. use of mulch films and/or plug based planting) such that we achieve a commercially harvestable crop in year 2 (compared to years 3/4 in our rhizome planted crop). We will also seek to maximise the quality and quantity of crop at harvest by trialing alternative approaches to cutting time, cutting height, chipping, swathing and baling. MUST aims to take proof-of-concept work across the Miscanthus development chain and extend it to field scale.

Impact Summary

This project will undertake the underpinning industrial research that would be necessary to commercialise seed-based Miscanthus for the UK bioenergy market. Several sectors are predicted to benefit from this work. Farmers: increased financial returns compared to OSR/wheat/barley rotations on marginal land. Improved farm diversity and resilience. These benefits are predicted to begin to be realised 2-4 years post project. Energy supply industry: Increased availability of UK grown Miscanthus will help power supply companies meet their objectives for biomass cofiring, with a lower dependence on imported biomass, and therefore improved price security. The outcomes of this project have the potential to be deployed across Europe, and so have a wider benefit in relation to low carbon energy supply. These benefits will start to accrue in-project, and will increase in proportion to the planted area in the years post-completion. Policy makers: The UK government has challenging GHG emissions targets, together with a strategy for UK grown biomass. Miscanthus could make a significantly larger contribution to these targets if seed-based hybrids became available. We estimate 22TWh (5 million tonnes) annually by 2030. Industrial biotechnology companies: Miscanthus is a promising plant for biorefining. Whilst the UK commercial focus at present is on combustion, a range of platform chemicals and other products (e.g. chlorophyll) can be extracted from Miscanthus. Biorefining requires a secure supply of feedstock, which this project has the scope to provide in the future. Society: increased fuel security and more stable energy prices. Environmental benefits from use of a perennial crop (soil protection, decreased flood risk). Wider benefits of GHG emission reduction.

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Bioenergy, Crop Science, Plant Science
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	Agri-Tech Catalyst (ATC) [2013-2015]
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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