The subject matter of an emergy analysis was the environmental system of a model miscanthus×giganteus cultivation. Assessment of environmental work contribution to the cultivation of renewable biomass was performed based on the energy value theory (EVT) created by Howard T. Odum, which combines the principles of thermodynamics, ecology and economics by means of a single unit of measurement – emergy. The concept of emergy is based on energy transformation ratio between each elements of the ecosystem and emergy is a measure of quality differences between different forms and streams of energy. Flow of energy and materials between the environment and the model cultivation was determined. The analysis of emergy allowed the evaluation of all identified streams that power the analysed system, especially the ones which are omitted by traditional economics due to inability to price or to common availability. EVT, whose principles are based on transformation of primary solar energy that powers all systems within the cycle of life on our planet, opens the real environmental costs for assessment. In order to determine and consider the value of environment in the process of biomass production, a basic study was conducted for a model cultivation of miscanthus within the scope of elemental analysis of collected biomass and soil. An attempt was made at the assessment of environmental contribution into a renewable energy source, that is, biomass. The results showed that the contribution of soil components emergy in the creation of biomass was the most significant. Renewability of the analysed system reached 18%, which proves considerable instability of the system. Eighty two percent of environmental contribution into the formation of renewable biomass was constituted by non-renewable sources which may result in degradation of the local ecosystem over a short period of time. Cultivation requires to be supplied with basic nutrients in order to restore environmental balance. The cost of environmental contribution not considered by humans was circa 314 $ yearˉ¹.
The study includes an evaluation of the use of the cultivation of Miscanthus giganteus for energy production based on an energy analysis carried out on a test farm. The study shows that the obtained yield of dry matter indicates the profitability of the cultivation of Miscanthus giganteus for energy production.
Miscanthus ×giganteus Greef et Deu. (Poaceae), a hybrid of Miscanthus sinensis and M. sacchariflorus native to Japan, is an ornamental and a highly lignocellulosic bioenergy crop, cultivated in the European Union as an alternative source of energy. This grass reproduces exclusively vegetatively, by rhizomes or via expensive in vitro micropropagation. The present study was aimed at finding the barriers that prevent sexual seed production, based on detailed embryological analyses of the whole generative cycle, including microsporogenesis, pollen viability, megasporogenesis, female gametophyte development, and embryo and endosperm formation. Sterility of M. ×giganteus results from abnormal development of both male and female gametophytes. Disturbed microsporogenesis (laggard chromosomes, univalents, micronuclei) was further highlighted by low pollen staining. The frequency of stainable pollen ranged from 13.9% to 55.3% depending on the pollen staining test, and no pollen germination was observed either in vitro or in planta. The wide range of pollen sizes (25.5–47.6 μm) clearly indicated unbalanced pollen grain cytology, which evidently affected pollen germination. Only 9.7% of the ovules developed normally. No zygotes nor embryos were found in any analyzed ovules. Sexual reproduction of M. ×giganteus is severely hampered by its allotriploid (2n=3x=57) nature. Hybrid sterility, a strong postzygotic barrier, prevents sexual reproduction and, therefore, seed formation in this taxon.
Duże zapotrzebowanie na biomasę wykorzystywaną na cele energetyczne spowodowało zwrócenie większej uwagi na uprawne rośliny energetyczne. Jedną z tych roślin jest miskant olbrzymi. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań procesu zagęszczania miskanta olbrzymiego. Na podstawie analizy wyników przeprowadzonych badań określone zostały podstawowe parametry procesu zagęszczania oraz jakości otrzymanych brykietów z miskanta olbrzymiego, przeznaczonych na cele energetyczne.
The capacity of functional groups of soil organic matter to form organometallic complexes may efficiently reduce the risk of migration of toxic ions of heavy metals in the environment. Therefore, a research was conducted to determine the effect of composting and pyrolysis of Miscanthus giganteus biomass on the quality of humic compounds and on the ability of these materials to bind cadmium ions from the solution. Both processes did not cause any significantly favorable changes in fractional composition of the humic compounds of the transformed Miscanthus giganteus biomass. In the case of the unprocessed and composted biomass, changes in cadmium sorption by the materials used in the research, depending on Cd dose and how long the sample was in contact with the solution, had a similar course, which indicates that the responses taking place directly after the application of the solution that contained Cd ions were stable. In the case of thermal processing of Miscanthus giganteus biomass, it was found that Cd content in the solution decreased with time. Lower cadmium concentrations in the extracts after separation of the biomass were determined in the series with biologically transformed Miscanthus giganteus.