Introduction and context: global biomass resources - Biomass as Energy Source: Resources, Systems and Applications - page 12

Figure 1.3. Rajj grass/switch grass cultivation in Vingåker, Sweden.
13.4 (7 years); Arlington: 5.1 to 7.1 (3 years), 14.8 to 20.9 (6 years), and 16.1 to 21.1 (8 years);
and Ames: 4.3 to 5.3 (4 years), 11.1 to 20.9 (7 years), and 14.3 to 24.5 (9 years). The average
of all these 10 clones at 10 sites was approximately 11 tonne DS/ha per y. We can not have only
hybrid poplar everywhere, but a significant portion would be reasonable.
1.3.4 Other proposed energy crops
In the topic Energy Plant Species by N. el Bassam many other energy crops are listed and
discussed (Bassam, 1998). InTable 1.6 important species are listed from the topic, complemented
by other material from many different sources.
Some crops are producing a lot of oil and therefore can be interesting to use for production of
fossil oil replacements. Typical seed yields and oil content of the seed are listed in Table 1.7.
1.3.5 Quorn
It can be interesting to note that it is not only plants that can give high productivity and good
protein. During the 1960s, J. Arthur Rank started a project to develop fungus into good food.
After several years of development work and test of soil from 3000 sites they found a fungus
Fusarium Veneatum that turned out to be possible to grow on a large scale, tasted good and had
a high productivity and gave good protein. A plant started in Billingham, and is still producing
the fungus and actually also expanding from the 17,000 tonne produced in 2011. This product
is called Quorn. The feedstock is primarily starch. To the starch solution nitrogen, phosphate,
trace elements and air is added. A draw back in the production is that large amounts of RNA is
produced, but by heat treatment at 70 ◦ C the content is reduced to level accepted to use the product
as fodder for animals and food for humans as this meat replacement. Unfortunately, 30% of the
product is lost during this treatment. Significant advantages with a production like this are that
protein fodder with a quality like meat can be produced but without having to breed animals. CO 2
emissions are in the same range as for chicken meat, which is significantly below the levels for
beef and pig meat (Snaprud, 2012). Marlow food, who produces and distributes refined products
from Quorn (http://www.quorn.com/) is presenting how to use Quorn in different meals. It can be
interesting to note that the growth rate of the fungus is compared to breeding cows with production
of 50 adult cows in only one day!