Biomass Feedstock Production and Provision: Overview, Current Status, and Challenges - Engineering and Science of Biomass Feedstock Production and Provision - page 6

1.3 Existing Biomass Feedstock Production Systems

and Practices

Presently, there is very little large-scale cultivation and production of dedicated
energy crops such as perennial grasses supporting lignocellulosic biorefi neries. As a
result, most of the lignocellulosic biorefi neries are using agricultural residues such as
corn stover and wheat straw as feedstock. Moreover, these biorefi neries are not oper-
ating at very large scales, since many have been developed at pilot or demonstration
scale to validate the conversion processes. Consequently, a commercial-scale ligno-
cellulosic BFPP system does not exist. However, we have described here a typical
production and provision system that one might expect given the currently available
technologies and understanding. The system is schematically depicted in Fig. 1.2 .

1.3.1 Cultivation and Crop Management

For agricultural residues as feedstocks, the agronomic practices developed primar-
ily to optimize the yield and quality of the main crop such as corn, wheat, and rice
will be used. These agronomic practices related to cultivation, irrigation, fertiliza-
tion, and management have improved over the years. These are extensively covered
in past literature and, therefore, are not discussed here.
The cultivation of dedicated energy crops such as Miscanthus and switchgrass
( Panicum virgatum ) has been limited and mostly on test plots with the primary
purpose of conducting agronomic research. Cultivation of switchgrass is from seeds
and, therefore, existing seeding equipment can be used. For Miscanthus, the prac-
tice depends on the particular hybrid being used. Miscanthus × giganteus , one of the
hybrids that have been proposed as a potential feedstock due to its various benefi ts,
does not produce seeds. Therefore, it is cultivated through rhizomes. The equipment
for Miscanthus rhizome planting does not exist, so often potato planters are used.

Fig. 1.2 Typical BFP system expected to be currently practiced in agriculture based on the
available technology