Giant reed

GIANT REDD - ARUNDO DONAX Giant reed Arundo donax L. (Poaceae)

The Arundo is definitely the plant that produces absolutely more plants per year(biomass) than any other plant: 20 to 50 tonnes of dry matter per hectare. It can be grown without the use of herbicide treatments and bear, needs little fertilization. In Italy it is present and can be grown in all regions except in those alpine locations. Once the plantationis are made of a per square meter space it is colonized in the entire land in 2 or 3 years, and lives fro decades when the strong underground rhizome is renewed year after year. At the end of the crop, it is easy to remove, by just taking off the rizhome with a ripper. The biomass produced, can be used in many ways, mainly in this:
• Ensiled biomass with a high value in methane for producing biogas, replacing partially or totally the corn. The mechanical cutting and grinding, is carried out on the green stuff once or twice a year depending on soil fertility.
• Woody biomass with a fuel use where the crushed obtained can be used in heating plants for the production of electricity from biomass, to make pellets with high calorific value and low cost.
• Woody biomass to feed pyrolysis boilers that through the use of synthetic gas, feed cogeneration plants that produce electric power and hot water.
• Biomass for the production of ethanol for industrial use for self drive, to replace all or parcially the gasoline and is also used for the extraction of cellulose, construction and civil use.

The new implant is performed almost exclusively with micro propagated plants in laboratories when they are healthy, vigorous, marls included to ensure fixation, and is easy to implant in the common planters.