Italian scientist look at switchgrass as bioenergy feedstock

Italian scientist looked at the current knowledge on the potential of switchgrass used as a bioenergy feedstock to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Their findings indicate that switchgrass can be used to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions but further research would need to be carried out.

According to the leading author, Dr Andrea Monti, Research Scientist at the University of Bologna, Italy, “We reviewed over 100 articles on switchgrass, which found that this crop has a considerable ability to accumulate carbon in the soil compared to several other grasses, and especially row crops.

Although switchgrass has recently received a lot attention as an environmentally beneficial energy crop, it is important to consider that switchgrass had not been planted as a monoculture crop until the mid 20th century. Information needed to make long term predictions on carbon sequestration, such as land use change, carbon turnover rate, and the economic life cycle length are lacking.” Read more ...