Arable grass
As agricultural grasses are grasses referred to for use as animal feed or energy plant on agricultural arable land are cultivated. In contrast to the agricultural use of grass on permanent grassland , arable grasses are sown as part of an agricultural crop rotation ( field forage cultivation ) and plowed up after a period of one to three years of use.
| material | Biogas yield in m 3 per ton of fresh mass |
Methane content |
|---|---|---|
| Corn silage | 202 | 52% |
| Grass silage | 172 | 54% |
| Rye GPS | 163 | 52% |
| Pressed sugar beet pulp ensiled |
125 | 52% |
| Fodder beet | 111 | 51% |
| Biowaste | 100 | 61% |
| Chicken litter | 80 | 60% |
| Pig manure | 60 | 60% |
| Cattle manure | 45 | 60% |
| Grain Meat | 40 | 61% |
| Pig manure | 28 | 65% |
| Cattle manure | 25th | 60% |
In addition to the pure cultivation of individual grass varieties and species such as Italian ryegrass , varieties and species mixtures are grown, also in combination with clover , alfalfa and other legumes . The aim of cultivation is the highest possible biomass production . The harvest takes place several times a year with the rotary mower and forage harvester and is usually preserved as silage . In the case of arable grasses that are used as fodder, high digestibility for ruminants ( net energy lactation ) is also an essential criterion.
In crop rotation, arable grass contributes to the build-up of humus and - especially when cultivated over several years - to the suppression of weeds. In species mixtures with legumes (so-called " clover grass "), the cultivation of arable grass serves to biologically enrich the arable land with nitrogen . In organic farming, this is of central importance for the supply of nutrients in the crop rotation and in this way of cultivation replaces, among other things, the otherwise common silage maize feeding of cattle in whole or in part.
As an energy carrier, arable grass is particularly interesting for use in biogas plants as grass silage . Here, energy contents of an average of around six MJ NEL per kg dry matter are applied.
Web links
- Representation of the Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture on arable grass (including current figures as PDF)
- Field grass at energy plants.info
Individual evidence
- ↑ Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V. (FNR): Biogas basic data Germany. (PDF; as of October 2008). Source for all information except for pressed pulp.
- ↑ Biogas yields of different substrates, division potatoes / beets lfl.bayern.de, see pressed pulp ensiled .
- ↑ Field forage and crops at oekolandbau.de. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on February 5, 2018 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )