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Sustainable Production Systems and Material Utilization of Plant Biomass

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 38337

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Ralf Pude

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Guest Editor

Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), University of Bonn, 53359 Rheinbach, Germany
Interests: biomass plants; biobased products; cascade utilisation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainable cultivation of biomass plants should be the aim. Perennial crops in particular are characterized by so-called ecosystem services such as refuges for beneficial organisms, pollen and nectar sources for insects, humus formation, and/or erosion control. The outcome of the sustainable production, valuable biomass, has to be used more intelligently. However, for many years, research was focused on the energetic use of biomass (e.g., for heating). In several cases, a high-value or superior material use of biomass is possible. Examples of the material use of plant biomass include substrates, building construction and packaging materials based on biomass. Some of these bio-based products can be used several times in cascade utilization and should only be used to produce energy at the end of their life cycle. The goal must be to understand biomass as a valuable raw material, which can be used sustainably and innovatively throughout the entire value chain.

Prof. Dr. Ralf Pude
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

perennial biomass plants
perennial plants production systems
ecosystem services
cascade utilization/cradle to cradle
bio-based products
bioeconomy
building and construction materials
packaging materials
value chain
multiple utilization

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 4010 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) Biomass as Substitute for Expanded Polystyrene in Bonded Leveling Compounds

by Lüders Moll, Martin Höller, Charlotte Hubert, Christoph A. C. Korte, Georg Völkering, Christian Wever and Ralf Pude

Agronomy 2022, 12(1), 178; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12010178 - 12 Jan 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1672

Abstract

Biomass for non-food applications is considered as a substitute for petro-based materials such as expanded polystyrene (EPS). This research analyzes physical properties of an EPS containing commercial bonded leveling compound (BLC) which was substituted with cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) biomass. Cup plant is a high-yielding biomass plant with several ecological benefits that is yet mainly used for biogas production. Furthermore, the high amount of parenchyma in senescent biomass with its EPS-like structure could be a possible substitute for petrochemical foams in lightweight aggregates. The natural variation in parenchyma content of several European cup plant accessions is promising, regarding the development of cultivars with suitable biomass properties for the proposed material use. Two binders with different proportions of cup plant and EPS were used to produce samples of BLC for thermal conductivity and compression strength tests. The compression strength of 0.92 N mm⁻² and a thermal conductivity of 84 mW m⁻¹ K⁻¹ were analyzed and comparable to the commercial BLC. The thermal conductivity within the tested borders appears nearly independent of the biomass content. With increasing cup plant content, the shape characteristics of the lightweight aggregate mix changes towards more elongated aggregates. The mechanical strength and thermal conductivity are highly sensitive to the water demand of the biomass. Direct partial substitution of EPS by cup plant appears feasible and could be a part of the decarbonization of the construction sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production Systems and Material Utilization of Plant Biomass)

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19 pages, 1749 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Utilisation of Miscanthus x giganteus L. Based C-Rich Fertilisers for N Immobilisation and Microbial Biomass Build-Up in a Crop Rotation

by Michael Stotter, Florian Wichern, Ralf Pude and Martin Hamer

Agronomy 2021, 11(12), 2390; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11122390 - 24 Nov 2021

Viewed by 1664

Abstract

Cultivation of perennials such as Miscanthus x giganteus Greef et Deuter (Mis) combines the provision of ecosystem services and the generation of additional carbon sources for farming. The potential of Mis based fertilisers, regarding immobilisation of inorganic nitrogen (N) and build-up of soil organic matter (SOM), was tested in a field trial. Therefore, a crop rotation of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), mustard (Sinapis alba L.) as catch crop, sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was set up. The tested treatments were a mixture of Cattle Slurry (CS) and Mis, a mixture of CS and Wheat Straw (CS–WS), Cattle Manure (CM) from Mis shredded bedding, CM from WS shredded bedding, a pure CS, Urea Ammonium Nitrate (UAN) and a treatment without any N applied (NoN). When the carbon-rich fertilisers (both mixtures and manures) were applied to cereals, they led to a slight N immobilisation compared to pure CS, whereas differences were mostly not significant. Furthermore, Mis fertilisers were at least as efficient as WS-based organic fertilisers in inducing a contribution of SOM build-up and in reducing inorganic N before winter and thus preventing N losses, whereas differences were mostly not significant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production Systems and Material Utilization of Plant Biomass)

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16 pages, 532 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Wood Vinegar as a Complex Growth Regulator Promotes the Growth, Yield, and Quality of Rapeseed

by Kunmiao Zhu, Sicheng Gu, Jiahuan Liu, Tao Luo, Zaid Khan, Kangkang Zhang and Liyong Hu

Agronomy 2021, 11(3), 510; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11030510 - 09 Mar 2021

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 9758

Abstract

Wood vinegar is formed by the condensation of smoke produced during the production of biochar. It mainly contains acetic acid, butyric acid, catechol, and phenol. Wood vinegar has a compound effect of promoting crop growth similar to plant growth regulators and is environmentally friendly. Moreover, it can enhance the biological and abiotic resistance of crops. In this study, foliar spraying was carried out systematically in the field with the hybrid variety of Huayouza 9 for two years to study the effects of wood vinegar and its compounds on the growth of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). We applied four treatments with tap water as a control (CK), namely wood vinegar diluted 400-fold (M), M mixed with gibberellin (T1), M mixed with sodium D-gluconate (T2), and M mixed with melatonin (T3). They were sprayed in the seedling stage and overwintering stage, respectively. The results showed that the seed yield, the leaf area index, and the number of pods per plant of rapeseed treated with M increased by an average of 9.58%, 23.45%, and 23.80% in two years as compared to the CK, respectively. Compared with M, the seed yield of rapeseed treated with T1, T2, and T3 increased by an average of 7.88%, 6.90%, and 1.32% in two years, respectively. The treatments also improved the quality of rapeseed. In particular, the glucosinolate content of rapeseed treated with T2 and T3 decreased by an average of 12.83% and 6.72% in two years compared to the CK, respectively. The four treatments selected in the current study improved the resistance of rapeseed at the low temperature of 2–6 °C by increasing the activity of superoxide dismutase and proline and soluble protein contents, as compared to the CK. Besides, all treatments containing M reduced the incidence of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Peronospora parasitica (downy mildew) in rapeseed. More specifically, the T3 treatment significantly decreased the infection rate of these two diseases mentioned above by an average of 17.33% and 12.14% in two years compared to the CK, respectively. Therefore, the study and application of wood vinegar due to its compound effects on crop growth and yield is of great importance to sustainable agriculture, crop ecology, and environmental protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production Systems and Material Utilization of Plant Biomass)

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Review

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27 pages, 1304 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Recent Updates on the Conversion of Pineapple Waste (Ananas comosus) to Value-Added Products, Future Perspectives and Challenges

by Adila Fazliyana Aili Hamzah, Muhammad Hazwan Hamzah, Hasfalina Che Man, Nur Syakina Jamali, Shamsul Izhar Siajam and Muhammad Heikal Ismail

Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2221; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11112221 - 02 Nov 2021

Cited by 43 | Viewed by 24402

Abstract

Pineapple waste accounts for a significant part of waste accumulated in landfill which will further contribute to the release of greenhouse gases. With the rising pineapple demands worldwide, the abundance of pineapple waste and its disposal techniques are a major concern. Exploiting the pineapple waste into valuable products could be the most sustainable way of managing these residues due to their useful properties and compositions. In this review, we concentrated on producing useful products from on-farm pineapple waste and processing waste. Bioenergy is the most suitable option for green energy to encounter the increasing demand for renewable energy and promotes sustainable development for agricultural waste. The presence of protease enzyme in pineapple waste makes it a suitable raw material for bromelain production. The high cellulose content present in pineapple waste has a potential for the production of cellulose nanocrystals, biodegradable packaging and bio-adsorbent, and can potentially be applied in the polymer, food and textile industries. Other than that, it is also a suitable substrate for the production of wine, vinegar and organic acid due to its high sugar content, especially from the peel wastes. The potentials of bioenergy production through biofuels (bioethanol, biobutanol and biodiesel) and biogas (biomethane and biohydrogen) were also assessed. The commercial use of pineapples is also highlighted. Despite the opportunities, future perspectives and challenges concerning pineapple waste utilisation to value-added goods were also addressed. Pineapple waste conversions have shown to reduce waste generation, and the products derived from the conversion would support the waste-to-wealth concept. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production Systems and Material Utilization of Plant Biomass)

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