Energy cropping on derelict and waste land

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1983 · J. Environ. Manage.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6008997

Dennington, V N; Chadwick, M J; Chase, D S

The productivity of broadleaved and coniferous tree species has been determined on a range of derelict and waste land sites. Mean annual yields ranged from 0.54 t ha/sup -1/ for Betula pendula on railway land to 11.8 t ha/sup -1/ for Alnus glutinosa on pulverized fuel ash. Betula pendula, Pinus contorta and Populus robusta yielded more than 4 t ha/sup -1/ on a number of sites. Nutrient analysis show that harvesting a crop of 4 dry t ha/sup -1/ can remove up to 38 kg ha/sup -1/ nitrogen, 2 kg ha/sup -1/ phosphorus and 17 kg ha/sup -1/ potassium. However, 44-68% of the nitrogen, 46-49% of the potassium and 83-94% of the phosphorus in the standing crop at the end of the growing season occur in the foliage. Considerable conservation of nutrients can therefore be achieved by harvesting deciduous species after leaf fall, reducing total yield by about 18%. Nevertheless, in the absence of regular fertilizer additions, repeated harvesting will severely deplete the soil nutrient pool on many derelict sites. Assuming yields equivalent to 4.5 dry t ha/sup -1/ yr/sup -1/, derelict and waste land could yield 520,000 dry t yr/sup -1/ representing an energy yield of about 205,000 t oil equivalent, about 0.1% of the UK energy requirement for the year 2000.

• Research Organization: Univ. of York, England
• OSTI ID: 6008997
• Journal Information: J. Environ. Manage.; (United States), Vol. 16:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
09 BIOMASS FUELS
BIOMASS PLANTATIONS
MINERAL CYCLING
TREES
PRODUCTIVITY
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
LAND RECLAMATION
NITROGEN
NUTRIENTS
PHOSPHORUS
POTASSIUM
UNITED KINGDOM
ALKALI METALS
ELEMENTS
EUROPE
METALS
NONMETALS
PLANTS
WESTERN EUROPE
510500* - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)
140504 - Solar Energy Conversion- Biomass Production & Conversion- (-1989)